| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive prefix in vayehovah {וֽ͏ַיהוָ֛ה | Yə-hō-wāh} ‘and the LORD’, placing divine agency at the narrative’s outset and linking this fulfillment to the previous promise. The verb pakad {פָּקַד | pā-qaḏ} ‘visited’ conveys attentive, purposeful care. The direct-object marker et־ {אֶת־ | ʾeṯ} before sarah {שָׂרָה | śā-rāh} highlights Sarah as the definite recipient of divine action. The comparative kaasher {כַּאֲשֶׁר | ka-ʾă-šer} ‘just as’ ties the event back to what was amar {אָמָר | ʾā-mar} ‘said’. The second clause parallels this structure through the vav-consecutive in vayyaas {וַיַּעַשׂ | way-ya-ʿaś} ‘and He did’, the reprise of yehovah {יְהוָ֛ה | Yə-hō-wāh}, the prepositional phrase le-sarah {לְשָׂרָה | lə-śā-rāh}, and the kaasher + dibber {דִּבֵּֽר | dib-bēr} ‘just as He had spoken’. This chiastic parallelism between divine promise and action underscores Yahweh’s faithfulness and the precise fulfillment of His word. The translation preserves these features by repeating “the LORD” and mirroring Hebrew clause structure. |