| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The verse is a single clause composed of a series of wayyiqtol verbs that sequentially narrate Abraham’s actions and the resulting agreement. vayikach {וַיִּקַּ֤ח | way-yiq-qaḥ} ‘and he took’ introduces Abraham as the understood subject and is followed by the coordinated direct objects tson {צֹ֣אן | ṣōn} ‘flock’ and uvebakar {וּבָקָ֔ר | u-vā-qār} ‘and cattle,’ specifying the gifts. Vayiten {וַיִּתֵּ֖ן | way-yit-tēn} ‘and he gave’ continues the action with the prepositional phrase laavimelekh {לַאֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ | la-ʾă-ḇî-me-leḵ} ‘to Abimelech’ as indirect object. The switch to a mutual subject occurs with vayikretu {וַיִּכְרְת֥וּ | way-yik-rə-ṯû} in the idiom karat berit {כָּרַת בְּרִית | kā-rat bə-rît} ‘to cut a covenant,’ which is clarified by sheneihem {שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם | šə-nê-hem} ‘the two of them.’ This linear structure underscores the progression from gift-giving to formalizing relations through a binding ceremony. |