| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the waw-consecutive verb va-ekneh {וָאֶקְנֶ֥ה | wā-ʾe-qneh} ‘and I bought,’ establishing sequential narrative and immediate obedience. The direct-object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} marks ha-ezor {הָאֵזוֹר | hā-ʾē-zōr} ‘the belt’ as the object. The construct phrase ki-dvar Yahweh {כִּדְבַר יְהוָה | ki-də-var Yə-hō-wāh} ‘according to the word of the LORD’ expresses divine command. The subsequent waw-consecutive verb va-asim {וָאָשִׂם | wā-ʾā-śim} ‘and I put’ continues the action. The prepositional phrase al motnay {עַל־מָתְנַי | ʿal mōt-nāy} ‘on my loins’ completes the symbolic act. The Hebrew syntax places the command immediately before the action, emphasizing causality, while the English rendering shifts the prepositional clause for natural flow without losing original emphasis. |