| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the sequential narrative verbs va-elekh {וָאֵלֵ֕ךְ | wā-ʾē-leḵ} ‘and I went’ and va-etmenehu {וָאֶטְמְנֵ֖הוּ | wā-ʾeṭ-mə-nê-hû} ‘and I hid it’, presenting two consecutive actions. The locative expression biphrat {בִּפְרָ֑ת | bi-pə-rāṯ} specifies the Euphrates as the place of concealment. The connector ka-asher {כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר | ka-ă-šer} introduces the circumstance that the hiding follows divine instruction. In Hebrew, the verb tsivah {צִוָּ֥ה | tsiw-wāh} ‘commanded’ precedes its subject Yahweh {יְהוָ֖ה | Yə-hō-wāh}, whereas English typically places the subject first. The object term oti {אוֹתִֽי | ʾo-ṯî} indicates the first person singular and is rendered ‘me’ to reflect the direct recipient of the command. |