| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with vatomer {וַתֹּאמֶר | waṯōmer} ‘and she said’, employing the vav-consecutive prefix to introduce direct speech. The imperative tenah {תְּנָה | tənāh} ‘give’ functions as a forceful petition. The noun berakhah {בְּרָכָה | bərākāh} ‘blessing’ serves as the object of request, implying covenant favor. The conjunction kî {כִּי | kî} ‘for’ introduces a causal clause linked to a prior gift. The construct phrase ʾereṣ han-negeb {אֶרֶץ הַנֶּגֶב | ʾereṣ han-ne-ḡeb} ‘land of the Negev’ specifies an arid region. The noun gūllōṯ māyim {גֻּלֹּת מָיִם | gūllōṯ māyim} ‘springs of water’ is a noun compound in the construct state. The narrative shifts with the vav-consecutive imperfect vayyitten {וַיִּתֶּן | va-yit-ten} ‘and he gave’, marking fulfillment. The double object structure, signaled by ʾet {אֵת | ʾet} ‘direct-object marker’, takes gūllōṯ ʿilliyyōṯ {גֻּלֹּת עִלִּיּוֹת | gūllōṯ ʿilliyyōṯ} ‘upper springs’ and gūllōṯ ṭaḥtiyyōṯ {גֻּלֹּת תַּחְתִּיוֹת | gūllōṯ ṭaḥtiyyōṯ} ‘lower springs’, creating parallelism that highlights both water sources. |