| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with vayomer {וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’, a vav-consecutive verb introducing direct speech. Yehoshua {יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ | yə-hō-šū-ʾa} serves as the speaker, addressing benei Yisrael {בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | bənê Yiśrāʾēl}. The interrogative adverb ad-anah {עַד־אָ֙נָה֙ | ʿad-ʾānā(h)} ‘until when’ signals urgency, linked to the Hitpael participle mitrapim {מִתְרַפִּ֔ים | mitrappîm} ‘are you being slack’. Two successive infinitives, lavo {לָבוֹא֙ | lāḇōʾ} ‘to come’ and lareshet {לָרֶ֣שֶׁת | lārešet} ‘to possess’, express purpose. The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} directly governs haaretz {הָאָ֔רֶץ | hāʾāreṣ} ‘the land’. Asher {אֲשֶׁר֙ | ʾăšer} ‘which’ introduces a relative clause featuring natan {נָתַן | nāṯān} ‘he gave’, with lachem {לָכֶ֔ם | lāḵem} ‘to you’ marking recipients. The juxtaposition of Yahweh {יְהוָ֖ה | Yəhōwāh} with Elohei avoteichem {אֱלֹהֵ֥י אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶֽם | ʾĕlōhê ʾāḇōṯêykem} emphasizes the covenantal grant of ancestral promise. |