| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the vav-consecutive verb vayomer {וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | wayyo’mer} ‘and he said’, marking sequential action in Biblical Hebrew. The joined absolute numerals in elef ume’ah hakesef {אֶלֶף וּמֵאָ֨ה הַכֶּ֜סֶף | ʼelef ū-me’āh ha-ke-sef} ‘one thousand one hundred pieces of silver’ emphasize the precise sum. The relative clause asher luqach-lakh {אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֻֽקַּֽח־לָ֗ךְ | ʼă-šer lû-qaḥ-lākh} uses a Pual perfect to focus on the mother as the passive recipient of loss. The coordinated phrases ve-itti ve-at alit vegam amart be-oznai {וְאִתִּ֖י וְאַ֤תְּ אָלִית וְגַם אָמַ֣רְתְּ בְּאָזְנַ֔י | wə-’it-tî wə-ʼat ’ā-lit wə-gam ’ā-mart bə-ʼoẓ-nay} highlight the speaker’s presence and the mother’s own curse, underscoring dramatic irony. The demonstrative hinneh-hakesef itti {הִנֵּֽה־הַכֶּ֥סֶף אִתִּ֖י | hin-nêh ha-ke-sef ’it-tî} marks the pivotal revelation. The first person declaration leqaḥtiv {לְקַחְתִּ֑יו | lə-qaḥ-tîv} asserts admission of guilt. Finally, the maternal blessing vatomer immo barukh beni la-yehovah {וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אִמּ֔וֹ בָּר֥וּךְ בְּנִ֖י לַיהוָֽה | wat-tō-mer ’im-mō ba-rūkh bə-nî la-Yahweh} employs a participle formula to reverse the curse. |