| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive in vayashev {וַיָּשֶׁב | wayyāšeb} “and he returned,” driving the narrative forward. The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} signals the definite object elef u-meʾah {אֶלֶף־וּמֵאָה | ʾelep̄ wəmēʾāh} “one thousand and one hundred,” where units follow thousands. The definite noun ha-kesef {הַכֶּסֶף | hak-keseph} “the silver” is then directed by the dative le-immōw {לְאִמּוֹ | ləʾimmōw} “to his mother.” Dialogue begins with vav-consecutive in vatōmer immōw {וַתֹּאמֶר אִמּוֹ | wattōmer immōw} “and his mother said,” followed by the emphatic infinitive absolute + perfect in haqqedēš hiqqad(a)štî {הַקְדֵּשׁ הִקְדַּשְׁתִּי | haqqedēš hiqqad(a)štî} “Dedicating I have dedicated.” The silver is reintroduced with et, leading to the divine dative la-Yahweh {לַיהוָה | la-Yahweh} “to the LORD.” The conjunctive phrase miyyādī libnī {מִיָּדִי לִבְנִי | miyyādî libnî} “from my hand for my son” marks source and beneficiary. The purpose clause laʿăšôt peseḷ wəmassekāh {לַעֲשׂוֹת פֶּסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה | laʿăšôt peseḷ wəmassekāh} “to make an image and a cast figure” uses an infinitive construct. Finally, wəʿattāh ʾăšîwenû lāḵ {וְעַתָּה אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ לָךְ | wəʿattāh ʾăšîwenû lāḵ} “and now I will return it to you” closes the vow with restitution, preserving Hebrew narrative flow and verbal intensity. |