| 17. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive prefix on the imperfect verb vaya‘alu {וֽ͏ַיַּעֲל֞וּ | wā-ya-‘ă-lû} ‘and they went up,’ signaling sequential narrative. The construct chain chameshet ha’anashim {חֲמֵ֣שֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים | ḥă-me-šet hā-’ănā-šîm} ‘five of the men’ is modified by the participle hahalokhim {הַהֹלְכִים֮ | ha-hō-lə-ḵîm} ‘those walking’ and the infinitive leraggel {לְרַגֵּ֣ל | lə-ra-gēl} ‘to spy out,’ creating an agent-purpose clause. The sequence of seized items is marked by the direct-object phrases et-hapesel {אֶת־הַפֶּ֙סֶל֙ | ʾet-hā-pe-sel} ‘the carved image,’ et-ha’ephod {וְאֶת־הָ֣אֵפוֹד | wə-ʾet-hā-’ê-phôd} ‘the ephod,’ et-hateraphim {וְאֶת־הַתְּרָפִ֖ים | wə-ʾet-hā-te-rā-pîm} ‘the household gods,’ and et-hamassekah {וְאֶת־הַמַּסֵּכָ֑ה | wə-ʾet-hā-mas-sē-ḵā} ‘the cast image,’ which are rendered as a coordinated list in English. The narrative then shifts focus with ve-hakohen {וְהַכֹּהֵ֗ן | wə-hā-kō-hên} ‘and the priest’ nitsav {נִצָּב֙ | nits-sāḇ} ‘standing.’ The locative phrase petach hasha’ar {פֶּ֣תַח הַשַּׁ֔עַר | pe-ṭaḥ ha-šā-‘ār} ‘entrance of the gate’ introduces the setting, and the cumulative expression ve-shesh-me’ot ha’ish hechagur kelei hamilchamah {וְשֵׁשׁ־מֵא֣וֹת הָאִ֔ישׁ הֶחָג֖וּר כְּלֵ֥י הַמִּלְחָמָֽה | wə-šēš-me-’ôṯ hā-’îš he-ḥā-gûr kə-lē hā-mil-ḥā-mā} ‘and six hundred men armed with battle gear’ emphasizes the martial presence. English rendering smooths these participial and construct chains into clear relative clauses and noun phrases. |