| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the vav-consecutive wayyomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’, linking to the ongoing account. The noun-adjective sequence haish hazaken {הָאִישׁ הַזָּקֵן | hāʾîš ha-zāqēn} ‘the old man’ reflects Hebrew modifier order. The greeting shalom {שָׁלוֹם | šālôm} ‘peace’ functions as a formal welcome. The prepositional phrase lakh {לָךְ | lāḵ} marks direct address to the traveler. The construct phrase kol-mahsorekha alay {כָּל־מַחְסוֹרְךָ עָלָי | kol-maḥsōreḵā ʿālâʾy} ‘all your lack upon me’ expresses assumption of obligation. The second raq {רַק | raq} ‘only’ introduces the prohibition in al-talan {אַל־תָּלַן | ʾal-tālan} ‘do not lodge’, followed by the locative barechov {בָּרְחוֹב | bāṟeḥōḇ} ‘in the street’, contrasting hospitality with protective warning. |