| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative employs vav-consecutive prefixes with Qal imperfect verbs to present a rapid sequence of events. The subject of the first clause is the man (hāʼîš {הָאִישׁ | hāʼîš} ‘the man’), whose purpose is conveyed by the infinitive construct lālĕ́keṯ {לָלֶכֶת | lālĕ́keṯ} ‘to go’. The subsequent clause, marked by wayyip̣ṣár-bō {וַיִּפְצַר־בּוֹ | wayyip̣ṣár-bō} ‘and he urged him’, introduces the father-in-law (ḥōṭénō {חֹתְנוֹ | ḥōṭénō}) and his persuasive action, with the suffix bō {בּוֹ | bō} clarifying the object. This urging triggers the resultative clauses wayyāšáv {וַיָּשָׁב | wayyāšáv} ‘and he returned’ and wayyā́lên {וַיָּלֶן | wayyā́lên} ‘and he spent the night’, culminating in the adverb šām {שָׁם | šām} ‘there’. The English translation mirrors this chronological flow and renders the Hebrew purpose and result constructions transparently. |