| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive Hiphil imperfect vayashkem {וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם | wayyakšêm} ‘and he rose early’, marking a shift to the main action. Temporal markers babboker {בַּבֹּ֜קֶר | bābōqer} ‘in the morning’ and bayyōm hakhammîšî {בַּיּ֣וֹם הַחֲמִישִׁי֮ | bayyōm hakhammîšî} ‘on the fifth day’ set the timeframe. The infinitive construct lalechet {לָלֶכֶת֒ | lāleḵeṯ} ‘to go’ expresses purpose. The shift to direct speech with wayyōmer ’āḇî hanaarah {וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲבִ֣י הַֽנַּעֲרָ֗ה | wayyōmer ’āḇî hannāʿārāh} ‘and the father of the young woman said’ reflects social hierarchy. The Piel imperative sᵊ‘ād-nā {סְעָד־נָא֙ | sᵊ‘ād-nā} ‘please refresh’ followed by ləḇāḇḵā {לְבָ֣בְךָ֔ | ləḇāḇḵā} ‘your heart’ invites sustenance. The Hitpael imperative wəhitmahhêmû {וְהִֽתְמַהְמְה֖וּ | wəhitmahhêmû} ‘and delay yourselves’ conveys polite insistence. The temporal phrase ’ad-nəṭôṯ hayyōm {עַד־נְט֣וֹת הַיּ֑וֹם | ’ad-nəṭôṯ hayyōm} ‘until the decline of the day’ uses an infinitive phrase to specify duration. The concluding vav-consecutive Qal imperfect wayyō’akhlû šənêhem {וַיֹּאכְל֖וּ שְׁנֵיהֶֽם | wayyō’akhlû šənêhem} ‘and the two of them ate’ shows the result. The structure balances narrative progression with direct discourse in a hospitality context. |