| 22. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the Hitpael form vayitchazzek {וַיִּתְחַזֵּ֥ק | vā-yiṯ-ḥaz-zêq}, indicating a reflexive collective action by ha’am {הָעָ֖ם | hā-ʿām} ‘the people.’ The distributive phrase ish yisrael {אִ֣ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | ʾîš yiś-rā-ʾêl} emphasizes each individual within Israel. Vav-consecutive verbs (vayitchazzek, vayyosifu) drive the narrative forward, with la’arokh {לַעֲרֹ֣ךְ | la-ʿă-rō-ḵ} as an infinitive construct expressing intentional military deployment and milchamah {מִלְחָמָ֔ה | mil-ḥā-mā} denoting organized combat. The locative bamakom asher-archu sham {בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־עָ֥רְכוּ שָׁ֖ם | ba-m-ma-qôm ʾă-šer-ʿā-rə-ḵû šām} ties back to the original position, and the temporal bayom harishon {בַּיּ֥וֹם הָרִאשֽׁוֹן | ba-yyôm hā-ri-šôn} situates the action on ‘the first day.’ The English renders preserve the Hebrew distributive emphasis, intentional arraying, spatial continuity, and temporal specificity without adding external elements. |