| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive verb vayomeru {וַיֹּאמְרוּ | wayyōʾmerū} ‘and they said’, introducing direct speech by the sons of Israel (bennê yiśrāʾēl {בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל | bennê yiśrāʾēl}). The interrogative pronoun mi ʾăšer {מִי אֲשֶׁר | mî ʾăšer} ‘who’ frames the question identifying absentees. The phrase baqqāhāl mikkōl šivṯê yiśrāʾēl ʾel Yahweh {בַקָּהָל מִכָּל־שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־יְהוָה | baqqāhāl mikkōl šivṯê yiśrāʾēl ʾel Yahweh} ‘in the assembly from all the tribes of Israel to the LORD’ defines the communal gathering. The conjunction kî {כִּי | kî} ‘for’ introduces the explanatory clause haššəḇûʿāh haggədôlāh hāyttāh {הַשְּׁבוּעָה הַגְּדוֹלָה הָיְתָה | haššəḇûʿāh haggədôlāh hāyttāh} ‘the great oath had been taken’, signaling the completed legal vow. Finally, the sequence mōṯ yûmatt {מֹות יֻמָּת | mōṯ yûmatt} ‘dying, he shall be put to death’ combines an infinitive absolute and a finite verb to intensify the certainty of the death penalty. The structure moves from inquiry to covenantal legislation, highlighting collective responsibility under divine authority. |