| 17. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with vayedabber {וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר | way-yə-dab-bēr} ‘and he spoke’, employing the vav consecutive form to sequence the narrative. The subject Yahweh {יְהוָ֖ה | Yə-hō-wāh} ‘LORD’ follows in the nominative, indicating the divine speaker. The preposition el {אֶל־ | ʾel} ‘to’ introduces the recipient Mosheh {מֹשֶׁ֥ה | mō-šêh} ‘Moses’. The infinitive construct lemor {לֵאמֹֽר | lē-ʾā-môr} ‘saying’ functions as a discourse marker that frames the forthcoming command. Hebrew’s concise clause structure is rendered in English with a simple past verb and a comma plus “saying” to preserve the formulaic tone. |