| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the vav consecutive and Hiphil imperfect vayanichuhu {וַיַּנִּיחֻהוּ | va-yyan-ni-ḥû-hû} ‘and they put him’, marking sequential legal action. The prepositional phrase bamishmar {בַּמִּשְׁמָר | ba-mish-mā-r} ‘in the custody’ establishes protective detention as the setting. The infinitive construct lifrosh {לִפְרֹשׁ | li-frôsh} ‘to interpret’ functions as a purpose clause, indicating that the officials awaited further explication for lahem {לָהֶם | lā-hem} ‘for them’. The construct chain al-pi {עַל־פִּי | ʿal-pî} ‘according to the mouth of’ introduces Yahweh {יְהוָה | Yə-hō-wāh} ‘LORD’ as the source of authority, forming a technical legal idiom. In translation, “placed him in custody” (formal) preserves judicial procedure, while “held him in detention” (dynamic) conveys general legal practice. |