Numbers 14:16ExegesisTAB

Numbers 14 : 16 Incapacity | Judgment | Covenant
16. Linguistic Exegesis
The causal clause begins with mibbilti {מִבִּלְתִּי | mib-bil-tî} “because not,” indicating negation of divine capability, followed by the noun yekholet {יְכֹלֶת | ye-kho-let} “ability.” The Hiphil infinitive lehavi {לְהָבִיא | le-hā-vi} “to bring” governs the direct object et-haam hazzeh {אֶת־הָעָם הַזֶּה | et-ha-am ha-zeh} “this people.” A relative prepositional clause el-haaretz asher-nishba lahem {אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּע לָהֶם | el-ha-aretz a-šer-nīš-bāʿ la-hem} “into the land which He swore to them” evokes covenantal oath formulas. The vav-consecutive vayishchatem {וַיִּשְׁחָטֵם | va-yim-šḥā-tem} “and He slaughtered them” marks narrative sequence, with bamidbar {בַּמִּדְבָּר | ba-mid-bār} “in the wilderness” specifying the location of judgment. English rendering preserves temporal and causal relationships to reflect the Hebrew structure and theological emphasis on divine agency and judgment.

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