| 26. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with vayedabber {וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר | way·yədabber} ‘and he spoke’, a vav-consecutive Piʿel imperfect that initiates divine discourse. The subject Yahweh {יְהוָ֔ה | Yəhōwāh} functions as the agent of speech. Two coordinated el {אֶל־ | ʾel-} prepositions mark Mosheh {מֹשֶׁ֥ה | mō·šeh} and Aharon {אַהֲרֹ֖ן | ʾā·harōn} as the direct objects, indicating simultaneous address. Finally, leʼemor {לֵאמֹֽר | lēʾemor}, a Qal infinitive construct with lamed, introduces the forthcoming quotation. The formal translation preserves “saying” to mirror the Hebrew speech marker, while the dynamic version smooths it to “told” for immediacy and readability. |