| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive imperfect verb vayomeru {וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ | wə-yō-mə-rû} ‘and they said,’ initiating direct discourse. This is followed by the construct chain el kol adat bnei-Yisrael {אֶל־כָּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | ʾel kol ʿa-dāt bənē-yiśrāʾēl} ‘to all the congregation of the sons of Israel,’ marking group address. The quotation marker lemor {לֵאמֹ֑ר | lē-ʾāmôr} ‘saying’ signals the report that follows. The relative clause haaretz asher avarnu bah latur otah {הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָבַרְנוּ בָהּ לָתוּר אֹתָ֔הּ | hā-ʾāreṣ ʾă-šer ʿāvarnû bāh lāṭūr ʾōṯāh} combines a finite verb with an infinitive construct to preserve Hebrew’s nuance of purpose within direct speech. The phrase tovah haaretz meod meod {טוֹבָה הָאָ֖רֶץ מְאֹד מְאֹֽד | ṭôvāh hā-ʾāreṣ mə-ʾōḏ mə-ʾōḏ} utilizes an adjective followed by a doubled adverb, the Hebrew idiom of emphatic doubling, to convey superlative force. |