| 32. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive wayyihyû {וַיִּהְי֥וּ | wayyihyû} ‘and they were’, establishing the background. The construct chain bənê-yiśrāʾēl {בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | bənê-yiśrāʾēl} ‘sons of Israel’ serves as subject, followed by the prepositional phrase bammidbār {בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר | bammidbār} ‘in the wilderness’. A new action is introduced by the vav-consecutive wayimṣəʾû {וַֽיִּמְצְא֗וּ | wayimṣəʾû} ‘and they found’, with the participle məqōšēš {מְקֹשֵׁ֥שׁ | məqōšēš} ‘gathering’ modifying the object ʿēṣîm {עֵצִ֖ים | ʿēṣîm} ‘wood’. The temporal clause bəyôm haššabbāt {בְּי֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּֽת | bəyôm haššabbāt} ‘on the Sabbath’ defines the sacred timeframe, highlighting the transgressive context. |