Numbers 16:20ExegesisTAB

Numbers 16 : 20 Speech | Authority | Leadership
20. Linguistic Exegesis
The narrative opens with the vav consecutive Piel imperfect vayedabber {וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר | va-yə-ddā-ḇēr} ‘and He spoke’, which continues the narrative flow. The divine name Yahweh {יְהוָ֔ה | yə-hō-wāh} serves as the grammatical subject, foregrounding divine authority. The coordinated prepositional phrases el Mosheh {אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה | ʾel mō-šeh} ‘to Moses’ and ve'el Aharon {וְאֶל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן | wə-ʾel a-hā-rôn} ‘and to Aaron’ mark the joint recipients via the conjunction vav. The infinitive construct le'emor {לֵאמֹֽר | lē-ʾe-mōr} ‘to say’ introduces direct discourse. English rendering mirrors this structure to preserve the emphasis on divine address.

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