| 24. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the Piel imperative dabbēr {דַּבֵּר | dab·bēr} ‘Speak,’ commanding Moses as mediator to address the people. This is followed by the prepositional phrase ʾel-hāʿēdāh {אֶל־הָעֵדָה | ʾel-hā·ʿē·dāh} ‘to the congregation,’ specifying the audience. The infinitive construct leʾmôr {לֵאמֹר | le·ʾmôr} ‘saying’ introduces direct speech. Within the quotation, the Hiphil imperative hēʿālû {הֵעָלוּ | hē·ʿā·lû} ‘Withdraw’ issues a causative command. The adverbial misābîv {מִסָּבִיב | mi·sā·bîv} ‘from around’ denotes spatial separation, emphasizing necessary distance. The construct chain lemiškān-qōraḥ Dāṯān wəʾAḇîrām {לְמִשְׁכַּן־קֹרַח דָּתָן וַאֲבִירָם | le·miš·kān-qō·raḥ Dā·ṯān wə·ʾă·bî·rām} links “the tent of Korah” to “Dathan and Abiram,” pinpointing the precise location for withdrawal. The transition from Hebrew VSO to English SVO preserves the flow of command and speech sequence. |