| 28. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the narrative verb vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wā-yō-mer} ‘and he said’ using the vav-consecutive to introduce direct speech. The subject moshe {מֹשֶׁה | mō-šē} ‘Moses’ follows. The demonstrative prepositional phrase bezot {בְּזֹאת | bə-zō-t} ‘by this’ signals the forthcoming proof clause. The Qal imperfect teidun {תֵּדְע֔וּן | tē-ḏa-‘ûn} ‘you will know’ expresses future certainty. The conjunction kiyehovah {כִּֽי־יְהוָ֣ה | kî-yə-hō-wāh} ‘that the LORD’ introduces the content clause where the perfect shelachani {שְׁלָחַנִי | śə-lā-ḥā-nî} ‘has sent me’ identifies divine agency. The infinitive construct laasot {לַעֲשׂוֹת | la-‘ă-śōt} ‘to do’ and the particle et {אֵ֥ת | ’êṯ} link to the construct kolhammaasim {כָּל־הַמַּעֲשִׂים | kol-ham-mā-‘ă-šîm} ‘all the works’, modified by the demonstrative haelleh {הָאֵלֶּה | hā-’ēl-leh} ‘these’. The second conjunction kilo {כִּי־לֹ֖א | kî-lō’} ‘because not’ introduces the negative clause milibi {מִלִּבִּֽי | mil-lî-bî} ‘from my heart’, denying personal volition. The English rendering preserves Hebrew clause order to highlight divine commissioning prior to the denial of self-initiative. |