| 35. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with ve’esh {וְאֵשׁ | ve’êš} ‘and fire’, using the conjunctive vav to continue the narrative and underscore divine action. The Qal perfect yatsa’ah {יָצְאָה | yāṣəʾāh} ‘went out’ serves as the main verb, with the prepositional phrase me’et Yahweh {מֵאֵת יְהוָה | mêʾêṯ Yəhōwâh} indicating divine agency. The vav consecutive in vato’khal {וַתֹּאכַל | vaṭṭōʾăkhal} ‘and it consumed’ shifts to the imperfect for immediacy. The particle et {אֵת | ʾēṯ} marks the direct object, followed by the coordinated numerals ha-chamishshim {הַחֲמִשִּׁים | haḥămiššîm} ‘the fifty’ and u-maatayim {וּמָאתַיִם | umāʾatayim} ‘the two hundred’, forming a precise numeric expression modifying ish {אִישׁ | ʾîš} ‘man.’ The participial construct makrivei ha-ktoret {מַקְרִיבֵי הַקְּטֹרֶת | māqrîvē haqqōreṯ} ‘offering the incense’ functions as a relative clause specifying those consumed. Preserving the vav consecutives and exact enumeration in translation maintains the Hebrew’s narrative force and emphasis on divine judgment. |