Numbers 17:11ExegesisTAB

Numbers 17 : 11 · WLC 17:26 Obedience | Command | Fidelity
11. Linguistic Exegesis
The verse opens with the narrative‐prefatory vav in wayyāʿaś {וַיַּעַשׂ | wayyāʿaś} ‘and he did’, which sequences Moses’s action within the unfolding narrative. The comparative particle kaʾăšer {כַּאֲשֶׁר | kaʾăšer} ‘just as’ introduces a subordinate clause that establishes the LORD’s directive as the standard for obedience. The verb ṣivvāh {צִוָּה | ṣivvāh} ‘he commanded’ functions as the head of this clause, highlighting Yahweh’s authoritative instruction, while the pronominal suffix in ʾōtô {אֹתוֹ | ʾōtô} ‘him’ identifies Moses as the recipient. The adverb kên {כֵּן | kên} ‘so/thus’ together with the repeated verb ʿāśâ {עָשָׂה | ʿāśâ} ‘he did’ in the main clause forms an emphatic restatement of exact compliance. English preserves this subordinate–main clause structure to underscore the causal link between divine command and human fidelity.

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