| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with vayis'u {וַיִּסְע֖וּ | va-yiṣ-ʿû} ‘and they set out’, employing the narrative vav to propel the sequence. The phrase benei yisra'el {בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | bə-nê yis-ra-ʾêl} ‘sons of Israel’ identifies the covenant community. The verb vayachanu {וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ | va-yă-ḥa-nû} ‘and they camped’ continues the narrative progression with another vav-consecutive. The locative be’ovot {בְּאֹבֹֽת | bə-’ō-vôṯ} ‘at Oboth’ functions as a prepositional toponym marking a stage in the wilderness itinerary, with the preposition be {בְּ | bə} as a locative marker. In English, the coordinated clauses preserve the Hebrew sequence of departure and encampment. |