| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the vav-consecutive form vayeshalach {וַיְשַׁלַּ֨ח | wayyšallâḥ} ‘and he sent’, signaling sequence. The verb’s subject Yahweh {יְהוָ֜ה | Yə-hō-wāh} ‘LORD’ sends action ba-am {בָּעָ֗ם | baʿām} ‘among the people’. The noun phrase ha-nehashim ha-serapim {הַנְּחָשִׁ֣ים הַשְּׂרָפִ֔ים | han-nə-ḥā-šîm ha-śə-rā-pîm} ‘the fiery serpents’ couples identity with nature. The accompanying verb vayinashechu {וַֽיְנַשְּׁכ֖וּ | wayyinnāššəḵû} ‘and they bit’ targets ha-am {הָעָ֑ם | hā-ʿām} ‘the people’ with the direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾeṯ}. The result clause uses vayamat {וַיָּ֥מָת | wayyāmāt} ‘and he died’ to report that am-rav {עַם־רָ֖ב | ʿam-rāḇ} ‘many people’ from mi-yisrael {מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל | mî-yisrāʾēl} lost life. This tight verb–subject–object structure emphasizes cause and effect, with the construct chain linking the affliction to its victims. |