| 28. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew verb vayiphtach {וַיִּפְתַּ֥ח | vā-yip-ṭaḥ} ‘and he opened’ employs the Vav-consecutive to present divine action by Yahweh, setting the scene for miraculous speech. The particle et {אֶת | ʾet} precedes pi {פִּי | pî} ‘mouth,’ focusing the clause on the donkey’s speaking organ. The imperfect form vatomer {וַתֹּאמֶר | vā-tō-mer} indicates completed speech, with ha-aton {הָאָתוֹן | hā-ʾā-tōn} ‘the donkey’ marked by feminine singular agreement. The interrogative phrase meh-asiti lekha {מֶה־עָשִׂיתִי לְךָ | mē-ʿā-śî-tî lə-ḵā} ‘what have I done to you’ is linked by the causal conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} to the Hifil hikkitani {הִכִּיתַנִי | hikkî-tānî} ‘you struck me,’ creating an emphatic protest. Finally, the demonstrative zeh shalosh regalim {זֶה שָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים | zê šā-lō-š rə-ḡā-lîm} ‘this three times’ intensifies repetition. English word order shifts from Hebrew VSO to SVO for natural reading while preserving the focus on divine empowerment and the donkey’s voice. |