| 33. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative employs the Hebrew vav-consecutive prefix va {וַ | wa} ‘and then’ to sequence actions in vatir’ani {וַתִּרְאַ֙נִי֙ | vaṯ·tir·’ānî} ‘and she saw me’ and vatet {וַתֵּ֣ט | vaṯ·ṭêṭ} ‘and she turned aside’. The idiom shalosh regalim {שָׁלֹ֣שׁ רְגָלִ֑ים | šā·lōš re·gā·lîm} ‘three times’ uses regel {רֶגֶל | re·gēl} ‘foot’ metaphorically for an occasion. The particle ulai {אוּלַי֙ | ū·lāy} ‘perhaps’ introduces modal uncertainty in the clause with the perfect natetah {נָטְתָ֣ה | nā·ṭa·ṯāh} ‘she had turned aside’. The Qal perfect haragti {הָרַ֖גְתִּי | hā·rā·gᵗî} and the Hiphil perfect hecheyeti {הֶחֱיֵֽיתִי | he·ḥe·yē·ṯî} function as potential perfects expressing hypothetical outcomes. The double direct object structure gam-otkha {גַּם־אֹתְכָ֥ה | gam-’ōṯ·ḵā} ‘even you’ versus veotah {וְאוֹתָ֥הּ | wə·’ōṯāh} ‘and her’ emphasizes the contrasting fates of Balaam and his donkey. |