| 40. Linguistic Exegesis The verse uses vav-consecutive verbs vayizbach {וַיִּזְבַּ֥ח | way-yiz-bāḥ} ‘and he sacrificed’ followed by vayishlach {וַיְשַׁלַּ֣ח | way-ye-shal-lāḥ} ‘and he sent’, sequencing ritual and dispatch. The subject Balak {בָּלָ֖ק | bā-lāq} precedes bakar {בָּקָר | bā-qār} ‘cattle’ and vatson {וָצֹ֑אן | vā-ṣō-an} ‘sheep’, forming a hendiadys that emphasizes the scope of the offerings. The prepositional phrases le-bilam {לְבִלְעָ֔ם | lə-vil-ʿām} and velasarim asher itto {וְלַשָּׂרִים אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ | wə-la-sā-rîm ’ă-šer ’it-tô} specify the recipients and their attendants. Rendering “portions” captures the distribution of sacrificial gifts rather than a mere message, and the translation preserves the vav-consecutive narrative flow. |