| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with wayyomer {וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | wayyōmer} “and he said,” signaling Balaam’s spoken command. The preposition ’el {אֶל־ | ʾel} “to” introduces the addressee. Two imperatives, beneh-li {בְּנֵה־לִ֥י | bənē-lî} “build for me” and vehakhen-li {وְהָכֵ֥ן לִי֙ | wə-hā̆kên-lî} “and prepare for me,” form a coordinated instruction. The demonstrative bazeh {בָזֶה | bā-zēh} “in this” binds both actions to a specific location. Parallel numeric phrases šiv‘ah mizbechot {שִׁבְעָה מִזְבְּחֹת | seven altars} and šiv‘ah parim ve-šiv‘ah ʾê-lîm {שִׁבְעָה פָרִים וְשִׁבְעָה אֵילִים | seven bulls and seven rams} employ symmetry to highlight the ritual sequence. |