| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive marking continuity followed by vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | vayyōmer} ‘and he said’, introducing direct speech. The speaker Bil’am {בִּלְעָם | bil‘ām} appears before the addressee el-balak {אֶל־בָּלָק | ʾel-bā-lāq}, framed by the prepositional construct. The interrogative halo {הֲלֹא | hălōʼ} introduces a rhetorical question, reinforced by gam {גַּם | gam} ‘also’. The construct-state el-malakhekha {אֶל־מַלְאָכֶיךָ | ʾel-mal-ʼāḵê-ḵā} specifies possession, refined by the relative clause asher-shalakhta {אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַ֥חְתָּ | ʼăšer-šā-laḥ-tā} ‘whom you sent’. The verb dibarti {דִּבַּרְתִּי | dîb-bār-tî} in Piel conveys forceful assertion, while the infinitive leemor {לֵאמֹר | lē-ʾē-mōr} signals the introduction of reported content. This structure highlights Balaam’s emphasis on his prior communication. |