| 16. Linguistic Exegesis wayyidabber {וַיְדַבֵּר | wă-yiḏ-dăb-bĕr} ‘and He spoke’ employs the wayyiqtol VSO pattern to introduce direct divine discourse. The subject is specified by Yahweh {יְהוָה | Yə-hō-wāh}, emphasizing God’s agency. The allative preposition ʾel {אֶל־ | ʾel} plus the proper name Moshe {מֹשֶׁה | Mō-šê} marks the recipient. The infinitive construct leʾemor {לֵּאמֹר | lē-ʾă-môr} functions as a formulaic direct-speech marker. English SVO order and the verb “told” are chosen in dynamic to clarify the action while preserving the Hebrew speech-act structure. |