| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the vav-consecutive verb wayyabo {וַיָּבֹא | wayyābōʾ} ‘and he came’, signaling continuation. The prepositional phrase el hakkubbah {אֶל־הַקֻּבָּה | ʾel hakkubbāh} establishes movement into a private space. The successive wayyidqor {וַיִּדְקֹר | wayyidqōr} ‘and he pierced’ with et-shenehem {אֶת־שְׁנֵיהֶם | ʾet-šənêhem} emphasizes the dual action, and the repeated et {אֵת | ʾet} marks each object. The transition vatetsar {וַתֵּעָצַר | wətaʿāṣṣar} ‘and it was stopped’ in the Niphal imperfect conveys the halting of divine judgment encoded in hammagefah {הַמַּגֵּפָה | hammaggēp̄āh}, and meal bnei yisrael {מֵעַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל | mēʿāl bnē-yisrāʾēl} specifies removal of the affliction from the community. |