| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with vayehi {וַיְהִי | wayəhî} ‘and it happened,’ a vav-consecutive Qal imperfect marking narrative continuity, followed by acharei {אַחֲרֵי | ʾaḥărê} ‘after’ with hamaggēp̄âh {הַמַּגֵּפָה | hamaggēp̄âh} ‘the plague’ in a temporal clause. The vav-consecutive vayyōʾəmer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōʾəmer} ‘and He said’ introduces divine speech via lēʾemor {לֵאמֹר | lēʾemor}, a Qal infinitive construct. Recipient phrases ʾel Mōšeh {אֶל־מֹשֶׁה | ʾel mōšeh} ‘to Moses’ and wəʾel ʾElʿāzār ben ʾAharōn hakkōhên {וְאֶל־אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן־אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן | wəʾel ʾelʿāzār ben ʾaharōn hakkōhên} ‘and to Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest’ form a construct chain that emphasizes lineage and priestly function. This Hebrew structure foregrounds divine initiative and priestly mediation, preserved in English through faithful ordering and the introduction of speech. |