| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse advances the narrative with the vav consecutive verb vayishlach {וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח | wayyišlaḥ} ‘and he sent,’ where the subject is carried forward from the previous context. The envoy is marked by the object construction et-hadoram-beno {אֶת־הֲדֽוֹרָם־בְּנ֣וֹ | ʾeṯ-hăḏôrām-bənô} ‘Hadoram, his son,’ an appositional identification typical of Hebrew prose. The destination el-hamelekh-david {אֶל־הַמֶּֽלֶךְ־דָּ֠וִיד | ʾel-hammeleḵ-dāwîḏ} ‘to King David’ is followed by a purpose chain: leshaol-lishol-lo {לשאול־לִשְׁאָל־ל֨וֹ | ləšaʾōl-lišʾōl-lô} ‘to ask him’ (with a doubled written form) and u-levarakho {וּֽלְבָרֲכ֗וֹ | ûləḇārăḵô} ‘and to bless him,’ expressing diplomatic inquiry and goodwill. The motivation is framed by ʿal {עַל֩ | ʿal} ‘because of’ introducing the relative clause asher nilcham...vayyakkehu {אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִלְחַ֤ם...וַיַּכֵּ֔הוּ | ʾăšer nilḥam...wayyakkehû} ‘that he fought...and struck him,’ summarizing David’s successful campaign. A further explanatory clause begins with ki-ish milchamot {כִּי־אִ֛ישׁ מִלְחֲמ֥וֹת | kî-ʾîš milḥămōṯ} ‘for (he was) a man of wars,’ characterizing Hadadezer as habitually warlike toward Tou. The closing phrase ve-khol kelei zahav va-khesef u-nechoshet {וְכֹ֗ל כְּלֵ֛י זָהָ֥ב וָכֶ֖סֶף וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת | wəkōl kəlê zāhāḇ wāḵeseph ûnəḥōšeṯ} ‘and all vessels of gold and silver and bronze’ functions as an appended list of accompanying valuables, with the verb of sending understood from the opening clause. |