| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs two vav consecutive sequences to depict conquest and its outcome. The first vav consecutive in vayyak {וַיַּךְ | va-yá̄k} ‘and he struck’ marks the past action. The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾeṯ-} introduces Moab {מוֹאָב | mōʾā́v} as the object. The second vav consecutive in vayihyu {וַיִּהְיוּ | va-yihyû́} ‘and they became’ signals the resulting state. The noun avadim {עֲבָדִים | ʿăvādîm} with leDavid {לְדָוִיד | lə-ḏā-vîḏ} forms a subordinate clause of subjugation. The participle nose’e {נֹשְׂאֵי | nōśḗʾî} in construct with minchah {מִנְחָה | mînḥấ} functions as a circumstantial clause specifying Moab’s role in bearing tribute. This structure—action, status, service—carries the narrative’s causal flow into English. |