| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive verb vayyiqqāḥ {וַיִּקַּ֣ח | wayyiqqāḥ} ‘and he took’, signaling continuation of narrative action. This is immediately followed by the subject David {דָּוִד | Dāwîḏ}, identifying the agent. The particle et {אֵת | ʾēt} marks the definite direct object, leading into the construct chain shiltey hazahav {שִׁלְטֵי הַזָּהָב | šīlṭê hazzāhāv} ‘shields of the gold’. A relative clause introduced by asher {אֲשֶׁר | ’ăšer} plus hayu {הָיוּ | hāyû} describes the shields’ placement. The prepositional phrase al avdei Hadadezer {עַל עַבְדֵי הֲדַדְעָזֶר | ʿal ʿăḇdê Ḥăḏaddeʿāzēr} ‘on the servants of Hadadezer’ specifies ownership. The narrative then continues with another vav-consecutive verb vayyevi’em {וַיְבִיאֵם | wayyēḇî’ēm} ‘and he brought them’, followed by the destination Yerushalayim {יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם | Yə-rū-šā-lā-yim}. English reorders the Hebrew’s verb-initial clauses into subject-verb-object order while preserving the construct chain and relative clause to maintain emphasis on David’s victory and the transfer of spoils. |