| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the construct form uvene {וּבְנֵי | ū-ḇə-nê}, “sons of,” serving as the subject, followed by ra'u {רָאוּ | rāʾû}, “saw,” introducing the content clause ki-nas {כִּי־נָס | kî-nās}, “that had fled,” indicating completed action. The narrative then moves swiftly through a series of vav-consecutive imperfect verbs—wayyanūsu {וַיָּנ֣וּסוּ | way-yā-nū-sû}, “and they fled,” wayyabou {וַיָּבֹאוּ | way-yā-bō-ʾū}, “and they entered,” and wayyavo {וַיָּבֹא | way-yā-bō}, “and he came”—creating a rapid sequence of events. The prepositional phrase mippene avshay {מִפְּנֵי אַבְשַׁי | mip-pə-nê ʾav-šay}, “from before Abshai,” emphasizes Abshai’s leadership as the catalyst for the flight and city entry, and the final singular verb wayyavo marks Joab’s return to Jerusalem, shifting focus to the change in agency and location. |