| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse uses a rapid sequence of vav-consecutive verbs to drive the narrative: wayyiqquḥ {וַיִּקַּח | wayyiqquḥ} ‘and he took’, wayyigallêḥēm {וַיְגַלְּחֵם | wayyigallêḥēm} ‘and he shaved them’, wayyiqrôt {וַיִּכְרֹת | wayyiqrôt} ‘and he cut off’, wayyishallēḥēm {וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם | wayyishallēḥēm} ‘and he sent them away’. The direct object marker ʾet {אֶת־ | ʾet} introduces both ʿavdê dāwîḏ {עַבְדֵי דָוִיד | ʿavdê dāwîḏ} ‘servants of David’ and maḏwêhēm {מַדְוֵיהֶם | maḏwêhēm} ‘their garments’, marking the shift from persons to their clothing. The spatial phrase baḥêṣî ʿad hammipsā‘â {בַּחֵצִי עַד־הַמִּפְשָׂעָה | baḥêṣî ʿad hammipsā‘â} ‘in the middle up to the buttocks’ defines the extent of the cutting, emphasizing the insult. English renders the Qal and Piel forms as simple past to preserve narrative pace while the dynamic clarifies the exposure of hips and beard shaving. |