| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive wayyiṯrē’û {וַיִּרְאוּ | wayyiṯrē’û} ‘and they saw’, sequencing this action as the first report. The phrase benê ʿammôn {בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן | benê ʿammôn} ‘sons of Ammon’ functions as subject, establishing the Ammonite leadership as the agent. The conjunction kî {כִּי | kî} ‘that’ introduces a causal clause conveying their realization that they hitbāʾašû {הִתְבָּאֲשׁוּ | hitbāʾašû} ‘became detestable’ to Dāwîd {דָּוִד | Dāwîd}, where the Hitpael perfect expresses a reflexive shift in status. The second vav-consecutive wayyišlaḥ {וַיִּשְׁלַח | wayyišlaḥ} ‘and he sent’ begins a coordinated clause with ḥānûn {חָנוּן | ḥānûn} as agent, resumed by u-benê-ʿammôn {וּבְנֵי־עַמּוֹן | u-benê-ʿammôn}. The direct object is the infinitive clause elep̄ kikkār kesep̄ {אֶלֶף כִּכַּר־כֶּסֶף | elep̄ kikkār kesep̄} ‘a thousand talents of silver’, modified by the infinitive li-sḵôr {לִשְׂכֹּר | li-sḵôr} ‘to hire’ and the pronominal phrase lām {לָהֶם | lām} ‘for them’. A series of prepositional phrases introduced by min {מִן | min} and u-min {וּמִן | u-min} specifies the sources—ʾArām Naharayim {אֲרַם נַהֲרַיִם | ʾArām Naharayim}, ʾArām Maʿaḵâ {אֲרַם מַעֲכָה | ʾArām Maʿaḵâ}, and Zobah {צּוֹבָה | Ṣōḇâ}—for rek̠hev {רֶכֶב | rek̠hev} ‘chariots’ and u-p̄ārāšîm {וּפָרָשִׁים | u-p̄ārָšîm} ‘horsemen’. Converting the Hebrew VSO structure into English SVO clarifies the sequence of realization followed by military preparations while preserving the layered infinitive and prepositional constructions that convey sustained effort to recruit foreign forces. |