| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The vav-consecutive imperfect vayehi {וַיְהִי֙ | wə·yĕ·hî} ‘and it happened’ introduces the narrative sequence. The subsequent vav-consecutive imperfect vata’amod {וַתַּעֲמֹ֧ד | wa·ta·ʿă·mō̄ḏ} ‘and stood’ personifies the noun milchamah {מִלְחָמָ֛ה | mîl·ḥā·māh} ‘war’, which is rendered literally in the formal and idiomatically in the dynamic. The prepositional phrase beGezer {בְּגֶ֖זֶר | bə·ḡe·zêr} ‘in Gezer’ situates the action, and im-Pelishtim {עִם־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים | ʿim-plî·šṯîm} ‘with the Philistines’ names the opposing group. The adverb az {אָ֣ז | ʾāz} ‘then’ signals temporal progression into the perfect hikkah {הִכָּ֞ה | hî·ḵāh} ‘struck’. The construct miyildei {מִילְדֵ֥י | mîn·yl·dê} ‘from the descendants of’ with the definite plural haRephaim {הָרְפָאִ֖ים | ha·rĕ·pā·ʾîm} ‘the Rephaim’ indicates lineage, and the vav-consecutive Nifal imperfect vayikkane’u {וַיִּכָּנֵֽעוּ | wə·yi·ḵăn·nə·ʿū} ‘and they were subdued’ identifies the result as the Philistines’ subjugation. |