| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive Qal imperfect vayikshor {וַיִּקְשֹׁ֨ר | va-yik-šōr} ‘and he conspired’, linking the narrative sequence. The prepositional phrase alav {עָלָיו | ʿā-lāw} ‘against him’ specifies the target before Baasha’s identity. The construct ben-akhiyah {בֶּן־אֲחִיָּה֙ | ben-ʾă-ḥî-yā} ‘son of Ahijah’ with levet Issachar {לְבֵ֣ית יִשָּׂשָׁכָ֔ר | lə-ḇêṯ yi-ṣā-šā-ḵār} expresses tribal affiliation. The Hiphil imperfect vayyakkehu {וַיַּכֵּ֣הוּ | va-yyak-kē-hû} ‘and he struck him’ conveys the fulfillment of the conspiracy, followed by the locative begibton {בְּגִבְּת֖וֹן | bə-ḡib-tōn} ‘at Gibbethon’. The relative clause introduced by asher {אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾă-šer} modifies lapelishtim {לַּפְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים | la-pə-lîš-tîm} ‘belonging to the Philistines’. Finally, the participle tsarim {צָרִ֖ים | ṣā-rîm} ‘were besieging’ with the conjoined subjects venadav {וְנָדָב֙ | wə-nā-ḏāv} and vekol-yisrael {וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | wə-kol-yi-sra-ʾēl} and the prepositional phrase al-gibton {עַֽל־גִּבְּתֽוֹן | ʿal-ḡib-tōn} ‘against Gibbethon’ provides the concurrent military action. |