| 28. Linguistic Exegesis This verse uses a series of vav consecutive verbs to convey ongoing action. The verb vayikre’u {וַֽיִּקְרְאוּ֙ | way-yiq-rə-’û} ‘and they called out’ followed by vayitgodedu {וַיִּתְגֹּֽדְדוּ֙ | way-yit-go-ddə-ḏû} ‘and they cut themselves’ underscores urgent, repetitive movement. The construct phrase bekol gadol {בְּק֣וֹל גָּד֔וֹל | bə-qôl gâ-ḏôl} ‘with a great voice’ intensifies the volume of their outcry. The Hitpael stem in vayitgodedu {וַיִּתְגֹּדְדוּ֙ | way-yit-go-ddə-ḏû} marks reflexive self-harm. The preposition ke in kemishpatam {כְּמִשְׁפָּטָ֔ם | kə-miš-pā-ṯām} ‘according to their custom’ forms an idiom specifying culturally prescribed behavior. The instrumental prepositions be in bacharavot {בַּחֲרָב֖וֹת | ba-ḥă-rā-ḇōṯ} ‘with swords’ and u in uvarmachim {וּבָֽרְמָחִ֑ים | u-vā-rmə-ḥîm} ‘and with spears’ identify the means of self-infliction. The preposition ad {עַד | ’ad} ‘until’ introduces the infinitive construct shefokh {שְׁפָךְ | še-pāḵ} ‘pour out’ used as a result clause with the noun dam {דָּ֖ם | dām} ‘blood’, culminating in vivid depiction of their bloodshed. Preserving the Hebrew vav+verb sequence and the act-result clause in English maintains the narrative intensity and causal progression. |