| 40. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive narrative marker vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר֩ | vay-yo-ʾmer} ‘and he said,’ introducing direct speech by Eliyahu {אֵלִיָּ֨הוּ | ʾē-lî-yā-hû}. The imperative tifseu {תִּפְשׂ֣וּ | tîp̄-sə-ʼū} ‘seize’ issues a forceful command, followed by the compound et-nevi’ei ha-baal {אֶת־נְבִיאֵ֣י הַבַּ֗עַל | ʾet-nə-vî-ʼê ha-bā-ʻal} ‘the prophets of Baal.’ The prohibitive jussive al-yimmalet mehem {אַל־יִמָּלֵ֥ט מֵהֶ֖ם | ʼal-yimmā-lê-ṭ mē-hem} ‘let no man escape from them’ employs al with a Niph‘al imperfect jussive for total exclusion. The narrative continues with vayitpesum {וַיִּתְפְּשׂ֑וּם | va-yit-p̄ə-śūm} ‘and they seized them’ and vayoridem {וַיּוֹרִדֵ֤ם | va-yō-rî-dēm} ‘and he brought them down.’ The directional phrase el-nachal Kishon {אֶל־נַ֣חַל קִישׁ֔וֹן | ʾel-na-ḥāl qî-šôn} specifies the brook, and the final vayishchatem {וַיִּשְׁחָטֵ֖ם | va-yish-ḥā-ṭēm} ‘and he slaughtered them’ conveys a judicial execution at that location. |