| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the vav-consecutive verb wayyomer {וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | wāyyōmer} ‘and he said’, which shifts into direct discourse. The subject Šā’ûl {שָׁאוּל֙ | Šā’ûl} precedes the indirect object la’ăḥiyyāh {לַֽאֲחִיָּ֔ה | la’ăḥiyyāh}, marking the addressee. The hiphil imperative haggīšāh {הַגִּ֖ישָׁה | haggīšāh} ‘bring’ governs the object ’ārôn hā’elōhîm {אֲר֣וֹן הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים | ’ārôn hā’elōhîm} in a genitive construct, indicating divine ownership. The conjunction kî {כִּֽי־ | kî} introduces a causal clause, followed by hāyâh {הָיָ֞ה | hāyâh} ‘was’ and the repeated construct ’ārôn hā’elōhîm for topical continuity. The temporal expression ba-yōm hāhû {בַּיּ֥וֹם הַהוּא | ba-yōm hāhû} ‘on that day’ sets the timeframe, and ūbənê Yisra’ēl {וּבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל | ū-bənê Yisra’ēl} ‘with the sons of Israel’ indicates accompaniment, highlighting the ark’s presence among the covenant community. |