| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with topical fronting of the subject vehaivrim {וְהָעִבְרִים | wə-hā-ʿiv-rīm} ‘the Hebrews’, followed by the copular perfect hayu {הָיוּ | hā-yû} ‘they were’ linking to the prepositional phrase la-pə-lish-tim {לַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים | la-pə-lish-tīm} ‘with the Philistines’. The idiomatic temporal comparison kə-ʾet-mōl šil-šôm {כְּאֶתְמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם | kə-ʾet-mōl šil-šôm} ‘like yesterday and the day before’ signals habitual alignment. A relative clause introduced by ʾă-šer {אֲשֶׁר | ʾă-šer} then specifies those who ʿā-lû ʿim-mām {עָלוּ עִמָּם | ʿā-lû ʿim-mām} ‘had gone up with them’ around the camp. The conjunction wə-gam {וְגַם | wə-gam} ‘and also’ marks a shift in allegiance encoded by the infinitive li-hyōt {לִהְיוֹת | li-hyōt} ‘to be’, indicating their turning to Israel. The final identification clause ʿim-šā-ʾûl wə-yo-na-tăn {עִם־שָׁאוּל וְיוֹנָתָן | ʿim-šā-ʾûl wə-yo-na-tăn} ‘those with Saul and Jonathan’ completes the narrative. |