| 22. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive vechol {וְכֹל | wə-ḵol} ‘and all,’ signaling continuity. The noun phrase ish Yisrael {אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל | ’îš yiś-rā-’ēl} idiomatically means ‘the people of Israel.’ The Hitpael participle ha-mitchabbe’im {הַמִּתְחַבְּאִים | ham-mit-ḥab-be-’îm} conveys ongoing self-concealment in the prepositional phrase be-har-Ephrayim {בְּהַר־אֶפְרַיִם | bə-har ’e-phra-yim}. The Qal perfect sham’u {שָׁמְעוּ | šā-ma-’û} introduces the content clause ki-nasu {כִּי־נָסוּ | kî-nā-sû} ‘that they had fled,’ reporting Pelishtim {פְּלִשְׁתִּים | pe-li-šā-ṯîm}. The vav consecutive in vayadbeku {וַיַּדְבְּקוּ | wa-yad-bə-qû} shifts to imperfect, highlighting decisive pursuit. The adjunct gam-hemmah {גַּם־הֵמָּה | gam-heh-māh} ‘also they’ includes the hiding men, with achareihem {אַחֲרֵיהֶם | ’a-ḥa-rē-hēm} marking the pursued, and ba-milchamah {בַּמִּלְחָמָה | ba-mil-ḥā-māh} situating the action in battle. This sequence emphasizes cause and effect between hearing and collective pursuit. |