| 35. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative sequence is signaled by the vav-consecutive qal imperfect vayiven {וַיִּ֧בֶן | way·yī·ḇen} ‘and he built’, which sets a reportive tone. The proper noun Shaul {שָׁא֛וּל | Šāʾ·ūl} functions as the subject. The noun phrase mizbeach laYHWH {מִזְבֵּ֖חַ לַֽיהוָ֑ה | miz·bē·aḥ la·Yahweh} ‘altar to the LORD’ appears initially as direct object and is then resumed by the pronominal suffix oto {אֹת֣וֹ | ’ō·ṯō} ‘it’, creating cohesion. The verb hechel {הֵחֵ֔ל | hē·ḥêl} ‘he began’ introduces a new action, with the infinitive construct livnot {לִבְנ֥וֹת | li·v·nōṯ} ‘to build’ indicating purpose and incomplete aspect. The repetition of mizbeach laYHWH forms an inclusio that underlines the primacy of this cultic act. The lamed preposition conveys directionality, rendered in English by ‘to’ in the formal and ‘for’ in the dynamic reconstructions. Together, these elements emphasize the inaugural nature of Saul’s altar-building initiative. |