| 46. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive verb vayya'al {וַיַּ֣עַל | wăyyāʿal} ‘he went up’, marking narrative sequence. The phrase me'akhare Pelishtim {מֵאַחֲרֵ֖י פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים | mêʼaḥârê pəlîštîm} ‘from after the Philistines’ indicates Saul’s pursuit ceasing. The coordinated subject u-Pelishtim {וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים | wə-pəlîštîm} ‘and the Philistines’ precedes the Qal perfect verb halaku {הָלְכוּ | hālakû} ‘they went’, which with the construct phrase li-meqomam {לִמְקוֹמָֽם | lə-məqōmmām} ‘to their place’ conveys their return to a former location. This Hebrew VSO structure naturally becomes SVO in English, preserving chronological progression. |