| 47. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with a vav-consecutive imperfect ve-sha’ul {וְשָׁא֛וּל | wə-šā-ʾūl} ‘and Saul’ marking a new narrative section. The noun ha-melukhah {הַמְּלוּכָה | ham-me-lû-ḵâ} with the definite article signals his official investiture. The preposition al in al-yiśrāʾēl {עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | ʿal-yiś-rā-ʾēl} denotes sovereign rule. A sequence of coordinated prepositional phrases introduced by vav and bə-/ū-wə- (bekhol-ʾōyəḇāyw, bə-mō-ʾāḇ, ū-wə-binê-ʿammōn, ū-wə-ʾê-ḏōm, ū-wə-malḵê, ū-wa-pə-lîš-tîm, ū-wə-khol) conveys the breadth of his campaigns. The relative clause ʾă-šer-yip-nēh yar-šî-ʻaʿ {אֲשֶׁר־יִפְנֶ֖ה יַרְשִֽׁיעַ | ʾă-šer-yip-nēh yar-šî-ʻaʿ} functions as a result clause, indicating that Saul’s turning triggered enemy rout. English punctuation employs an em dash to set off the list of adversaries and a period to close the result statement. |