| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative resumes with the vav consecutive Hifil imperfect as seen in vayashkem {וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֧ם | wayyaškēm} ‘and he rose early’, creating continuity. The infinitive construct likrat {לִקְרַ֥את | liqrāʾt} ‘to meet’ expresses purpose. The temporal prepositional phrase ba-boker {בַּבֹּ֑קֶר | ba-bōqer} ‘in the morning’ situates the action. The passive Pual vayugad {וַיֻּגַּ֨ד | wayyuggad} ‘it was told’, followed by the infinitive construct leʾmōr {לֵאמֹ֗ר | leʾmōr} ‘saying’, introduces reported speech. The perfect ba-Shaʾul {בָּֽא־שָׁא֤וּל | bāʾ-šaʾûl} ‘Saul came’ combined with the Qal participle matsiv {מַצִּ֥יב | maṣṣîv} ‘erecting’ presents a completed yet ongoing action. The pronominal suffix in lo {לוֹ | lō} ‘for himself’ indicates self-benefit. Finally, the sequential imperfect verbs wayyissōḇ {וַיִּסֹּב֙ | wayyissōḇ} ‘and he turned’, wayyaʿăḇōr {וַיַּעֲבֹ֔ר | wayyaʿăḇōr} ‘and he passed on’, and wayyēreḏ {וַיֵּ֖רֶד | wayyēreḏ} ‘and he went down’ accelerate the narrative pace toward ha-Gilgal {הַגִּלְגָּֽל | ha-gilgal} ‘to Gilgal’. |