| 22. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with wayyōmer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said,’ where the vav-consecutive + Qal imperfect initiates Samuel’s proclamation. The question form uses ha-ḥē-peṣ {הַחֵפֶץ | ha-ḥē-peṣ} ‘the delight’ with the comparative kî-šə-mō-ʿ {כִּשְׁמֹעַ | kî-šə-mō-ʿ} ‘as in obeying’ and the parallel offerings phrase, framing a contrast between ritual acts and responsive hearing. The discourse marker hinnēh {הִנֵּה | hinnēh} ‘behold’ highlights the main clause. A chiastic parallelism links šə-mō-ʿ mî-zᵉ-baḥ ṭōḇ {שְׁמֹעַ מִזֶּבַח טוֹב} ‘to obey is better than sacrifice’ with lə-haqq-šîḇ mē-ḥē-leḇ ʾē-lîm {לְהַקְשִׁיב מֵחֵלֶב אֵילִים} ‘to heed is better than the fat of rams.’ The min prepositions mî- and mē- form comparative clauses, emphasizing volitional obedience over cultic rites. |