| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew narrative verb wayya‘ăḇēr {וַיַּעֲבֵר | wayya‘ăḇēr} signals sequential action and highlights Jesse’s active presentation of his sons. The construct chain šiv‘at bānāyw {שִׁבְעַת בָּנָיו | šiv‘at bānāyw} groups the sons as seven without naming individuals. The phrase lip̄nē šəmûʾēl {לִפְנֵי שְׁמוּאֵל | lip̄nē šəmûʾēl} frames the scene as an evaluation. The narrative prefix wayyōmer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer} introduces Samuel’s speech, and the verb bāḥar {בָחַר | bāḥar} conveys the decisive divine decision by Yahweh {יְהוָה | Yahweh}. The demonstrative bā’ēlleh {בָּאֵלֶּה | bā’ēlleh} restricts the selection to those present, underscoring the theme of divine choice. |