| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive perfect verb vayyar {וַיַּ֣רְא | wăyyār} ‘and he saw’, signaling narrative continuation. The relative pronoun asher-hû {אֲשֶׁר־ה֖וּא | ʾăšer-hû} links to the Qal participle maskîl {מַשְׂכִּ֣יל | maskîl} ‘acting wisely’, which is intensified by the adverb meʾôd {מְאֹד | məʾôd} ‘very’. The subsequent vav-consecutive imperfect wayyāgar {וַיָּ֖גָר | wăyyāgar} ‘and he feared’ expresses Saul’s emotional response. The prepositional phrase mippānāyw {מִפָּנָיו | mippānāyw} ‘from his presence’ idiomatically indicates the source of fear. The Hebrew verb–subject–object sequence underscores a direct causal relationship between perception and fear. |