| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav consecutive in vayyiqqaehu {וַיִּקָּחֵהוּ | wayyiqqāhēhû} ‘and he took him’, marking a shift in narrative action. The temporal expression bayyom hahu {בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא | bāyyôm hahû} ‘on that day’ situates the event. The negative clause velo netano lashuv {וְלֹא נְתָנוֹ לָשׁוּב | wə-lō’ nᵊtānô lāšûḇ} employs the perfect form of netan with negation to indicate refusal of permission. The construct chain beit aviv {בֵּית אָבִיו | bêt ’ābîw} ‘house of his father’ conveys familial domain and authority. Rendering lashuv as ‘return’ retains the directional nuance of the infinitive construct. Saul’s act of taking and withholding underscores his authority over David’s movements. |