| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav consecutive vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | va·yō·mer} to introduce Saul’s speech. The Qal imperfect first person ettennah {אֶתְּנֶנָּה | ʾet·te·ne·nāh} with lo {לוֹ | lō} marks the indirect object “to him.” The paired purpose clauses utehilo {וּתְהִי־לוֹ | ū·tə·hī-lō} and utehibo {וּתְהִי־בוֹ | ū·tə·hī-bō} frame a purposeful outcome: a snare (lemoqesh {לְמוֹקֵשׁ | lə·mō·qēš}) and the Philistines’ hand (yad-pelishtim {יַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּים | yad-pe·liš·tīm}) against him. A second vayomer introduces direct address. The numeral bishtayim {בִּשְׁתַּיִם | bi·šta·yim} functions idiomatically as “a second time.” The Hitpael tit’chatten {תִּתְחַתֵּן | tiṯ·ḥat·tēn} denotes David’s new status. The deictic hayom {הַיּוֹם | ha·yōm} underscores the immediacy of the offer. The sequence of narrative progression, purpose-result clauses, numeral idiom, and deictic precision highlights Saul’s strategic maneuver. |