| 22. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the vav-consecutive verb vayetsav {וַיְצַ֨ו | way-ye-tsāw} ‘and he commanded’, which advances the story chronologically. The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾēṯ} marks avadav {עֲבָדָ֗ו | ʿa-vā-ḏāw} ‘his servant’ as the recipient of the order. The plural imperative dabberu {דַּבְּרוּ | dab-be-rū} ‘speak’ directs a group to address David {דָּוִ֤ד | Dā-wîḏ}. The adverb balat {בַּלָּט | bal-lāṭ} emphasizes discretion by indicating secrecy. The infinitive lemor {לֵאמֹר | le-’āmôr} introduces the quotation, a standard Hebrew narrative feature. The attention particle hinneh {הִנֵּה | hinnēh} heightens the announcement. Chafets {חָפֵץ | ḥā-p̄êṣ} in the Qal perfect conveys the king’s delight, while ahevukha {אֲהֵב֑וּךָ | ’ă-hê-vû-khā} in the Qal imperfect third person masculine plural plus suffix indicates continuous affection from the servants. The reflexive Hitpael imperative hitchaten {הִתְחַתֵּ֥ן | hiṯ-ḥat-tēn} ‘become son-in-law’ commands David into a marital-political alliance. The prepositional phrase bamelekh {בַּמֶּֽלֶךְ | ba-me-leḵ} establishes the relational beneficiary. Translating Hebrew VSO order into English SVO retained the layered commands and the sense of private counsel amidst royal intrigue. |