| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav consecutive Qal imperfect verb vaydeberu {וַֽיְדַבְּר֞וּ | vaʾyəḏabberû} marking narrative progression. The subject avdei Saul {עַבְדֵ֤י שָׁאוּל֙ | ʿăḇdê šāʾûl} ‘servants of Saul’ precedes the prepositional phrase beoznei David {בְּאָזְנֵ֣י דָוִ֔ד | bəʾôznê dāwîḏ} ‘in the ears of David’, indicating audience focus. The direct object et-hadvarim haeleh {אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה | ʾet-haddəḇārîm hāʾēlleh} ‘these words’ specifies the content. Vayomer {וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaʾyōmer} ‘and he said’ introduces David’s reply, which uses the noun hanqalah {הַֽנְקַלָּ֤ה | hanqallāh} ‘the insignificant thing’ within the idiom beeneikhem {בְעֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ | bəʿênêkhem} ‘in your eyes’ to express incredulity. The Hitpael stem of hittaten {הִתְחַתֵּ֣ן | hittāten} ‘became son-in-law’ conveys the reflexive act of marriage to the king (bamelekh {בַּמֶּ֔לֶךְ | bammeleḵ}). David’s self-description veanokhi ish-rash vuniqleh {וְאָנֹכִ֖י אִֽישׁ־רָ֥שׁ וְנִקְלֶֽה | wəʾānōkhî ʾîš-rāš wənīqleh} ‘and I am a poor and insignificant man’ employs a coordinated noun-adjective plus passive participle to underscore humility and social unworthiness. The Hebrew verbal-consecutive and prepositional constructs are rendered in English as a single cohesive sentence preserving the rhetorical question and contrast. |