1 Samuel 20:34ExegesisTAB

1 Samuel 20 : 34 Anger | Grief | Abstinence
34. Linguistic Exegesis
The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive in vayakam {וַיָּקָם | wayyāqām} “and he rose,” establishing sequential action. The phrase min-hasshulchan {מִן־הַשֻּׁלְחָן | min-haššulḥān} “from the table” indicates movement away from the meal. The prepositional phrase beevrah qashah {בְּעֶבְרָה קָשָׁה | bə-ʿe-v-rāh qāšāh} “in harsh anger” uses a feminine noun followed by a masculine adjective to intensify the emotional state. The negation velo akhal {וְלֹא אָכַל | wə-lōʾ ʾāḵal} “and he did not eat” with bayyom hasheni {בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי | ba-yōm haš-šē-nî} “on the second day” sets the temporal frame. The causal clause lemaan asher nikkar beaviv {לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר נִכְעַר בְּאָבִיו | lə-maʿan ʾă-šer nikkāʿar bə-ʾā-vîw} “for that he was grieved by his father” employs the Niphal perfect to convey Jonathan’s passive emotional response. The Hebrew ordering preserves the linkage between emotional motive and resulting behavior.

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