| 39. Linguistic Exegesis The clause opens with ve-han-naʿar {וְהַנַּעַר | və-han-NAʿar} ‘and the youth’, a waw-consecutive nominal construction linking to the preceding narrative. The negator lo {לֹא | lōʾ} ‘not’ precedes the Qal perfect yā-ḏaʿ {יָדַע | yā-ḏaʿ} ‘he knew’, forming a negated verbal clause. The indefinite pronoun mə-ʾu-mmāh {מְאֻמָּה | mə-ʾu-mmāh} ‘anything’ functions as the object. The restrictive particle raq {רַק | raq} ‘only’ introduces the contrastive subject phrase, which comprises the coordinated proper names yə-hō-na-Tān {יְהֹונָתָן | yə-hō-na-Tān} and dā-wid {דָּוִד | dā-wid}, governed by the Qal perfect yā-ḏə-ʿū {יָדְעוּ | yā-ḏə-ʿū} ‘they knew’. Finally, the accusative marker ʾet plus hā-ʿin-yān {הָעִנְיָן | hā-ʿin-yān} ‘the matter’ marks the object of knowing, highlighting the contrast between ignorance and insider knowledge. |