| 41. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative urgency is marked by the vav-consecutive Qal imperfect vayyaqam {וַיָּקָם | wāyyaqām} ‘and he rose’, signaling immediate departure. The locative preposition min-ha-darom {מִן־הַדָּרוֹם | min-hā-dārōm} ‘from the south side’ situates David beside the stone. The sudden prostration is conveyed by vayyippōl {וַיִּפֹּל | wayyippōl} ‘and he fell’, followed by al-panav {עַל־פָּנָיו | ʿal-pānāyw} and el-ha-arets {אֶל־הָאָרֶץ | ʾel-hā-ʾā-reṣ} specifying face-to-ground contact. The paired Hitpael verbs vayishtachu {וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ | wayyištāḥû} and vayyishtahavu {וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ | wayyištahăwû} indicate reciprocal bowing. The construct in shlosha peamim {שְׁלשָׁה פְּעָמִים | šəlōšāh pə‘āmmîm} quantifies the repetitions. Vayyishku ha-shenayim {וַיִּשְׁקוּ הַשְּׁנַיִם | wayyišqû ha-šnayin} ‘and the two kissed’ expresses affection, and the sequence ve-hemah bakhû ve-dawid bakhah bemeod {וְהֵמָּה בָּכוּ וְדָוִד בָּכָה בְּמְאֹד | wə-hē-māh bā-kû wə-dāwîḏ bā-kāh bə-mə’ōḏ} ‘and they wept and David wept very much’ intensifies the emotional climax. |