| 14. Linguistic Exegesis The vav-consecutive verb vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | va-yô-mer} ‘and he said’ introduces direct speech by King Achish. The prepositional phrase el-avadav {אֶל־עֲבָדָיו | ʾel ʿă-vā-ḏāyw} specifies the addressees. The emphatic particle hinneh {הִנֵּה | hin-nê} focuses attention on the subject ha-ʾîš {הָאִישׁ | hā-ʾîš} ‘the man’, described by the adjective šā-lû·y {שָׁלוּי | šā-lû·y} ‘insane’. The interrogative adverb madā·ûaʿ {מַדּוּעַ | mad-dû·aʿ} marks a question, linked to the Qal perfect hê-vîʾ-tē-hû {הֵבִאתֶהוּ | hê-vîʾ-tē-hû} ‘you have brought him’ and the goal phrase ʾê-lay {אֵלַי | ʾê-lay} ‘to me’. The shift from statement to question mirrors the Hebrew rhetorical turn and conveys Achish’s incredulity in the original syntax. |