| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs a chain of vav-consecutive imperfect verbs: vayelekh {וַיֵּ֤לֶךְ | wayyeleḵ} ‘and he went’, vayimmalet {וַיִּמָּלֵ֖ט | wayyimmaleṭ} ‘and he escaped’, vayishme’u {וַיִּשְׁמְע֤וּ | wayyišmeʾû} ‘and they heard’, and vayyerdu {וַיֵּרְד֥וּ | wayyeŗḏû} ‘and they went down’, which conveys rapid successive action typical of Hebrew narrative. The locative expression el me‘arat Adullam {אֶל־מְעָרַת עֲדֻלָּם | ʾel meʿārāṯ ʿăḏullām} combines the preposition el with a construct chain to establish refuge in the cave of Adullam. The coordinate phrase echav wə-khol beit aviv {אֶחָיו וְכָל־בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֔יו | ʾəḥāv wə-ḵol bēt ʾāvî} ‘his brothers and all the house of his father’ highlights collective family involvement. The verb yarad {יָרַד | yāraḏ} ‘to go down’ implies both spatial descent and solidarity, as David’s kin rally to his side. |