| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav consecutive verb vayishlach {וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח | wayyiš·lāḥ} ‘and he sent’, which propels the narrative forward. The subject hamelek {הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ | ham·melek} follows, immediately succeeded by the infinitive construct likro {לִקְרֹא֩ | liqrō} ‘to call’, indicating the purpose of the king’s dispatch. The definite direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} introduces Ahimelech ben Ahitub. The phrase kol beit aviv hakohanim {כָּל־בֵּ֥ית אָבִ֛יו הַכֹּהֲנִים | kol-bēt ʾa·vīv hakōhā·nīm} forms a construct chain ‘all the house of his father, the priests’, specified by the relative pronoun asher {אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾă·šer} ‘who’, and the locative benov {בְּנֹ֑ב | bə·nōv} ‘at Nob’. The narrative concludes with the vav consecutive verb vayavou {וַיָּבֹאוּ | wayyā·ḇō·ʾû} ‘and they came’ with the collective pronoun kullam {כֻלָּ֖ם | kullām} ‘all of them’, and the prepositional phrase el hamelech {אֶל־הַמֶּֽלֶךְ | ʾel-ham·melek} ‘to the king’, underscoring the collective compliance with royal command. |