| 17. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive wayyōmer {וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’, introducing direct royal speech. The subject hammélekh {הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ | hammélekh} is followed by the double apposition lārāṣîm hannitsābîm ʿālāw {לָרָצִים֩ הַנִּצָּבִים עָלָיו | lārāṣîm hannitsābîm ʿālāw} ‘to the runners, the ones standing over him,’ underscoring their role as couriers. The paired imperatives sóbbû {סֹ֥בּוּ | sóbbû} and wəhāmīṯû {וְהָמִ֣יתוּ | wəhāmīṯû} ‘turn and put to death’ convey the king’s urgent command. The construct kōhănê Yəhōwāh {כֹּהֲנֵ֣י יְהוָה | kōhănê Yəhōwāh} ‘priests of the LORD’ links religious office to divine authority. Causal conjunctions kî {כִּ֤י | kî} and wə-kî {וְכִ֤י | wə-kî} introduce motives: gam-yādām ʿim Dāwîḏ {גַם־יָדָם֙ עִם־דָּוִ֔ד | gam-yādām ʿim Dāwîḏ} ‘also their hand is with David’ and yāḏəʿû kî-bōrēaḥ hûʾ {יָֽדְעוּ֙ כִּֽי־בֹרֵ֣חַ ה֔וּא | yāḏəʿû kî-bōrēaḥ hûʾ} ‘they knew that he was fleeing.’ The negative wə-lōʾ gālû ʾet-ʼōznî {וְלֹ֥א גָל֖וּ אֶת־אָזְנִ֑י | wə-lōʾ gālû ʾet-ʼōznî} ‘and did not disclose to my ear’ uses the et-construct for personal notification. The subsequent wə-lōʾ-ʼāvû ʿavdê hammélekh {וְלֹֽא־אָב֞וּ עַבְדֵ֤י הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ | wə-lōʾ-ʼāvû ʿavdê hammélekh} ‘and the king’s servants were unwilling’ signals moral reluctance. Finally, the infinitive chain lišlōaḥ ʾet-yādām lipgōaʿ bə-kōhănê Yəhōwāh {לִשְׁלֹ֣חַ אֶת־יָדָ֔ם לִפְגֹ֖עַ בְּכֹהֲנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה | lišlōaḥ ʾet-yādām lipgōaʿ bə-kōhănê Yəhōwāh} ‘to send forth their hand to strike against the priests of the LORD’ frames the intended violence. The sequence of vav-consecutives and vav-negations structures the shift from command to explanation to refusal, heightening the narrative tension. |