| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav consecutive form vayigof {וַיִּגֹּף | va-yî-ḡōp̄} ‘and He struck/defeated’, foregrounding divine action. The subject Yahweh {יְהוָה | Yə-hō-wāh} functions as the primary agent. The prepositional object et-hakkushim {אֶת־הַכּוּשִׁים | ʾeṯ-ha-kū-šîm} ‘(direct object) the Cushites’ marks the target of the strike. The phrases lifnei {לִפְנֵי | li-p̄nê} ‘before’ and u-lifnei {וּלִפְנֵי | ū-li-p̄nê} ‘and before’ frame Asa {אָסָא | ʾŏ-sā} and Yehudah {יְהוּדָה | Yə-hū-dāh} as witnesses and beneficiaries. The subsequent vav consecutive vayanusu {וַיָּנֻסוּ | va-yā-nû-sû} ‘and they fled’ returns focus to the Cushites, emphasizing the outcome. Hebrew VSO word order accentuates Yahweh’s sovereignty, while English SVO order maintains clarity. The repetition of “before Asa and before Judah” underscores both royal and national deliverance. |