| 30. Linguistic Exegesis The clause opens with וּמֶ֣לֶךְ umelekh {וּמֶ֣לֶךְ | ûmelek} linking this sentence to the ongoing battle narrative and foregrounding the Aramean monarch as subject. The main verb צִוָּה tsivah {צִוָּה֩ | ṣiwwāh} takes a marked direct object אֶת־שָׂרֵי הָרֶכֶב ʾet-śāre hāreḵeḇ {אֶת־שָׂרֵ֨י הָרֶ֤כֶב | ʾet-śārê hāreḵeḇ}, a construct chain identifying the recipients as the leadership of the chariotry. The relative phrase אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ ʾăšer-lô {אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ֙ | ʾăšer-lô} specifies possession (“that were his”), tightening the chain of command. לֵאמֹר lēʾmōr {לֵאמֹ֔ר | lēʾmōr} introduces direct discourse, after which the prohibition is expressed by לֹא lōʾ {לֹ֚א | lōʾ} + imperfect תִּלָּחֲמוּ tillaḥămû {תִּלָּ֣חֲמ֔וּ | tillaḥămû}, framing the instruction as an operative battle rule. The paired objects “the small” and “the great” function as a merism, covering all ranks without exception. The sequence כִּי אִם kî ʾim {כִּ֛י אִֽם | kî ʾim} forms an idiom of restriction (“but only/except”), shifting from a broad prohibition to a single permitted target. The final לְבַדּוֹ ləḇaddô {לְבַדּֽוֹ | ləḇaddô} adds emphatic exclusivity, highlighting a strategy of focusing the battle on the king alone. |