| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The sequence wayya'ar {וַיָּעַר | way-ya-ʾar} ‘and He aroused’ (vav consecutive + Hiphil imperfect, third person masculine singular) introduces a causative action by the subject. The phrase ʿal-yə-hō-rām {עַל־יְהוֹרָם | ʿal Yə-hō-rām} ‘against Jehoram’ marks the target. The particle ʾēṯ {אֵת | ʾēṯ} ‘direct object marker’ signals that the next noun is the verb’s object. The coordinated noun phrase rûaḥ ha-pə-lish-tim wə-hā-ʿarvîm {ר֤וּחַ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּים וְהָעַרְבִים | rūaḥ ha-pə-lish-tim wə-hā-ʿar-vim} ‘the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs’ attributes an external impulse to these nations. The relative clause ʾăšer ʿal-yăd Kūšîm {אֲשֶׁר עַל־יַד כּוּשִׁים | ʾăšer ʿal-yăd Kū-shim} ‘who were beside the Cushites’ functions as a locative qualifier. The English rendering preserves the Hebrew order and clause relations by using a relative clause to mirror the locative expression, maintaining the emphasis on the origin of the hostile spirit. |