| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the vav-consecutive verb vayya‘avor {וַיַּֽעֲבֹר | vă-yă-‘ă̆-ḇōr} ‘and he crossed’, preceding the subject Yĕhōrām {יְהוֹרָם | Yĕhōrām} ‘Jehoram’. The prepositional phrases ‘im-sārāyw {עִם־שָׂרָיו | ʿim-sārāyōw} ‘with his officers’ and wə-ḵāl-hārēḵēḇ ‘immôw {וְכָל־הָרֶכֶב עִמּ֑וֹ | wə-ḵāl-hārēḵḗḇ ʿimmôw} ‘and all the chariotry with him’ underscore the full muster of forces. The compound wāyəhî qām {וַיְהִי֙ קָ֣ם | wāyəhî qām} ‘and it came to pass, he arose’ introduces the temporal setting lăylāh {לַ֔יְלָה | lăylāh} ‘night’. The subsequent vav-consecutive vayyaẖ {וַיַּ֗ךְ | văy-yāẖ} ‘and he struck’ governs two objects: ’et-’ĕdôm ha-ssōwēḇ ’ēlāyw {אֶת־אֱדוֹם הַסּוֹבֵ֣ב אֵלָיו} ‘Edom, the one surrounding him’, and wə-’ēt ṣārēy hārāḵēḇ {וְאֵ֖ת שָׂרֵי הָרָֽכֶב} ‘and the officers of the chariotry’. This chain of vav-consecutives creates a rapid, dynamic historical narrative. |