| 13. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the compound subject uvenei hagedud {וּבְנֵי הַגְּדוּד | ū·ḇē·nê ha·ġə·ḏûḏ} ‘sons of the troop’, followed by a relative clause introduced by asher {אֲשֶׁר | ʾă·šer} ‘which’ and the Hiphil perfect heshiv {הֵשִׁיב | hē·šîḇ} ‘he sent back,’ indicating causative action. The infinitive construct milekhet immo lamilchamah {מִלֶּכֶת עִמּוֹ לַמִּלְחָמָה | min-lē·ḵêṯ ʿim·mō la·mil·ḥā·mā(h)} ‘from going with him to battle’ functions as a verbal noun expressing exclusion. Sequential narrative is marked by the vav-consecutive forms vayifshotu {וַיִּפְשְׁטוּ | va·yip̄·ʃṭû} ‘they raided,’ vayakku {וַיַּכּוּ | va·yaqqû} ‘they struck,’ and vayavozzu {וַיָּבֹזוּ | va·yā·bō·zû} ‘they plundered,’ which are rendered in English past tense to reflect continuity of action. The locative b’arei yehudah {בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה | bə·ʿā·rê yə·hū·ḏā(h)} ‘in the cities of Judah’ and the range mishomron ve’ad beitchoron {מִשֹּׁמְרוֹן וְעַד בֵּית חוֹרֹן | miš·šō·mô·rōn wə·ʿad bêt·ḥôr·ōn} ‘from Samaria to Beth Horon’ define geographical scope. The noun-numeral sequence shloshet alafim {שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים | ʃĕ·lō·šêṯ ʾă·lā·p̄îm} follows standard Hebrew order. The final verb and object convey the outcome and volume of plunder. |