| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse follows a sequential narrative pattern propelled by vav-consecutive verbs: vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōʾmer}, vayikakh {וַיִּקָּח | wayyiqqāḥ}, vayomer again, vayakh {וַיַּךְ | wayyaqqāḥ}, and vayaamod {וַיַּעֲמֹד | wayyaʿāmōḏ}, each introducing a new action in temporal succession. The imperatives kach {קַח | qaḥ} and hak {הַךְ | ḥaḵ} convey the prophet’s direct commands. The construct ləmelekh-Yisrael {לְמֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל | lə-meleḵ-Yiśrāʾēl} identifies the actor, and the compound numeral šālōš-peʿāmîm {שָׁלֹשׁ-פְּעָמִים | šālōš-peʿāmîm} emphasizes the threefold repetition, underscoring measured obedience and the limit of the king’s action. |