| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive verb vayinnagef {וַיִּנָּ֥גֶף | way·yi·nā·geḥ} ‘and was defeated’, which frames Judah’s loss as part of the narrative flow. The prepositional phrase lifnei {לִפְנֵ֣י | li·pnê} marks Israel as the active adversary. A second vav-consecutive verb vayanusu {וַיָּנֻ֖סוּ | way·yā·nû·sū} ‘and they fled’ follows, indicating an immediate retreat. The noun ish {אִ֥ישׁ | ’îš} highlights individual participants, while leohalav {לְאֹהָלָֽיו | lə·’ō·hă·lāv} specifies their destination at personal tents within the encampment. Hebrew’s fronted verbs heighten the sequence of defeat leading directly to dispersal, rendered in English subject-verb-object order for clarity. |