| 14. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs a sequence of vav-consecutive narrative verbs to link events rapidly: wayyaʾal {וַיַּעַל | wayyaʾal} ‘and he went up’, wayyavô {וַיָּבֹא | wayyavô} ‘and he came’, wayyak {וַיַּךְ | wayyaḵ} ‘and he struck’, wayyemiṯêhû {וַיְמִיתֵהוּ | wayyemiṯêhû} ‘and he put him to death’, wayyim·lōḵ {וַיִּמְלֹךְ | wayyim·lōḵ} ‘and he reigned’. The direct object marker ’et {אֶת־ | ’et-} signals Šallûm {שַׁלּוּם | šallûm} as victim. Construct chains in mēnaḥêm ben gaḏî {מְנַחֵם בֶּן־גָּדִי | mənaḥêm ben-gaḏî} and šallûm ben yāvēš {שַׁלּוּם בֶּן־יָבֵישׁ | šallûm ben-yāvēš} denote dynastic lineage. The repetition of the place name šōmrôn {שֹׁמְרוֹן | šōmrôn} frames the geographical setting. The phrase taḥtāyw {תַּחְתָּיו | taḥtāyw} ‘in his place’ marks immediate royal succession. |