| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with vayavo {וַיָּבֹא | wayyāḇōʾ} ‘and he came’, a vav-consecutive Qal imperfect verb initiating the narrative sequence. The subject Shaphan is identified by the participle hasoper {הַסֹּפֵר | ha-sō-p̄ēr} ‘the scribe’, indicating his official capacity. The verb vayyashev {וַיָּשֶׁב | wayyāšēḇ} ‘and he reported’ (from šûḇ ‘return, bring back’) employs a vav-consecutive Qal imperfect to convey communication to the king, marked by the direct object marker et {אֶת | ʾet}. In the quotation, the Hif’il perfect hittikhu {הִתִּיכוּ | hittīḵû} ‘they poured out’ denotes a completed action by the servants (avadekha). The noun phrase et-hakkēsep̄ hannimtṣāʾ babbayit {אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף הַנִּמְצָא בַבַּיִת | ʾet-hakkēsep̄ hannimtṣāʾ babbayit} ‘the silver that was found in the house’ combines direct object marker, head noun, and relative participle. The vav-consecutive perfect vayittenuhu {וַיִּתְּנֻהוּ | wayyittenūhū} ‘and they gave it’ continues the past narrative. The prepositional phrase al-yad {עַל־יַד | ʿal-yad} ‘into the hand of’ indicates transfer of responsibility. Finally, the appositional participial pair ose hammelakah hammupqadim {עֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה הַמֻּפְקָדִים | ʿōśē hamməlāʾḵāh hammûpqaḏîm} ‘the doers of the work, the overseers’ in the construct beyt Yahweh {בֵּית יְהוָה | beyt Yahweh} ‘house of the LORD’ outlines the temple’s administrative hierarchy. |