| 35. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive on the Qal imperfect verb vayomer {וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | va-yō-mer} ‘and he said’, marking a shift into direct speech. The proper name Jonadab {יֽוֹנָדָב֙ | yō-nā-ḏāv} functions as the subject, introduced by the prepositional phrase el-ha-melekh {אֶל־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ | ʾel-ham-mé-lekh} ‘to the king’. The particle hinneh {הִנֵּ֥ה | hin-nê} ‘behold’ operates as a discourse marker that foregrounds the subsequent report. The construct phrase bene-ha-melekh {בְנֵֽי־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ | bə-nē-hām-mé-lekh} ‘the king’s sons’ pairs with the Qal perfect verb bau {בָּ֑אוּ | bā-ʾū} ‘they have come’ to form an announcement of arrival. The prepositional construct kidvar avdecha {כִּדְבַ֥ר עַבְדְּךָ֖ | kî-ḏbar ʿaḇ-də-ḵā} ‘according to the word of your servant’ attributes the prediction’s source, and the adverb ken {כֵּ֥ן | kên} ‘thus’ followed by the verb hayah {הָיָֽה | hā-yāh} ‘it was’ constitutes a result clause confirming its realization. This structure underscores the certainty and immediacy of the report delivered to the king. |