| 36. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the narrative marker vayehi {וַיְהִי | wayyəhî} ‘and it was’, signaling a transition. The temporal clause kechalloto ledabber {כְּכַלֹּתֹו לְדַבֵּר | kəḵallôtô lə-ḏabber} expresses “when he finished speaking.” The interjection vehinne {וְהִנֵּה | wəhinnê} introduces immediacy, while the construct chain vnei-hamelech {בְנֵי־הַמֶּלֶךְ | bənê hamméleḵ} marks “sons of the king” as subject. The sequence of waw-consecutive verbs ba’u {בָּאוּ | bā’û}, vay-yis’u {וַיִּשְׂא֥וּ | wayyiś’û}, and vay-yivku {וַיִּבְכּ֑וּ | wayyibbəkû} advances the narrative, and the intensive phrase bekhi gadol meod {בְּכִ֖י גָּד֥וֹל מְאֹֽד | bəkî gādôl mē’ôd} conveys profound communal lament. This structure highlights the emotional climax of collective and royal mourning. |