| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs a rapid succession of vav-consecutive verbs—vayaqam {וַיָּ֥קָם | wayyāqām} ‘and he rose’, vayelekh {וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ | wayyēleḵ} ‘and he went’, vayave {וַיָּבֵ֥א | wayyāḇēʾ} ‘and he brought’—to accelerate narrative momentum. The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet-} before Avshalom {אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם | ʾav-šā-lōm} highlights him as the focus of the transfer, while the absence of a preposition before Yerushalayim {יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ | yĕ-rū-šā-lā-yim} signals a destination complement. The directional heh on Geshurah frames the geographic movement, and the triadic verb structure emphasizes Joab’s determined mission to restore Absalom to the royal city. |