| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive imperfect, introducing narrative progression: vayivvaledu {וַיִּֽוָּלְד֤וּ | way·yû·wal·lê·ḏû} ‘and they were born’. The indirect object phrase le-Avshalom {לְאַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ | lə·’av·šā·lôm} ‘to Absalom’ specifies paternity. The coordinated numeral and noun sheloshah vanim {שְׁלוֹשָׁ֣ה בָנִים | šəlō·šāh bā·nîm} ‘three sons’ is paralleled by uvat achat {וּבַ֥ת אַחַ֖ת | û·vat ’ă·ḥaṯ} ‘and one daughter’, preserving Hebrew gender-number patterns. The clause ushemah Tamar {וּשְׁמָ֣הּ תָּמָ֑ר | û·šə·māh ṯā·mār} ‘and her name was Tamar’ foregrounds Tamar’s identity. The concluding predicate hi hayetah ishah yefat mareh {הִ֣יא הָיְתָ֔ה אִשָּׁ֖ה יְפַ֥ת מַרְאֶֽה | hî’ hā·yā·ṯāh ’îš·šāh yə·p̄aṯ mar·’ê} ‘she was a woman beautiful in appearance’ uses a predicate nominative structure linking the substantive noun ishah ‘woman’ with descriptive modifiers. English translation shifts the Hebrew verb-subject order to subject-verb for clarity while maintaining emphasis on Tamar’s name and beauty. |