| 32. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive form vayomer {וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | wā-yō-mer} indicating the start of direct speech. The particle hinneh {הִנֵּ֣ה | hin-nē} ‘behold’ marks the urgency of Absalom’s appeal. The infinitive lemor {לֵאמֹ֡ר | le-ʾemor} ‘saying’ introduces the subordinate clause headed by the imperative bo {בֹּא | bō} ‘come’ and the adverb hennah {הֵ֠נָּה | hennā} ‘here’. The cohortatives veshlechah {וְאֶשְׁלְחָה | wə-ʾēš-lə-ḥā} ‘let me send’ and ereh {אֶרְאֶה֙ | ʾer-ʾeh} ‘let me see’ express Absalom’s volitional intent. The question lammah bā’ati mi-geshur {לָמָּה בָּ֙אתִי֙ מִגְּשׁ֔וּר | lā-māh bā-ʾtî mi-ge-šūr} ‘Why did I come from Geshur?’ combines an interrogative with a perfect verb and locative phrase. The verbless clause tov lī ʿōḏ ʾanî-šām {טוֹב לִ֖י עֹד אֲנִי־שָׁ֑ם | ṭōḇ lī ʿōḏ ʾanî-šām} conveys a counterfactual preference. The conditional ve-im-yesh-bi {וְאִם־יֶשׁ־בִּ֥י | wə-ʾim yēš-bî} introduces avon {עָוֺ֖ן | ʿā-wôn} ‘guilt’, and the Hiphil imperfect ve-hemita-ni {וֶהֱמִתָֽנִי | wə-hə-mi-ṭā-nî} ‘let him put me to death’ delegates judgment to the king, completing the petition. |