| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with ve’et {וְאֶת־ | wə-ʾeṯ} ‘and (direct object marker)’, foregrounding Absalom {אַבְשָׁלֹם | ʾav-ša-lōm}. The perfect verb halchu {הָלְכוּ | hā-lə-khû} ‘they went’ is immediately quantified by the dual numeral matayim {מָאתַיִם | mā-ṭa-yim} ‘two hundred’ modifying ish {אִישׁ | īš} ‘man’ for collective sense. The sequential participles keru’im {קְרֻאִים | kə-rû-ʼîm} ‘called/invited’ and veholkhim {וְהֹלְכִים | wə-hō-lə-khîm} ‘and going’ convey both the summons and ongoing accompaniment. The idiomatic phrase letummam {לְתֻמָּם | lə-tum-mām} ‘in their innocence’ emphasizes their lack of guile. In the coordinate clause, velo yad’u {וְלֹא יָדְעוּ | wə-lōʾ yā-ḏə-ʿû} ‘and did not know’ heads their ignorance toward kol davar {כָּל־דָּבָר | kol ḏā-ḇār} ‘any matter’. The repeated vav conjunction links clauses and participles into a rhythmic narrative chain. Formal English clarifies the idiom and passive nuance, while the dynamic rendering integrates participial action for natural flow. |