| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the narrative marker vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wa-yō-mer} ‘and he said’, introducing David’s address to Abishai and his attendants in the prepositional phrases el Avishai ve’el kol avadav {אֶל־אֲבִישַׁי וְאֶל־כָּל־עֲבָדָיו | ʾel ʾă-vi-šay wə-ʾel kol ʿă-vā-dā-w}, framing the participants. The emphatic particle hinneh {הִנֵּה | hin-nê} ‘behold’ highlights beni {בְּנִי | bə-nî} ‘my son’ in the relative clause asher yatza mime’ai {אֲשֶׁר־יָצָא מִמְּעַי | ʾă-šer yā-ṣā mim-me-ʿay} ‘who came forth from my inward parts’, an idiom for direct offspring. The Piel participle mevakesh {מְבַקֵּשׁ | mə-va-qēš} ‘seeking’ governs the direct object et nafshi {אֶת־נַפְשִׁי | ʾeṯ nap-šî} ‘my life’, conveying an ongoing threat. The comparative ve’af ki atah {וְאַף כִּי־עַתָּה | wə-ʾap kî-ʿa-tāh} ‘and now if even’ contrasts this kinship with ben-haymini {בֶּן־הַיְמִינִי | ben-ha-yə-mî-nî} ‘the Benjamite’. The Hifil imperative hanichu {הַנִּיחוּ | han-nī-ḥū} ‘let alone’ and the Qal imperfect jussive viyekallel {וִיקַלֵּל | wi-yaq-qā-lel} ‘let him curse’ express permissive commands. The final clause ki amar-lo Yahweh {כִּי אָמַר־לוֹ יְהוָה | kî ʾā-mar-lō yə-hō-wāh} ‘for the LORD has said to him’ frames David’s resignation in divine sovereignty. |