| 14. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive imperfect vayavo {וַיָּבֹא | way-yo-ḇōʾ} introducing the sequence of events. The coordinated subject hamelekh vekhol-haam {הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכָל־הָעָם | ham-me-leḵ wə-ḵāl-hā-ʾam} frames king and people together. The relative clause asher-itto {אֲשֶׁר־אִתּוֹ | ʾă-šer-ʾit-tô} specifies accompaniment. The predicative adjective ayephim {עֲיֵפִים | ʿă-yê-p̄îm} conveys their state of exhaustion. A second vav-consecutive imperfect, vayinnafesh {וַיִּנָּפֵשׁ | way-yin-nā-p̄ēš}, functions in the Nifal reflexive to indicate self-restoration, followed by the locative adverb sham {שָׁם | šām}, anchoring the place of recovery. These two vav-consecutives create a compact progression from arrival to renewal. |