| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive verb uvanu {וּבָ֣אנוּ | û-vā-nû} ‘and we will come’, establishing a sequential narrative future. The prepositional phrase be’achat hamekomot {בְּאַחַ֤ד הַמְּקוֹמֹת֙ | bə-ʼă-ḥaḏ hammə-qō-mōt} ‘in one of the places’ sets a general location, and the relative clause asher nimtsa sham {אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִמְצָ֣א שָׁ֔ם | ʼă-šer nim-ṣâʼ šām} ‘where he is found there’ specifies the ambush point. The coordinated venachnu alav {וְנַ֣חְנוּ עָלָ֔יו | wə-naḥ-nû ’ā-lāw} ‘and we upon him’ continues the aggressive stance. A poetic simile kaasher yipol hatal alhaadamah {כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר יִפֹּ֥ל הַטַּ֖ל עַל־הָאֲדָמָ֑ה | ka-ʼă-šer yi-ppōl ha-ṭal ʿal-hā-ʼă-dā-māh} ‘as when the dew falls upon the ground’ evokes overwhelming force, and the emphatic negative velo notar bo uvechol ha’anashim asherito gamechad {וְלֹֽא־נ֥וֹתַר בּ֛וֹ וּבְכָל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֥ים אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֖וֹ גַּם־אֶחָֽד | wə-lōʼ nō-ṯar bō ʼu-və-khol hā-ʼănā-šîm ʼă-šer-ʼit-tô gam-ʼe-ḥād} ‘and not even one will be left among him or all his men’ uses gam ‘even’ to intensify total destruction. This structure mirrors the Hebrew’s layered clauses and simile to preserve the verse’s escalating tension. |