| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the waw-consecutive verb vayhi {וַיְהִי | wayyĕhî} ‘and it happened,’ a narrative marker that sequences events. The temporal clause ʼacharei lekhtam establishes the setting, followed by a series of waw-consecutive Qal imperfect verbs conveying rapid succession. The direct object marker et {אֶת | ʼet} signals the definite noun hamayim ‘the waters,’ emphasizing a specific barrier. The imperatives qûmû and wə-ʿivrû deliver urgent commands, and the conjunction kî-kāḵāh {כִּי־כָּכָה | kî-kāḵāh} ‘for thus’ links the orders to Ahithophel’s counsel, heightening the narrative tension. |