| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive narrative marker vayavo {וַיָּבֹא | wayyā-ḇōʾ} ‘and he came’, introducing Hushai’s movement. The subsequent vav-consecutive vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyō-mer} ‘and he said’ frames Absalom’s speech. The demonstrative ha-zeh {הַזֶּה | ha-zeh} ‘this’ in kadavar ha-zeh diber {כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה דִּבֶּר | ka-ḏā-ḇar ha-zeh dib-bēr} specifies the counsel under review. The cohortative-query hana’aseh {הֲנַעֲשֶׂה | han-nā-ʿă-śeh} expresses deliberation (‘shall we do?’), while the conditional-imperative im-ayin … dabber {אִם־אַיִן … דַבֵּר | ʾim-ʾayin … dab-bēr} sets up an alternative and calls for Hushai’s response. The direct-object marker et {אֶת | ʾet} highlights the personal nature of the counsel. English maintains the binary question structure to reflect the rhetorical pacing of the original. |