| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive narrative formula, vayomer {וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | va-yō-mer} ‘and He said,’ introducing direct speech. The proper noun kushai {חוּשַׁ֖י | ḥû-šāy} is the speaker, followed by the prepositional phrase el-avshalom {אֶל־אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם | ʾel-ʾav-šā-lôm} ‘to Absalom,’ defining the addressee. The negative particle lo {לֹֽא־ | lō} ‘not’ precedes the adjective tovah {טוֹבָ֧ה | ṭō-vāh} ‘good,’ rejecting the counsel. The noun ha-etsah {הָעֵצָ֛ה | hā-ʿê-ṣāh} ‘the advice’ is the thematic focus, specified by the relative clause asher-yaatz {אֲשֶׁר־יָעַ֥ץ | ʾa-šer-yā-ʿaẓ} ‘which he advised.’ The name achitophel {אֲחִיתֹפֶל | ʾa-ḥî-ṭō-phel} identifies the counselor, and the temporal phrase bapaam hazot {בַּפַּ֥עַם הַזֹּֽאת | ba-ppa-ʿam ha-ẓō-ṯōṯ} ‘at this time’ specifies when. English structure requires rendering the relative clause with “that Ahithophel advised” and placing the temporal phrase at the end to mirror Hebrew emphasis. |