| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the verb vayasobu {וַיָּסֹבּוּ | wayyāsôḇû} ‘and they surrounded’, marked by the vav consecutive indicating sequence. The numeral asarah {עֲשָׂרָה | ʿăsārāh} and noun ne'arim {נְעָרִים | nə‘ārîm} form the subject group. The construct chain nose'ei keli Yoav {נֹשְׂאֵי כֵלִי יוֹאָב | nōs’ēʼ kelî yōʼāḇ} ‘Joab’s armor-bearers’ specifies their role. The particle et {אֶת־ | ’et} marks Absalom {אַבְשָׁלוֹם | ’ăḇšālôm} as the direct object. Finally, the paired verbs vayyaku {וַיַּכּוּ | wayyāḵû} ‘struck’ and vayemituhu {וַיְמִתֻהוּ | wayyamittûhû} ‘killed him’ deliver a rapid climactic action, with the English ordering preserving the Hebrew’s subject-fronted sequence and two-stage violence. |