| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative is driven by successive vav-consecutive verbs vayitqa {וַיִּתְקַע | wayyiṯqaʿ} ‘and he blew’ and vayyashav {וַיָּשָׁב | wayyāšāḇ} ‘and he returned’, signaling shifts in action. The instrument bashofar {בַּשּׁוֹפָר | ba-šōp̄ār} marks the decisive signal for halting. The infinitive meredof {מֵרְדֹּף | mērədōp̄} ‘pursuing’ expresses ongoing action, linked with the preposition acharei {אַחֲרֵי | ʾaḥărê} ‘after’ and the proper name yisrael {יִשְׂרָאֵל | yiśrāʼēl} as its object. The conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘for’ introduces a causal clause, followed by the perfect chashach {חָשַׁךְ | ḥāšax} ‘he restrained’, attributing agency to Joab as the one halting the troops. English SVO order is used for clarity, contrasting with the Hebrew verb-initial narrative motif. The repetition of yōʼāḇ {יוֹאָב | yōʼāḇ} foregrounds his leadership role. |