| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the narrative formula vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’, introducing direct speech. Joab (יוֹאָב | yô-ʾāḇ) addresses the messenger with lo ʾîš bə-sôrāh ʾattāh {לֹא אִישׁ בְּשֹׂרָה אַתָּה | lōʾ ʾîš bə-sôrāh ʾattāh} ‘you are not a man of news’, an emphatic role negation. The demonstrative phrase hayyôm hazzēh {הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה | hayyôm hazzēh} ‘this day’ is repeated for emphasis. The Piel forms u·bissartā {וּבִשַּׂרְתָּ | u·bissartā} and tä·bassēr {תְּבַשֵּׂר | tä·bassēr} ‘you will bring news’ first permit a different occasion and then forbid the present one. The asyndetic coordination and repetition mirror Hebrew’s emphatic sequence. The causal connector kî ʿal-kên {כִּי עַל־כֵּן | kî ʿal-kên} ‘because therefore’ introduces the reason: benn hamméleḵ mēṯ {בֶּן־הַמֶּלֶךְ מֵת | benn hamméleḵ mēṯ} ‘the king’s son has died’. The English preserves the Hebrew’s forceful structure by maintaining the repetition and clear cause-effect relation. |