| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive verb vayiqare {וַיִּקָּרֵא | wa-yiqqā-rē} ‘and it happened’, signaling a sudden narrative turn. The prepositional phrase lifnei avdei David {לִפְנֵי עַבְדֵי דָּוִד | líf-nê ʿă-və-dê dā-vīd} situates Absalom before David’s attendants. The participle rokev {רֹכֵב | rō-kēv} denotes ongoing action ‘riding’. The mule’s passage under the oak is described by vayavo {וַיָּבֹא | wa-yā-vō} under tachat shuakh ha-elah haggedolah {תַּחַת שׂוּבַךְ הָאֵלָה הַגְּדוֹלָה | ta-ḥat sû-ḇaḵ hā-ʾē-lāh ha-ggē-dō-lāh}, creating a vivid trap image. The Nifal imperfect vayechezeq {וַיֵּחָזֵק | wa-yē-ḥā-zeq} focuses on the oak’s action on rosho {רֹאשׁוֹ | rō-šō} ‘his head’. The Hofal imperfect vayyutan {וַיֻּתַּן | wa-yu-ṭṭān} ‘and he was left’ paired with the parallel prepositions bein ha-shamayim u-bein ha-aretz {בֵּין הַשָּׁמַיִם וּבֵין הָאָרֶץ | bēn ha-šā-ma-yim ū-bēn hā-ʾā-reṣ} conveys helpless suspension. The final relative clause ve-ha-pered asher-tahtav avar {וְהַפֶּרֶד אֲשֶׁר-תַּחְתָיו עָבָר | wə-ha-pə-rēd ʾă-šer ta-ḥa-tāw ʿā-vār} underscores the mule’s departure as Absalom’s support passed on. |