| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative employs a vav-consecutive sequence, linking the king’s movements in vayashav {וַיָּשָׁב | wayyāšāḇ} ‘and he returned’ and vayavo {וַיָּבֹא | wayyāḇōʼ} ‘and he came,’ establishing continuous progression toward the boundary at ad-hayarden {עַד־הַיַּרְדֵּן | ʻad-hayarden} ‘until the Jordan.’ The subject then shifts to wiyhudah ba’ah {וִיהוּדָה בָּאָה | wəYehūdāh bā’āh} ‘and Judah came,’ where the feminine singular verb marks collective action. The purpose-infinitive lāleḵet laha‘ăvîr {לָלֶכֶת לְהַעֲבִיר | lāleḵet lə-hă‘ăvîr} ‘to go to bring over’ expresses intent to meet and facilitate the king’s crossing. The double use of ’et-hammelekh and ’et-hayarden as direct object markers precisely identifies the objects. The translation preserves Hebrew word order and purpose structure, maintaining the emphasis on coordinated movement toward the river crossing. |