| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive Nif‘al imperfect vayignav {וַיִּגְנַב | wayyigănav} ‘and it was stolen’, conveying a reflexive-stealth nuance. The noun haʽam {הָעָם | hā-ʿām} ‘the people’ functions as subject of both the main clause and the comparative clause introduced by kaʼasher {כַּאֲשֶׁר | ka-ʾă-šer} ‘just as’. The infinitive construct lavo {לָבוֹא | lā-ḇōʾ} ‘to enter’ indicates motion toward haʽir {הָעִיר | hā-ʿîr} ‘the city’. In the comparison, the Hitpael imperfect yitganeb {יִתְגַּנֵּב | yiṯgannēḇ} ‘steal themselves away’ echoes the main verb, and the Nif‘al participle hanikhlam {הַנִּכְלָם | hanikkhlām} ‘the humiliated’ adds a sense of shame. The infinitive construct benusam {בְּנוּסָם | bə-nû-sām} ‘in their fleeing’ expresses cause, while the circumstantial phrase bamilchamah {בַּמִּלְחָמָה | bā-milḥā-mā} ‘in battle’ sets the context. English renders the Hebrew verb sequence into a natural SVO order while retaining the emphasis on stealth and dishonor. |