| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with vayavo {וַיָּבֹא | va-ya-vo} ‘and he came,’ the vav-consecutive Qal imperfect signaling sequential narrative. The phrase el-beito Yerushalayim {אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ יְרוּשָׁלִַם | el-bei-to ye-ru-sha-la-yim} specifies location. The verb sequence vayikkach hamelekh {וַיִּקַּח הַמֶּלֶךְ | va-yi-kkakh ha-me-lekh} identifies David’s royal authority as subject. The direct-object marker et {אֵת | et} introduces the object phrase eser-na-shim pi-lag-shim {עֶשֶׂר־נָשִׁים פִּלַגְשִׁים | e-ser-na-shim pi-lag-shim}, combining cardinal and noun in construct. The relative clause asher hiniach lishmor habayit {אֲשֶׁר הִנִּיחַ לִשְׁמֹר הַבַּיִת | a-sher hi-ni-akh lish-mor ha-ba-yit} clarifies their prior assignment. The verbs vayitnem beit-mishmeret {וַיִּתְּנֵם בֵּית־מִשְׁמֶרֶת | va-yit-nem beit-mish-me-ret} and vayekhalkelem vaalehem lo-va {וַיְכַלְכְּלֵם וַאֲלֵיהֶם לֹא־בָא | va-ye-khal-ke-lem va-a-lei-hem lo-va} describe provision without intimacy. Vatihenah tzerurot {וַתִּהְיֶינָה צְרֻרוֹת | va-ti-hye-na tze-ru-rot} with ad-yom mutan {עַד־י֥וֹם מֻתָן | ad-yom mu-tan} frames the duration of confinement. The construct almanut chayyut {אַלְמְנוּת חַיּוּת | al-me-nut kha-yut} specifies their living-in-widowhood status. English rendering preserves Hebrew ordering and clarifies socio-legal terms. |