| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav consecutive in vayittenu {וַיִּתְּנוּ | way-yit-tə-nu} ‘and they set’, a Qal imperfect verb that sequences the hostile action. The prepositional phrase alav {עָלָיו | ʿā-lāw} marks him as the target. The noun goyim {גּוֹיִם | gō-yim} ‘nations’ acts as the plural subject, modified by the adverb saviv {סָבִיב | sā-viv} ‘around’ and the prepositional phrase mimmedinot {מִמְּדִינֹת | mim-mə-dî-nōt} ‘from provinces’, together framing the scope of the attack. The conjunction vav again introduces vayifresu {וַיִּפְרְשׂוּ | way-yip-rə-sū} ‘and they spread’, repeating the action to heighten the imagery. The construct noun rishtam {רִשְׁתָּם | riš-tām} ‘their net’ appears directly after alav to highlight the instrument of ambush. The phrase beshachtam {בְּשַׁחְתָּם | bə-šakh-tām} ‘in their pit’ specifies the mechanism of entrapment. The Niphal perfect nitpas {נִתְפָּשׂ | nit-pāš} ‘he was caught’ provides the result, completing the progression from encirclement to capture. The English reconstructions follow the Hebrew clause order to preserve the intensification of threat and outcome. |