| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive Hiphil imperfect wayyaḥărišû {וַיַּחֲרִ֔ишׁוּ | wayyaḥărišû} ‘and they kept silent’, establishing immediate narrative reaction. This is followed by the coordinated negation velo-anu oto davar {וְלֹֽא־עָנוּ אֹת֖וֹ דָּבָ֑ר | wə-lô-ʿānû ʾôtô dāvar} ‘and did not answer him a word’, where the maqqef binds velo and anu in a single negated clause and oto marks the object. The causal nexus ki-mitzwât {כִּֽי־מִצְוַ֨ת | kî-miṣwâṯ} ‘for the command’ attributes the silence to royal authority, signaled by hammeleḵ {הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ | hammeleḵ} ‘the king’. The particle hî {הִ֛יא | hî} ‘it’ functions as a copula for emphasis, preceding the infinitive construct lēʾemor {לֵאמֹ֖ר | lēʾemor} ‘to say’, which introduces the direct prohibition lo taʿănûhû {לֹ֥א תַעֲנֻֽהוּ | lō taʿănûhû} ‘you shall not answer him’, where the imperfect expresses a continuous ban. The placement of hî and the leʾemor clause foregrounds the king’s decree before the quoted command. |