| 17. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with vayehi {וַֽיְהִי֙ | vayyəhî} ‘and it happened’, a vav-consecutive marker that shifts into a new action sequence. The temporal clause kekallôtô ləḏabbēr {כְּכַלֹּת֣וֹ לְדַבֵּ֔ר | kekallôtô ləḏabbēr} ‘when he finished speaking’ establishes a subordinate time relation. The Hiphil verb vayyašlēkh {וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ | vayyašlēkh} ‘he threw’ governs halləḥî miyyādô {הַלְּחִ֖י מִיָּד֑וֹ | halləḥî miyyādô} ‘the jawbone from his hand’, emphasizing a forceful expulsion. The following vayyīqrā {וַיִּקְרָ֛א | vayyīqrā} ‘and he called’ introduces an eponymous designation, linking lammāqôm hahû rā·māṯ lêḥî {לַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא רָ֥מַת לֶֽחִי | lammāqôm hahû rā·māṯ lêḥî} ‘to that place Ramath Lehi’. English renders the Hebrew VSO sequence as SVO, using a semicolon in the formal version to mark the causal link and a continuous clause in the dynamic version to maintain narrative flow. The construct chain rā·māṯ lêḥî is retained as a proper noun reflecting its eponymic force. |