| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The vav-consecutive form vayishpot {וַיִּשְׁפֹּ֧ט | wayyišp̄ōṭ} ‘he judged’ initiates the main narrative clause and foregrounds Samson’s judicial role. The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾeṯ-} flags Yisrael {יִשְׂרָאֵל | yiśrāʾēl} as the object. The prepositional construct bimei {בִּימֵ֥י | bə-mē} ‘in the days of’ links temporally to Pelishtim {פְלִשְׁתִּים | pĕlištīm} ‘Philistines,’ situating Israel under external rule. The compound esrim shanah {עֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה | ʿăśrīm šānāh} ‘twenty years’ combines a cardinal number and a noun to specify duration and highlight the length of Samson’s judgeship. |