| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive verb vatomer {וַתֹּאמֶר | waṯ·ṭō·mer} ‘and she said,’ signaling the shift into direct dialogue. The proper names Delilah {דְּלִילָה | də·lî·lā} and Samson {שִׁמְשׁוֹן | šim·šôn} establish the participants, immediately followed by the attention marker hinneh {הִנֵּה | hîn·nêh} ‘behold,’ intensifying Delilah’s emotive charge. The piel perfect hetalta {הֵתַלְתָּ | hē·tal·tā} ‘you have mocked’ conveys an intensive, completed action, reinforced by the subsequent vav-consecutive piel imperfect vatedabber {וַתְּדַבֵּר | wa·tə·dab·bēr} ‘and you spoke’ in conjunction with the noun kezavim {כְּזָבִים | kǝ·zā·wîm} ‘lies’ to underscore deceit. The hiphil imperative with particle na, haggidah-na {הַגִּידָה־נָּא | ha·gi·ḏāh·nā} ‘please tell,’ frames the request as urgent rather than demanding, while the nifal imperfect te’aser {תֵּאָסֵר | tē·ʾā·sēr} ‘you may be bound’ positions the final clause as a passive possibility. Each clause builds tension—from confrontation to entreaty to suspense—highlighting Delilah’s strategic interrogation. |