| 30. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive narrative introduction vayōmer {וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’, marking direct speech. The subject shimshōn {שִׁמְשׁ֗וֹן | shimshōn} utters the jussive clause tamōt {תָּמ֣וֹת | tāmōt} ‘let die’ with the first person singular suffix on nap̄shî {נַפְשִׁי֮ | nap̄šî} ‘my soul’, expressing a wish to share fate with ʿim-pᵊlištîm {עִם־פְּלִשְׁתִּים֒ | ʿim-pᵊlištîm} ‘with the Philistines’. The narrative resumes with the imperfect vav-consecutive and instrument: wayyeṭ {וַיֵּ֣ט | wayyeṭ} ‘and he bent’ plus bə-ḵōaḥ {בְּכֹ֔חַ | bə-ḵōaḥ} ‘with strength’, indicating means. In the result clause wayyipōl {וַיִּפֹּ֤ל | wayyipōl} ‘and it fell’ takes ham-mēṯîm {הַמֵּתִים֙ | ham-mēṯîm} ‘the dead’ as a comparative endpoint: ham-mēṯîm whom hēmîṯ {הֵמִ֣ית | hēmîṯ} ‘he killed’ in bᵊ-mōtō {בְּמוֹת֔וֹ | bᵊ-mōtō} ‘in his death’ were rabbîm mē-ʾašer {רַבִּים מֵאֲשֶׁ֥ר | rabbîm mē-ʾašer} ‘many more than’ those hēmîṯ {הֵמִ֖ית | hēmîṯ} ‘he killed’ bᵊ-ḥay-yāw {בְּחַיָּֽיו׃ | bᵊ-ḥay-yāw} ‘in his life’. The sequence of vav-consecutives, shift from jussive to narrative imperfect to comparative clause, builds the climactic end of Samson’s final act. |