| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The clause ʿim-yĕ-bûs {עִם־יְבוּס | ʿim-yĕ-bûs} ‘with Jebus’ indicates physical proximity. The verb rad {רַד | rad} in wə-hă-yôm rad mə-ʾôd {וְהַיּוֹם רַד מְאֹד} uses a Qal perfect as a temporal marker with mə-ʾôd ‘very’ to convey the lateness of the day. The vav-consecutive wayyōmer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer} introduces direct speech by han-naʿăr {הַנַּעַר | han-naʿăr}, establishing the servant-master relationship. The cohortatives wə-nā-sūrāh {וְנָסוּרָה | wə-nā-sūrāh} and wə-nā-lîn {וְנָלִין | wə-nā-lîn} preserve Hebrew first person plural volition in English with “let us.” The construct ʾel-ʿîr-han-yĕ-bû-sî hazzōʾṯ {אֶל־עִיר־הַיְבוּסִי הַזֹּאת | ʾel-ʿîr-han-yĕ-bû-sî hazzōʾṯ} positions the destination, rendered idiomatically as “this Jebusite town.” English word order shifts the entreaty to the beginning of the quotation for clarity. |