| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the sequential marker wayyomer {וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’, where the vav-consecutive signals narrative progression. The indirect object elav {אֵלָיו֙ | ʾēlāw} ‘to him’ identifies the audience, followed by the subject adonaiw {אֲדֹנָ֔יו | ʾădōnāyw} ‘his master’ containing a pronominal suffix. The clause lo nāsûr el-ʿîr nōḵrî {לֹא נָסוּר אֶל־עִיר נָכְרִי | lōʾ nāsûr ʾel-ʿîr nōḵrî} employs a Qal imperfect first person plural to express refusal to divert toward a non-Israelite town. The relative clause ʾăšer lōʾ-miḇnê yiśrāʾēl hênnāh {אֲשֶׁר לֹא־מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵנָּה | ʾăšer lōʾ-miḇnê yiśrāʾēl hênnāh} foregrounds ethnic exclusion by stating “which is not of the sons of Israel, these”. The alternative wəʿāvarnû ʿăḏ-ġîḇāh {וְעָבַרְנוּ עַד־גִּבְעָה | wəʿāvarnû ʿăḏ-ġîḇāh} “and we will pass by until Gibeah” repeats the imperfect to indicate forward movement toward the Israelite settlement. English phrasing is adjusted to highlight the master’s directive and clarify the Israelite-foreign distinction. |