| 14. Linguistic Exegesis The verse uses a sequence of vav-consecutive imperfects—vaya’avru {וַיַּעַבְרוּ | wa-ya-ʿa-vru} “and they passed” and vayelekhu {וַיֵּלְכוּ | wa-ye-le-khu} “and they went”—to depict continuous movement. The third verb, vatavo {וַתָּבֹא | wa-ṭā-vō} literally “and came,” idiomatically indicates the sun’s descent, shifting focus to hashemesh {הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ | ha-šē-mēš} as a temporal marker. The prepositional phrase etsel hagiv’ah {אֵצֶל הַגִּבְעָה | ʾê-ṣel ha-gi-bā-ʿāh} “near Gibeah” locates the scene, while the relative clause asher le-Binyamin {אֲשֶׁר לְבִנְיָמִֽן | ʾă-šer lə-bîn-yā-mîn} “which belongs to Benjamin” specifies tribal territory. The Hebrew syntax foregrounds motion before temporal setting, advancing the narrative vividly. |