| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with ve-hinneh {וְהִנֵּה | wə-hin-neh} ‘and behold’, marking a shift to a new character. The noun phrase ish zaken {אִישׁ זָקֵן | ʾiš za-qēn} serves as the subject of the main verb ba {בָּא | bā} ‘came’. The sequential prepositional clauses min-ma‘asehu {מִן־מַעֲשֵׂהוּ | min-maʿ-śē-hû} and min-hasadeh {מִן־הַשָּׂדֶה | min-ha-śā-dē} specify origin and occupation, while the temporal term ba‘erev {בָּעֶרֶב | bā-ʿe-reḇ} situates the event. The disjunctive clause ve-haish mehar Efrayim {וְהָאִישׁ מֵהַר אֶפְרַיִם | wə-hā-ʾiš mē-har ʾe-pʰra-yīm} gives background on his origin. The conjunction vehu {וְהוּא | wə-hû} introduces the verb gar {גָּר | gār} with the locative bagivah {בַּגִּבְעָה | ba-gi-‘ă-hā}. Finally, the coordinate clause ve-anshei hamakom bnei Yemini {וְאַנְשֵׁי הַמָּקוֹם בְּנֵי יְמִינִי | wə-ʾan-šê ham-mā-qōm bə-nê ye-mi-nî} identifies the local inhabitants as ‘sons of Benjamin’. The verse’s chain of coordinated clauses creates a cumulative narrative progression. |