| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the vav-consecutive verb vattizneh {וַתִּזְנֶ֤ה | vaṭṭînēh} ‘and she acted unfaithfully’, which launches the sequence. The object pilagsho {פִּֽילַגְשׁ֔וֹ | pilagšô} ‘concubine’ indicates her subordinate marital status through the possessive suffix. A second vav-consecutive verb, vatteilekh {וַתֵּ֤לֶךְ | vaṭṭēleḵ} ‘and she went’, introduces her departure, immediately followed by the directional phrase meʾittô {מֵֽאִתּוֹ֙ | mēʾittô} ‘from him’. Two construct-state chains—el-bêt {אֶל־בֵּ֣ית | ʾel-bêt} + ʼābîhā {אָבִיהָ | ʾābîhā} ‘to the house of her father’, and el-bêt {אֶל־בֵּ֥ית | ʾel-bêt} + leḥem {לֶ֖חֶם | leḥem} + yehūdāh {יְהוּדָ֑ה | yehūdāh} ‘to Bethlehem of Judah’—express both familial and geographic destination. The compound verb-adverb vattəhîššām {וַתְּהִי־שָׁ֕ם | vaṭṭəhîššām} ‘and she was there’ establishes her settled location. Finally, the temporal clause yamîm {יָמִים | yāmîm} ‘days’ + ’arbaʿāh {אַרְבָּעָה | ’arbaʿāh} ‘four’ + ḥōdāšîm {חֳדָשִׁים | ḥōdāšîm} ‘months’ indicates duration according to lunar months in the Hebrew calendar. |