| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the vav-consecutive verb vayimtze’u {וַיִּמְצְאוּ | wayyim·tzeʾu} ‘and they found’, initiating a new historical episode. The construct chain miyoshevei Yāvēš Gil‘ād {מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי יָבֵישׁ גִּלְעָד | miyošhĕvēy Yāvēš gil·ʿād} functions as a prepositional source phrase. The cardinal measure arba‘ me’ot {אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת | ʾar·ba‘ meʾōt} quantifies the women. The appositional pair na‘arāh betulah {נַעֲרָה בְתוּלָה | na‛ărāh bə·tûlāh} clarifies status. The relative clause ’ăšer lō’ yāda‘āh ’îš lᵉmiškāv zākār {אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעָה אִישׁ לְמִשְׁכַּב זָכָר | ’ăšer lōʾ yā·ḏə·‘āh ’îš lᵉ-miškāv zākār} employs Hebrew euphemism for sexual inexperience. The Hiphil vav-consecutive vayyāḇî’û otām ’ēl hammaḥănēh Šîlōh {וַיָּבִיאוּ אוֹתָם אֶל־הַמַּחֲנֶה שִׁלֹה | wayyā·ḇî·ʾû ’ôtām ’ēl ham·maḥănēh Šî·lōh} ‘and they brought them to the camp of Shiloh’ is rendered with a possessive English noun phrase. The final relative clause ’ăšer bᵉ’ērēṣ Kᵉnā‘ān {אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן | ’ăšer bə-ʾě·rěṣ kᵉ-nà‛ăn} ‘which is in the land of Canaan’ situates the location. |