| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the composite verb-adverb form vayya‘asu-kên {וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵן | wayyaʿăšû-kên}, employing the vav-consecutive to initiate a chronological sequence. The construct phrase bənê binyāmin {בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן | bə-nê bin-yā-min} designates the subject. The verb wayyaśʼû {וַיִּשְׂא֤וּ | wayyaśû} takes nāšîm {נָשִׁים | nā-šîm} as its direct object, modified by the quantifier ləmispārām {לְמִסְפָּרָ֔ם | li-mis-pār-ām}, “according to their number.” The source expression min-hammĕḥollelôt ’ăšer gāzālû {מִן־הַמְּחֹלְל֖וֹת אֲשֶׁר גָּזָ֑לוּ | min-ham-me-ḥol-lōṯ ’ă-šer gā-zā-lû} specifies origin with a relative clause. A rapid series of vav-consecutive verbs—wayyaʼêleḵû {וַיֵּלְכוּ | wayyaʼêlĕ-kû}, wayyašūvû {וַיָּשׁ֙וּבוּ֙ | wayyašūvû}, wayyibnû {וַיִּבְנוּ֙ | wayyaib-nû}, wayyašēvû {וַיֵּשׁ֖בוּ | wayyašēvû}—moves from departure, return, construction, to settlement. The prepositional phrases ’el-naḥălātām {אֶל־נַ֣חֲלָתָ֔ם | ’el-na-ḥă-lā-tām} and bāhēm {בָּהֶֽם | bâ-hēm} mark the destination and dwelling place. |