| 24. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive imperfect vayyakkehu {וַיַּכֵּ֥הוּ | wayyakkêhu} ‘and he struck him,’ initiating Israel’s conquest. This is followed by the proper noun Yisrael {יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | yiśrāʼēl} ‘Israel’ as the subject. The prepositional construct lefi-charev {לְפִי־חָ֑רֶב | lə-p̄î ḥā-rēḇ} ‘by the edge of the sword’ specifies the instrument. The second vav-consecutive verb vayyiresh {וַיִּירַ֨שׁ | wayyîrāṣ̌} ‘and he took possession’ continues the sequence, with et-artso {אֶת־אַרְצ֜וֹ | ʾet-ʾărṣō} ‘his land’ as the direct object. A series of territorial delimiters—me-arnon {מֵֽאַרְנֹ֗ן | mē-ʾārnon} ‘from Arnon,’ ad-yabboq {עַד־יַבֹּק֙ | ʿad-yabbôq} ‘to Yabbok,’ and ad-benei benei ammon {עַד־בְּנֵ֣י בְּנֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹן | ʿad-bə-nê bə-nê‒ʿammōn} ‘to the sons of Ammon’—defines the scope of conquest. The causal clause ki az gevul benei-ammon {כִּ֣י עַ֔ז גְּב֖וּל בְּנֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹן | kî ʿaz gəvul bə-nê‒ʿammōn} ‘for the border of the sons of Ammon was strong’ explains why Israel’s advance did not proceed beyond this fortified boundary. |