| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conjunction vehem {וְהֵם | wə-hēm} ‘and they,’ shifting attention to the actors. The prepositional phrase ledamam {לְדָמָם | lə-dā-mām} ‘for their blood’ functions as a dative of disadvantage, specifying the object of the ambush. The paired Qal imperfect verbs ye’erovu {יֶאֱרֹבוּ | yeʾ-ē-rō-vū} and yitzpenu {יִצְפְּנוּ | yit-spə-nū} are coordinated without a conjunction, conveying continuous predatory action. The parallel phrase lenafshotam {לְנַפְשֹׁתָם | lə-naf-šō-tām} ‘for their lives’ mirrors the first, intensifying the theme of self-destruction. The absence of a vav between the verbs underscores immediacy, which the semicolon in the formal translation seeks to preserve. |