Tag Archives: 1 Samuel 5:11

The Grammar of Panic — Verbal Clustering and Narrative Urgency

וַיִּשְׁלְח֨וּ וַיַּאַסְפ֜וּ אֶת־כָּל־סַרְנֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ שַׁלְּח֞וּ אֶת־אֲרֹ֨ון אֱלֹהֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְיָשֹׁ֣ב לִמְקֹמֹ֔ו וְלֹֽא־יָמִ֥ית אֹתִ֖י וְאֶת־עַמִּ֑י כִּֽי־הָיְתָ֤ה מְהֽוּמַת־מָ֨וֶת֙ בְּכָל־הָעִ֔יר כָּבְדָ֥ה מְאֹ֛ד יַ֥ד הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים שָֽׁם׃ Stirring the Scene As the Ark of the Covenant strikes fear into the hearts of the Philistines, 1 Samuel 5:11 erupts with action. Verbs crowd the verse — messengers sent, leaders gathered, words spoken, decisions made. The panic of a people is not just narrated — it is encoded in the grammar. What emerges is a verbal storm, a grammatical phenomenon where consecutive wayyiqtol verbs tumble one after another in rapid sequence.… Learn Hebrew
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