The Grammar of Surprise: The Wayyiqtol Chain and Temporal Progression in Joshua 10:9
וַיָּבֹ֧א אֲלֵיהֶ֛ם יְהֹושֻׁ֖עַ פִּתְאֹ֑ם כָּל־הַלַּ֕יְלָה עָלָ֖ה מִן־הַגִּלְגָּֽל׃ (Joshua 10:9) And Yehoshua came upon them suddenly; all the night he had gone up from the Gilgal. Joshua 10:9 stands at the heart of a dramatic military narrative. The verse captures a sudden tactical strike by Yehoshua (Joshua) and the Israelites against the Amorite coalition that threatened…