| 14. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with vayimlokh {וַיִּמְלֹךְ | wayyim-lōḳ} ‘and he reigned’, where the vav-consecutive Qal imperfect marks narrative progression and emphasizes David’s sovereignty. The phrase ʿal-kol-Yisraʾel {עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל | ʿal-kol-yis-rā-ʾēl} ‘over all Israel’ specifies the scope of his rule. The sequence vayehi ʿō-śēh {וַיְהִי עֹשֶׂה | wayyihî ʿō-śēh} ‘and he was doing’ employs a participle to convey ongoing action. The paired nouns mishpat {מִשְׁפָּט | miš-pā-ṭ} ‘judgment’ and utsedaqah {וּצְדָקָה | ū-ṣə-dā-qāh} ‘righteousness’ form synonymous parallelism describing ideal governance. The final clause lekol ammo {לְכָל־עַמּוֹ | lə-kol-ʿam-mô} ‘for all his people’ highlights the inclusivity of his just administration. |