לְעֵ֣ת

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לְעֵ֣ת

   le-ET

   at the time of
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לְעֵ֣ת צֵ֣את הַמְּלָכִ֗ים

   le-ET TSET ha-me-la-KHIM

   at the time of going out of the kings
3. clause🔊 וַיְהִ֡י לְעֵת֩ תְּשׁוּבַ֨ת הַשָּׁנָ֜ה לְעֵ֣ת צֵ֣את הַמְּלָכִ֗ים וַיִּנְהַ֣ג יוֹאָב֩ אֶת־חֵ֨יל הַצָּבָ֜א וַיַּשְׁחֵ֣ת אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ בְּנֵֽי־עַמּ֗וֹן וַיָּבֹא֙ וַיָּ֣צַר אֶת־רַבָּ֔ה וְדָוִ֖יד יֹשֵׁ֣ב בִּירֽוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם

   va-ye-HI le-ET te-shu-VAT ha-sha-NA le-ET TSET ha-me-la-KHIM va-yin-HAG yo-AV et-KHEL ha-tsa-VA va-yash-KHET et-E-rets be-NE-a-MON va-ya-VO va-ya-TSAR et-ra-BA ve-da-VID yo-SHEV bi-ru-sha-LIM

   and it happened at the time of the turning back of the year at the time of going out of the kings and he led Joab the force of the army and he destroyed the land of the sons of Ammon and he came and he besieged Rabbah and David was sitting or remained in Jerusalem
4. sentence🔊 וַיְהִ֡י לְעֵת֩ תְּשׁוּבַ֨ת הַשָּׁנָ֜ה לְעֵ֣ת צֵ֣את הַמְּלָכִ֗ים וַיִּנְהַ֣ג יוֹאָב֩ אֶת־חֵ֨יל הַצָּבָ֜א וַיַּשְׁחֵ֣ת אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ בְּנֵֽי־עַמּ֗וֹן וַיָּבֹא֙ וַיָּ֣צַר אֶת־רַבָּ֔ה וְדָוִ֖יד יֹשֵׁ֣ב בִּירֽוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וַיַּ֥ךְ יוֹאָ֛ב אֶת־רַבָּ֖ה וַיֶּֽהֶרְסֶֽהָ׃

   va-ye-HI le-ET te-shu-VAT ha-sha-NA le-ET TSET ha-me-la-KHIM va-yin-HAG yo-AV et-KHEL ha-tsa-VA va-yash-KHET et-E-rets be-NE-a-MON va-ya-VO va-ya-TSAR et-ra-BA ve-da-VID yo-SHEV bi-ru-sha-LIM va-YAKH yo-AV et-ra-BA va-ye-HER-se-ha

   and it happened at the time of the turning back of the year at the time of going out of the kings and he led Joab the force of the army and he destroyed the land of the sons of Ammon and he came and he besieged Rabbah and David was sitting or remained in Jerusalem and he struck Joab Rabbah and he tore it down

Exegesis

The verse then stacks two time phrases—lə-ʿēt təšûḇat haššānâ {לְעֵת תְּשׁוּבַת הַשָּׁנָה | lə-ʿēt təšûḇat haššānâ} ‘at the time of the year’s turning’ and lə-ʿēt ṣēʾt hamməlākîm {לְעֵת צֵאת הַמְּלָכִים | lə-ʿēt ṣēʾt hamməlākîm} ‘at the time of the going out of the kings’—to portray a customary campaign season rather than a one-time event. A chain of wayyiqtol verbs (wayyinhag… wayyašḥēt… wayyāḇōʾ… wayyāṣar… wayyaḵ… wayyehersēhā) drives the action forward in tight sequence, keeping Joab as the consistent subject and presenting the campaign as a step-by-step escalation from movement, to devastation, to siege, to final overthrow.