| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with a wayyiqtol-style narrative link using û- {וּ | û} attached to the subject name rəḥaḇ-ʿām {רְחַבְעָם | rəḥaḇ-ʿām} ‘Rehoboam,’ then immediately grounds legitimacy through the construct relationship ben-šəlōmōh {בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹה | ben-šəlōmōh} ‘son of Solomon.’ The first main clause uses mālaḵ {מָלַךְ | mālaḵ} ‘he reigned’ with the territorial sphere bîhûdāh {בִּיהוּדָה | bîhûdāh} ‘in Judah.’ Accession age is expressed through the Hebrew age formula ben-ʾarbāʿîm wə-ʾaḥat šānāh {בֶּן־אַרְבָּעִים וְאַחַת שָׁנָה | ben-ʾarbāʿîm wə-ʾaḥat šānāh} ‘a son of forty and one year,’ followed by resumptive repetition of the king’s name, a common royal-notice style that re-anchors the subject before giving duration. The phrase bəmalkô {בְּמָלְכוֹ | bəmalkô} ‘in his reigning’ functions adverbially, and the number is built additively: û-šeḇaʿ ʿeśrēh {וּשֲׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה | û-šeḇaʿ ʿeśrēh} ‘seven-ten’ = seventeen. The second mālaḵ {מָלַךְ | mālaḵ} introduces the reign-location bîrûšālayim {בִּירוּשָׁלַם | bîrûšālayim} ‘in Jerusalem,’ then a specifying apposition hāʿîr {הָעִיר | hāʿîr} ‘the city’ is expanded by a relative clause ʾăšer-bāḥar Yahweh {אֲשֶׁר־בָּחַר יְהוָה | ʾăšer-bāḥar Yahweh} ‘which the LORD chose.’ The purpose of the choice is expressed by lamed + infinitive: lāśûm {לָשׂוּם | lāśûm} ‘to set,’ governing ʾet-šəmô {אֶת־שְׁמוֹ | ʾet-šəmô} ‘His name,’ with šām {שָׁם | šām} ‘there’ and the partitive phrase mikkōl šivtê yiśrāʾēl {מִכֹּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל | mikkōl šivtê yiśrāʾēl} ‘from all the tribes of Israel’ highlighting the exclusivity of Jerusalem’s selection. The notice closes with maternal identification, wəšēm ʾimmô naʿămāh hāʿammōnît {וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ נַעֲמָה הָעַמֹּנִית | wəšēm ʾimmô naʿămāh hāʿammōnît} ‘and the name of his mother (was) Naamah the Ammonite,’ a detail that frames royal identity in terms of both dynasty and international connection. |