| 30. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the coordinating vav in umilkhamah {וּמִלְחָמָ֨ה | ū-mĭl-ḥā-māh} ‘and war’, linking this conflict back to the preceding narrative and emphasizing its ongoing nature. The verb hayetah {הָיְתָה | hā-yə-ṯāh} ‘was’ introduces the existence of the state of warfare. The orthographic unit בֵין־רְחַבְעָם וּבֵין יָרָבְעָם {bēn-rə-ḥă-vā-ʿam | ū-bēn yā-rā-ḇā-ʿam} ‘between Rehoboam and between Jeroboam’ frames the two rivals in a bilateral relationship. The construct kol־הַיָּמִים {kāl-hă-yā-mîm} functions adverbially to mark an uninterrupted timeframe, reflecting the Hebrew idiom for continuous duration. |