וַ֠יִּמְלֹךְ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַ֠יִּמְלֹךְ

   va-yim-LOKH

   and he began to reign
2. clause🔊 וַ֠יִּמְלֹךְ אַחְאָ֨ב בֶּן־עָמְרִ֤י עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בְּשֹׁ֣מְר֔וֹן עֶשְׂרִ֥ים וּשְׁתַּ֖יִם שָׁנָֽה׃

   va-yim-LOKH akh-AV ben-om-RI al-yis-ra-EL be-shom-ROn e-se-RIM u-she-ta-YIM sha-NA

   and he began to reign Ahab son of Omri over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years
3. sentence🔊 וְאַחְאָ֣ב בֶּן־עָמְרִ֗י מָלַךְ֙ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בִּשְׁנַ֨ת שְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים וּשְׁמֹנֶה֙ שָׁנָ֔ה לְאָסָ֖א מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֑ה וַ֠יִּמְלֹךְ אַחְאָ֨ב בֶּן־עָמְרִ֤י עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בְּשֹׁ֣מְר֔וֹן עֶשְׂרִ֥ים וּשְׁתַּ֖יִם שָׁנָֽה׃

   ve-akh-AV ben-om-RI ma-LAKH al-yis-ra-EL bish-naT she-lo-SHIM u-she-mo-NE sha-NA le-a-SA ME-lekh ye-hu-DA va-yim-LOKH akh-AV ben-om-RI al-yis-ra-EL be-shom-ROn e-se-RIM u-she-ta-YIM sha-NA

   and Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in the year of thirty and eight year of Asa king of Judah and he began to reign Ahab son of Omri over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years

Exegesis

The narrative then repeats the waw-consecutive verb vayimlokh {וַיִּמְלֹךְ | wə-yim-lō-ḵ}, framing Ahab’s subsequent rule in Samaria {שֹׁמְרוֹן | šō-mer-ōn} extended by the compound esrim ushtayim {עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁתַּיִם | ʿe-śrîm ū-šṭa-yim} “twenty-two” plus shanah {שָׁנָה | šā-nā}, emphasizing the duration and stability of his dynasty.

Root and etymology

m-l-k🔊 מ־ל־ךmem-lamed-kaf

“to rule, reign”

• 🔊 מֶלֶךְmelekhkingGenesis 14:1