| 26. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav consecutive vay’hi {וַֽיְהִי֙ | wə·ya·hî} ‘and it happened’, signaling a new episode. The prepositional phrase li-tshu-vat ha-shanah {לִתְשׁוּבַ֣ת הַשָּׁנָ֔ה | li·tû·wā·ṯ ha·šnāh} functions as a temporal circumstantial clause (“at the turning of the year”), combining lamed + construct noun + definite article to express the Hebrew idiom for seasonal recurrence. The imperfect verb vayif-qod {וַיִּפְקֹד | way·yiq·qôḏ} conveys military mobilization, with the object et-aram {אֶת־אֲרָ֑ם | ʾet·ʾā·rām} marking Aram via the direct object particle. Vaya’al {וַיַּ֣עַל | way·ya·ʿăl} ‘and he went up’ introduces direction toward a-pekah {אֲפֵ֔קָה | ʾă·pê·qāh}, a strategic stronghold. The purpose clause la-milchamah {לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה | la·mil·ḥā·māh} ‘for battle’ precedes the opposition im-yisrael {עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל | ʿim·yiś·rā·ʾēl}, completing the military sequence. The structure underscores the annual rhythm of Near Eastern campaigns and the stepwise progression from mustering to engagement. |