| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with vayehi {וַיְהִ֗י | wə-yĕhî} ‘and it happened’, a narrative marker using the vav-consecutive with the qal imperfect to sequence events. The infinitive construct kehachin {כְּהָכִ֞ין | kə-hāhîn} ‘when it was established’ introduces a temporal clause, paralleled by ukechezkato {וּכְחֶזְקָת֔וֹ | û-kə-ḥezqāṯō} ‘and when he became strong’, framing Rehoboam’s political stability. The noun phrase malkhut rechav’am {מַלְכ֤וּת רְחַבְעָם֙ | malkhût rëkhăvə‘ām} functions as the subject, while the qal perfect verb azav {עָזַ֖ב | ‘āzav} ‘he forsook’ marks the decisive action. The construct phrase ettorat Yahweh {אֶת־תּוֹרַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה | ’et-tōrāt Yəhōwāh} serves as the direct object, and ve-khol-yisrael immo {וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עִמּֽוֹ | wə-ḵōl-yisrā’ēl ’immō} indicates collective participation. The repeated vav clauses emphasize a cause-and-effect link between consolidated authority and apostasy, and rendering the infinitives as subordinate clauses preserves the temporal continuity of the Hebrew narrative. |