| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive verb vayilkod {וַיִּלְכֹּד | wayyiqōḏ} ‘and he captured’, establishing a sequential narrative. The particle et {אֶת־ | ʾet} marks the definite direct object, introducing the construct chain arei hametzurot {עָרֵי הַמְּצֻרוֹת | ʿārê hamməṣûrōṯ} ‘fortified cities’. The relative pronoun asher {אֲשֶׁר | ʾăšer} specifies their belonging to Yehudah {יְהוּדָה | Yəhûḏāh}. The narrative continues with the vav-consecutive verb vayāḇō {וַיָּבֹא | wayyāḇōʾ} ‘and he came’, followed by the preposition ad in ad-Yerushalayim {עַד־יְרוּשָׁלָיִם | ʿad-Yĕrūšāláyim} ‘up to Jerusalem’, highlighting the campaign’s geographic reach. English preserves the Hebrew’s “and… and…” sequence to maintain pacing and emphasis. |