| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the temporal construct bishnat {בִּשְׁנַת | biš-šā-ṯ} “in the year of,” which incorporates the compound numeral shemoneh esreh {שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה | še-mō-néh ʿe-s̆réh} “eighteen” in a construct chain. The prepositional construct lemalchut {לְמַלְכוּת | lə-mal-ḵūṯ} “of the reign of” links the numeral to the proper name yarav’am {יָרָבְעָם | yā-rā-və-ʿām} “Jeroboam.” The vav-consecutive qal imperfect vayimlokh {וַיִּמְלֹךְ | və-yim-lōḵ} “and he began to reign” transitions to the main clause, with the subject aviyah {אֲבִיָּה | ʾa-vî-yāh} “Abijah” following the verb, consistent with regnal formula syntax. The phrase al-yehudah {עַל־יְהוּדָה | ʿal־yə-hū-dāh} “over Judah” specifies territorial rule. The sequence foregrounds a chronological marker before introducing the action of accession, reflecting Deuteronomistic historiography. |