| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with vayikavtzu {וַיִּקָּבְצ֥וּ | wayyiqqāb·ṣû} ‘and they assembled’, employing a vav-consecutive Nifal imperfect to convey sequential action. Yerushalayim {יְרוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם | Yerūšālayim} acts as a locative proper noun specifying the assembly’s destination. The temporal phrase bachodesh hashelishi {בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁי | baḥōdeš haššĕlîšî} ‘in the third month’ marks when the gathering occurred. Lishnat chamesh-esreh {לִשְׁנַת חֲמֵשׁ-עֶשְׂרֵה | lišnāt ḥă·mēš ʿə·śrê} establishes the fifteenth regnal year through a construct chain. Lemalkut Asa {לְמַלְכ֥וּת אָסָֽא | le-malkût ’Āsā} ‘of the reign of Asa’ links the temporal reference to the sovereign King Asa. The sequence of conjunctives and construct phrases creates precise chronological framing, which is mirrored in English with corresponding prepositional structures and preserved word order for clarity. |