| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with ve’al {וְעַל־ | wə-ʿal} ‘and upon,’ an idiom marking subordination, followed by yado {יָד֖וֹ | yā-dō} ‘his hand’ in construct to indicate delegated authority. The personal name yehochanan {יְהוֹחָנָ֣ן | yə-hō-ḥā-nān} is then specified by ha-sar {הַשָּׂ֑ר | ha-sar} ‘the commander,’ denoting rank. The conjunction ve-immo {וְעִמּ֕וֹ | wə-ʿim-mō} ‘and with him’ introduces maatayim {מָאתַ֥יִם | mā-ṭā-yim} ‘two hundred’ and ushmonim {וּשְׁמוֹנִ֖ים | ū-šmo-nim} ‘and eighty,’ which combine with ’ālef {אָֽלֶף׃ | ’ā-lef} ‘thousand’ to total 280,000. The cumulative numerals underscore the scale of Jehochanan’s force. |