| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The clause opens with the prepositional phrase veal-yado {וְעַל־יָד֖וֹ | wə-ʿal-yā-dô} ‘and at his hand’, a Hebrew idiom marking proximity and delegated responsibility within a command structure. The proper name yehozavad {יְהוֹזָבָד | yəhô-zā-vāḏ} is presented without an explicit verb; Hebrew frequently omits the copula in such listing formulas, so English supplies “was” to express the implied existence. The coordination veimmo {וְעִמּוֹ | wə-ʿim-mô} ‘and with him’ introduces an attached contingent. The number phrase meah-u-shmonim elef {מֵאָה־וּשְׁמוֹנִים אֶלֶף | mē-ʾāh·ū-šə-mō-nîm ʾe-lep̄} ‘one hundred and eighty thousand’ follows standard Hebrew scaling, where the higher unit elef carries the total. The construct chain chalutse tsava {חֲלוּצֵי צָבָא | ḥă-lû-ṣê ṣā-ḇāʾ} functions as a classified group label, describing these men as properly outfitted for military service; English renders this with an adjectival phrase (“armed men / troops ready for war”) to keep the list readable while preserving the military nuance. |