| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with vayhi {וַיְהִי | va·ye·hî} ‘and he was’, where the vav-consecutive shifts the action forward. The prepositional phrase im Yehōšāp̄āṭ {עִם־יְהוֹשָׁפָט | ʿim Yĕhō·šä·p̄āṭ} emphasizes divine presence alongside the king. The causal conjunction kî {כִּי | kî} introduces the reason clause, linking Yahweh’s accompaniment to Jehoshaphat’s conduct. The perfect verb hālaḵ {הָלַךְ | hā·lăḵ} with the prepositional noun phrase bə·darkê Dāwîḏ ’āḇîw hā·rišŏ·nîm {בְּדַרְכֵי דָּוִד אָבִיו הָרִאשֹׁנִים} forms a temporal-causal sequence highlighting adherence to ancestral precedent. The adversative construction wə·lōʾ dāraš la·bā·‘ă·lîm {וְלֹא דָרַשׁ לַבְּעָלִים} marks a decisive rejection of idol consultation. English rendering preserves the causal linkage and parallel structure, rendering vav-consecutive as “and” to reflect narrative continuity and maintaining Hebrew word order for emphasis. |