| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The conjunction vav gam {וְגַם | wə-ḡam} “and also” ties this decree to earlier reforms. The Hiphil perfect he-ʾe-mīḏ {הֶעֱמִיד | he-ʾe-mīḏ} “he appointed” conveys royal causation. The coordinated construct mīn-hă-lə-vī-yim, wə-hă-kō-hă-nîm, ū-mē-rā-šê-hā-ʾā-vō-ṯ {מִן־הַלְוִיִּים וְהַכֹּהֲנִים וּמֵרָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת} lists the Levites, the priests, and the heads of ancestral families as appointees. The infinitives lə-miš-pā-ṭ {לְמִשְׁפַּט | lə-miš-pā-ṭ} and wə-lā-rîḇ {וְלָרִיב | wə-lā-rîḇ} function as purpose clauses for judgment and dispute resolution. The vav-consecutive wa-yā-šū-vū {וַיָּשֻׁבוּ | wa-yā-šū-vū} continues the narrative simply with “and they returned to Jerusalem,” situating the judiciary in the capital. |