| 35. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the temporal transition ve-acharei-khen {וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן | və-ʾăḥărē-ḵēn} ‘and after that’, serving as a narrative linker. The hitpael verb et-chabbar {אֶתְחַבַּר | ʾĕt-ḥăbbār} ‘he allied himself’ highlights mutual commitment. The construct phrases melech-yehudah {מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה | mē-leḵ yəhū-dāh} ‘king of Judah’ and melech-yisrael {מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל | mē-leḵ yiśrāʾēl} ‘king of Israel’ designate the parties. The pronoun hu {ה֖וּא | hūʾ} refers back to Ahaziah, introducing the evaluative hiphil perfect hirshia {הִרְשִׁ֥יעַ | hir-šī-ʿā} ‘he did wickedly’, indicating moral judgment on Ahaziah’s action. The infinitive construct la-asot {לַעֲשֽׂוֹת | la-ʿăś-ôt} expresses purpose. The English division into two clauses preserves the temporal sequence and evaluative nuance without altering the subject focus. |