| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The opening phrase velo-achim {וְלֽוֹ־אַחִ֞ים | wə-lô-ʾăḥîm} ‘and to him, brothers’ is a Hebrew possession idiom that foregrounds the existence of siblings before naming them. This is immediately specified by the construct chain benei Yehoshaphat {בְּנֵ֣י יְהוֹשָׁפָ֗ט | bənê yəhôšāfāṭ} ‘sons of Jehoshaphat,’ which anchors the list in lineage rather than geography. A string of proper names follows, many introduced with vav, producing a steady enumerative rhythm. The verse closes with a resumptive summary, kol-elleh {כָּל־אֵ֕לֶּה | kāl-ʾēlleh} ‘all these,’ restating the family identification (benei Yehoshaphat) and attaching the title melekh-yisra’el {מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל | meleḵ-yiśrāʾēl} ‘king of Israel’ in apposition, reinforcing the royal status that frames the brothers’ significance. |