| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with a fronted temporal frame, uvashanah hashviit {וּבַשָּׁנָ֨ה הַשְּׁבִעִ֜ית | ûvaššānāh haššəḇîʿîṯ} ‘in the seventh year’, setting the action within a decisive moment. The main clause uses the Hitpael hitchazzak {הִתְחַזַּ֣ק | hiṯḥazzāq} ‘he strengthened himself’ to portray Jehoiada’s self-initiated resolve, and then advances the narrative with the vav-consecutive wayyiqqaḥ {וַיִּקַּ֣ח | wayyiqqaḥ} ‘and he took’, linking inner resolve to concrete action. The object is specified by the construct phrase ʾeṯ-śārê hammēʾôṯ {אֶת־שָׂרֵי הַמֵּא֡וֹת | ʾeṯ-śārê hammēʾôṯ} ‘the commanders of the hundreds’, followed by an extended appositional list marked by repeated coordination and ben- relationships, which grounds each leader’s identity in lineage and public standing. The closing prepositional sequence ʿimmô babbərît {עִמּ֥וֹ בַבְּרִֽית | ʿimmô babbərît} ‘with him in the covenant’ functions as the culmination of the action, interpreting the “taking” as bringing these officers into a formal alliance. English dashes are used to reflect the Hebrew’s flowing enumeration while keeping the final covenant phrase prominent. |