| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the construct chain ben {בֶּן | ben} ‘son’ plus the numeral shesh-esreh {שֵׁ֨שׁ עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה | šeš-ʿe-se-re} ‘sixteen’, an idiom for expressing age. The stative verb hayah {הָיָה֣ | hā-yā} ‘he was’ introduces the subject’s status before accession. The prepositional phrase b’malkho {בְמָלְכ֔וֹ | bə-mǎl-kō} ‘in his reign’ marks the beginning of his kingship. The duration is given by va-chamishim u-shtayim {וַחֲמִשִּׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם | va-ḥǎ-mish-īm u-šə-tā-yim} ‘fifty and two’, following the Hebrew tens-units ordering. The verb malakh {מָלַךְ֖ | mā-lakh} ‘he reigned’ pairs with the locative bi-Yerushalayim {בִּירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם | bi-yǔ-ru-šǎ-lā-yim} ‘in Jerusalem’ to situate his rule. The clause v’shem immo {וְשֵׁ֣ם אִמּ֔וֹ | wə-šēm im-mō} ‘and the name of his mother’ introduces maternal lineage with the proper name Yekholyahu {יְכָלְיָהוּ֖ | yĕ-ḵā-lyā-hû} ‘Jekoliah’ and its origin mi-Yerushalayim {מִירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם | mi-yǔ-ru-šǎ-lā-yim} ‘from Jerusalem’. This sequence—age, accession, reign duration with location, and parentage—follows the standard regnal summary pattern in the Deuteronomistic History, reinforcing dynastic continuity. |