| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew phrase bishnat kha-miš-šîm šanāh is a construct chain where the preposition בְּ- attaches to the construct noun שְׁנַת (“year of”), followed by the cardinal number חֲמִשִּׁים (“fifty”) and the absolute noun שָׁנָה (“year”), establishing a specific chronological marker. The preposition לְ in laʿăzaryāh marks a genitive “of Azariah,” with mêlēkh yə-hu-dāh functioning as a title “king of Judah.” The verb mālāk (“he reigned”) introduces the accession narrative, followed by the patronymic pə-qaḥ-yāh ben-mə-nā-ḥêm. The preposition ʿal indicates rulership over yi-śrā-ʾēl (“Israel”), and the prefixed ב in bə-šô-mer-ôn forms a locative “in Samaria.” Finally, the dual noun šə-nā-tāyim conveys a duration of two years. English SVO order separates the temporal setting from the verb for clarity while retaining Hebrew emphasis on the chronological formula. |