| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The clause vayiven {וַיִּ֛בֶן | wayyiben} ‘and he built’ employs the narrative vav consecutive prefixing a Qal imperfect third person masculine singular to introduce the action. The actor Uriyah ha-kohen {אוּרִיָּה הַכֹּהֵן | Ūriyyāḥ hak-kōhēn} ‘Uriah the priest’ functions as subject, and et-hammizbeach {אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ | ʾet-hammizbēaḥ} ‘the altar’ appears as the definite patient. The prepositional phrase kekhol asher-shalach hamméleḵ-ʾĀḥāz middammāśeq {כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַח הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ־אָחָ֜ז מִדַּמֶּ֗שֶׂק | kekōl ʾăšer-šālāḥ hamméleḵ-ʾĀḥāz middammāśeq} ‘according to all that King Ahaz sent from Damascus’ modifies the manner of the building. The conjunction ken {כֵּ֤ן | kēn} ‘thus’ introduces a resumptive clause with asah {עָשָׂה֙ | ‘āśāh} ‘he did,’ resonating with the first verb. The temporal ʿad-bōʾ hamméleḵ-ʾĀḥāz middammāśeq {עַד־בּוֹא הַמֶּֽלֶךְ־אָחָ֖ז מִדַּמָּֽשֶׂק | ʿad-bōʾ hamméleḵ-ʾĀḥāz middammāśeq} ‘until the coming of King Ahaz from Damascus’ sets a boundary that the work was completed before the king’s arrival. The repetition of subject and verb highlights Uriah’s faithful adherence to royal instruction over the designated period. |