| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with a fronted series of objects marked by repeated wə-ʾet {וְאֶת־ | wə-ʾet} ‘and (definite direct object marker)’, signaling that multiple temple features are affected before the main verb appears. The initial phrase preserves a scribal reading pair: misakh {מיסך | miśkāḵ} ‘covering’ (ketiv) alongside musakh {מוּסַךְ | mûsāḵ} ‘covered structure’ (qere), indicating an established tradition about how to read this temple installation; English renders the combined idea as a “covered way.” The relative clause ʾăšer-bānû {אֲשֶׁר־בָּנוּ | ʾăšer-bānû} ‘which they built’ attaches to the Sabbath structure and anchors it “in the house” (the temple complex). The second object, “the entrance of the king, the outer,” places haḥîṣônāh {הַחִיצוֹנָה | haḥîṣônāh} as an attributive descriptor, specifying an exterior approach. The clause culminates in the single verb hēsēḇ {הֵסֵב | hēsēḇ} ‘he diverted/rerouted’ governing both preceding objects, a common Hebrew pattern where one verb summarizes actions applied to a coordinated list. The destination phrase bêṯ Yahweh {בֵּית יְהוָה | bêṯ Yahweh} identifies the sacred locus affected, while mipnê {מִפְּנֵי | mipnê} ‘because of’ introduces the political cause, tying the rerouting to pressure associated with the Assyrian king. The translation “diverted/rerouted … away from the house” reflects the verb’s turning-aside sense and the absence of an explicit preposition, which allows the idea of redirecting traffic or access in relation to the temple precincts. |