| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew construct ben-shemoneh shanah Yoshiyahu bemalko {בֶּן־שְׁמֹנֶ֤ה שָׁנָה֙ יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ בְמָלְכ֔וֹ | bĕn-šəmōnê šānāh Yōšîyāhû bəmālĕkô} ‘son of eight years, Josiah, in his reign’ expresses accession age via the chain ben + numeral + shanah. The additive usheloshim veachat {וּשְׁלֹשִׁים וְאַחַת֙ | ūšəlōšîm wəʾăḥaṯ} ‘thirty-one’ yields the regnal total, followed by malakh {מָלַךְ | mālaḵ} ‘he reigned.’ The phrase biryushalayim {בִּירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם | bīryūšālayīm} ‘in Jerusalem’ marks the regnal location. The clause veshem immo yedidah bat-adayah mibotsqath {וְשֵׁ֣ם אִמּ֔וֹ יְדִידָ֥ה בַת־עֲדָיָה מִבָּצְקַֽת | wəšēm ʾimmô yəḏīdāh baṯ-ʿădāyāh mibbōṣqāṯ} ‘and his mother’s name Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah, from Bozkath’ uses veshem to introduce maternal lineage. English subordinate clauses and cardinal numerals maintain Hebrew emphasis on age and duration. |