| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative relies on a chain of vav consecutive verbs characteristic of Hebrew narrative, seen in vayippen {וַיִּ֣פֶן | vayippen} ‘and he turned’ and vayetammehu {וַֽיְטַמְּאֵ֑הוּ | vayetammehu} ‘and he defiled it’. The direct object marker et {אֶת | et} introduces et-ha-kkevarim {אֶת־הַקְּבָרִים | ’et-hakkəvārîm} ‘the tombs’ and et-ha-‘atzamot {אֶת־הָֽעֲצָמוֹת֙ | ’et-hā‘atzāmôt} ‘the bones’, specifying the items acted upon. The prepositional phrase kidebar {כִּדְבַר | kidebar} ‘according to the word of’ links Josiah’s actions to divine instruction. The relative pronoun asher {אֲשֶׁר | asher} ‘that’ introduces the prophetic authority of ish ha’elohim {אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים | ish ha’elohim} ‘man of God’, integrating fulfilled prophecy into the king’s reform. |