| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the temporal frame ba'et hahi {בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֡וא | bā-ʿēṯ ha-hîʾ} ‘at that time,’ anchoring the episode to the preceding narrative. The main clause is driven by shalach {שָׁלַ֡ח | šālaḥ} ‘he sent,’ with an extended appositional identification of the sender (Merodach-baladan) through successive noun phrases and construct relations: ben-baladan {בֶּֽן־בַּלְאֲדָ֧ן | ben-balʾăḏān} and melech-bavel {מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֛ל | meleḵ-bāḇel}. The direct objects sefarim uminchah {סְפָרִ֥ים וּמִנְחָ֖ה | səp̄ārîm ûminḥāh} ‘letters and a gift’ present the act as official diplomacy, while el-chizkiyahu {אֶל־חִזְקִיָּ֑הוּ | ʾel-ḥizqiyyāhû} marks the recipient. A second clause, introduced by wayyiqtol vayishma {וַיִּשְׁמַ֕ע | wayyišmaʿ} ‘and he heard,’ provides motivation: kî {כִּ֥י | kî} signals the causal content, namely that Hezekiah had been sick (chalah {חָלָ֖ה | ḥālāh}) and then had become strong again (wayyeḥĕzaq {וֽ͏ַיֶּחֱזָֽק | wayyeḥĕzaq}). In English, the final verb is idiomatically represented as “recovered / regained strength” to reflect the Hebrew notion of returning to vigor rather than merely asserting abstract power. |