וַיְהִ֣י בִשְׁמֹונִ֣ים שָׁנָ֣ה וְאַרְבַּ֣ע מֵאֹ֣ות שָׁנָ֡ה לְצֵ֣את בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל מֵאֶֽרֶץ־מִצְרַיִם֩ בַּשָּׁנָ֨ה הָרְבִיעִ֜ית בְּחֹ֣דֶשׁ זִ֗ו ה֚וּא הַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י לִמְלֹ֥ךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּ֥בֶן הַבַּ֖יִת לַיהוָֽה׃
And it came to be, in the four hundred and eightieth year after the going out of the sons of Yisra’el from the land of Mitsrayim, in the fourth year in the month Ziv—it is the second month—of the reign of Shelomo over Yisra’el, he built the house for YHWH.
Explanation of Feature
This verse from 1 Kings 6:1 showcases the use of temporal clauses and construct state in expressing historical and calendrical dating. Biblical Hebrew has no dedicated word for “year X of the reign,” so it relies on construct chains and noun modifiers for time references.
The phrase בִּשְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאֹות שָׁנָה (“in eighty years and four hundred years”) uses a compound numeral structure, where numbers appear in reverse order from English, followed by שָׁנָה (year) in its singular or plural construct form.
Examples from 1 Kings 6:1
| Phrase | Structure | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| בִשְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאֹות שָׁנָה | Preposition + number + construct noun | “in 480 years” – a temporal expression of duration |
| לְצֵאת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם | Infinitive construct + construct chain | “from the going out of the sons of Yisra’el from the land of Mitsrayim” – time measured from the Exodus |
| בַּשָּׁנָה הָרְבִיעִית | Definite article + ordinal number | “in the fourth year” of Shelomoh’s reign |
| בְּחֹדֶשׁ זִו | Construct state noun + proper noun | “in the month Ziv” – Ziv is an old name for the second month |
Related Grammatical Insight
– Biblical Hebrew expresses dates and regnal years with construct chains:
שְׁנַת אַרְבַּע לְמֶלֶךְ – “the fourth year of the king”
– Ordinal numbers are used with definite articles for known reference points:
הַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי – “the second month”
– The verb וַיְהִי (and it came to be) introduces the narrative framework, often used to begin dated historical events, which then continue with wayyiqtol verbs like וַיִּבֶן (“and he built”).
This verse provides one of the most detailed chronological markers in the Tanakh, anchoring Solomon’s temple construction to both the Exodus and his own reign.
