"And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem." — The *reign formula*—*teshubat yamey David asher malakh... harbaim shanah* (David reigned forty years total)—provides the chronological frame. The *seven years in Hebron* (before capturing Jerusalem) and *thirty-three years in Jerusalem* total *forty years*, the traditional length of a generation. The division of David's reign mirrors the division of Israel's wilderness wandering (forty years), suggesting a parallel pattern of trial and establishment. The *forty-year reign* has eschatological resonance—it represents a complete generation, a full epoch of divine providence.

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