וַיִּקָּהֲל֧וּ אֶל־הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ כׇּל־אִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בֶּחָ֑ג ה֖וּא הַחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִעִֽי׃
The entire body of Israel* assembled before the king at the Feast [of Booths], in the seventh month.
*entire body of Israel I.e., the elders of vv. 2 and 4, representing the nation.
(The above rendering comes from the RJPS translation, an adaptation of the NJPS translation. Before accounting for this rendering, I will analyze the plain sense of the Hebrew term אִישׁ, by employing a situation-oriented construal as outlined in this introduction, pp. 11–16.)
On the meaning of the definite noun phrase כֹּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל here, see my comment at Deut 29:9.
- Like there, in the context of covenant ratification, this expression situates the people Israel in its covenant with God.
- Like there, this instance also includes a linguistic device that expresses the representation of the people by their leadership: כֹּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל functions as a metonym. It collectively denote the Israelite leadership (namely, the “elders” mentioned in vv. 2 and 4) in terms of that representation.
As for the translation, the NJPS “All the men of Israel” is unlikely, as explained at Deut 29:9. The revised rendering reflects a situating approach, expressed in English idiom.