| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the construct prepositional phrase livnei {לִבְנֵ֖י | lĭv-nē} ‘to the sons of’, specifying group origin. It is followed by the proper noun Merari {מְרָרִ֑י | mə-rā-rî}, marking the Levitical clan. The personal name Asaiah {עֲשָׂיָ֣ה | ʿă-sā-yā̆h} appears in apposition, further designated by the title hassar {הַשָּׂ֔ר | ḥass-ār} ‘the leader’. The conjunction we-echav {וְאֶחָ֖יו | we-’eḥāv} ‘and his brothers’ extends inclusion to his male kin. Finally, the numerals maatayim {מָאתַ֥יִם | māʾă-tāyim} + we-esrim {וְעֶשְׂרִֽים | we-’ĕs-rīm} employ Hebrew’s additive numeral construction to yield 220. The absence of an explicit verb conveys a register of enumeration typical for Levitical listings. |