| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The construct chain libnei {לִבְנֵי | liḇnē} ‘to the sons of’ heads the clause by linking to Elitsaphan {אֱלִיצָפָ֑ן | ʾĕlîṣāp̄ān} in a genitival relationship indicating clan membership. Shemaiah {שְׁמַעְיָ֥ה | šəmáʿyā(h)} immediately precedes the epithet ha-sar {הַשָּׂ֖ר | ha-śār} ‘the chief’, forming a nominal appositive that designates his leadership role. The conjunction ve-echav {וְאֶחָ֥יו | wə-ʾeḥāv} ‘and his brothers’ coordinates his kin group, where the pronominal suffix on echav extends the reference beyond literal siblings. Finally, the dual numeral maatayim {מָאתָֽיִם | mātāyim} ‘two hundred’ completes the enumeration. This order—designation, name, title, kin, numeral—reflects the typical Hebrew genealogical listing pattern that foregrounds identity before quantity. |