| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive imperfect verb vayitten {וַיִּתֵּ֣ן | way-yiṭṭēn} ‘and he gave’, marking sequential narrative action. The phrase lahem avivhem {לָהֶ֣ם אֲבִיהֶם | lāhem ʾăḇîhem} identifies recipients and subject. The noun phrase matanot rabbot {מַתָּנ֨וֹת רַבּ֜וֹת | maṯṭānôt rabbôṯ} ‘many gifts’ is expanded by the distributive series lekesef ulezahav ulemigdannot {לְכֶסֶף וּלְזָהָב וּלְמִגְדָּנוֹת | ləḵeseph ûləzāhāḇ ûləmiġdānōṯ} ‘for silver, for gold, and for valuables’. The prepositional clause imarei metzurot biyhudah {עִם־עָרֵי מְצֻרוֹת בִּיהוּדָה | ʿimʿārê məṣūrōṯ biyhūdā} ‘with fortified cities in Judah’ further qualifies the distribution. A second verb natan {נָתַ֥ן | nāṭān} follows the connector veet hammamlakah {וְאֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה | wəʾeṯ hammamlākāh} indicating the singular conveyance of the kingdom. The causal conjunction kihu {כִּי־ה֥וּא | kîhû} ‘because’ introduces the motive clause habbekhor {הַבְּכֽוֹר | habbekhōr} ‘he was the firstborn’, grounding Jehoram’s exclusive claim. English retains the Hebrew sequential, distributive, and causal structures for clarity. |