| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse continues a genealogical notice, syntactically dependent on the preceding report that Milcah bore sons. The repeated direct object marker et {אֶת | ʾeṯ} ‘direct object marker’ before each name marks them as objects of the earlier verb ‘bore’ while also giving each name prominence. The initial sequence ʾet-ʿûṣ bə-ḵō-rô {אֶת־ע֥וּץ בְּכֹר֖וֹ | ʾet-ʿûṣ bə-ḵō-rô} places Uz first, followed by the construct noun denoting ‘his firstborn,’ highlighting primogeniture. The phrase wə-ʾeṯ-būz ʾā-ḥîw {וְאֶת־בּ֣וּז אָחִ֑יו | wə-ʾet-būz ʾā-ḥîw} uses a construct chain to specify Buz as ‘his brother,’ maintaining relational clarity. The final segment wə-ʾeṯ-qə-mû-ʾēl ʾă-ḇî ʾă-rām {וְאֶת־קְמוּאֵ֖ל אֲבִ֥י אֲרָֽם | wə-ʾet-qə-mû-ʾēl ʾă-ḇî ʾă-rām} forms ‘Kemuel, father of Aram,’ shifting focus to the next generation while keeping the verbal idea implicit. In English, the formal version preserves a compact list, whereas the dynamic version introduces copular verbs and semicolons for narrative clarity. |