| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with two fronted prepositional phrases, lahem {לָהֶם | lāhem} “to them” and levadam {לְבַדָּם | ləḇaddām} “by themselves,” creating a strong exclusivity focus before the verbal core. The passive verb nittnah {נִתְּנָה | nittənāh} “was given” places emphasis on the bestowal of possession rather than on the giver, while haaretz {הָאָ֑רֶץ | hāʾāreṣ} “the land” functions as the grammatical subject following the verb, a common Hebrew arrangement that keeps the act of granting prominent. The second clause is coordinated with velo-avar {וְלֹא־עָ֖בַר | wə-lō-ʿāḇar} “and did not pass through,” a negated perfect describing a settled condition of non-incursion, with zar {זָ֣ר | zār} “foreigner” as subject. The closing locator betokham {בְּתוֹכָֽם | bəṯôḵām} “in their midst” tightens the denial to internal social space, reinforcing the picture of an allotted land kept free from outsiders. English typically moves the exclusivity (“alone”) closer to the subject for clarity, while preserving the Hebrew emphasis by maintaining the paired ideas: exclusive grant and complete absence of foreign passage. |