| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with ve’eleh {וְאֵלֶּה | wə-ʾêl-leh} ‘and these’, presenting a formal listing. It uses the relative clause asher-nachalu {אֲשֶׁר־נָחֲלוּ | ă-šer nā-ḥă-lû} ‘which they inherited’ in Qal perfect to denote covenant possession, followed by asher-nichalu {אֲשֶׁר נִחֲלוּ | ă-šer ni-ḥă-lû} ‘which they were allotted’ in Niphal perfect to indicate formal distribution. The coordinated authority of Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and verashei avot hamattot {וְרָאשֵׁי אֲבוֹת הַמַּטּוֹת | wə-rā-šê ă-vōṯ ha-mat-tôṯ} ‘the heads of the fathers of the tribes’ underscores a combined priestly and tribal leadership in establishing territorial boundaries. The final dative phrase libnei Yisrael {לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל | li-və-nê yis-rā-ʾēl} ‘for the sons of Israel’ specifies the beneficiaries of this allotment. |