| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conjunctive noun ū-gĕvûl {וּגְב֣וּל | ū-gĕvûl} ‘and boundary’ introducing a territorial limit. This is followed by yām {יָ֔ם | yām} and ha-yāmāh {הַיָּ֥מָּה | ha-yāmāh} modified by ha-gāḏōl {הַגָּד֖וֹל | ha-gāḏōל} to form “the Great Sea,” a common designation of the Mediterranean. The conjunction ū-gĕvûl {וּגְב֑וּל | ū-gĕvûl} reappears to stress the demarcation, with the demonstrative zeh {זֶ֠ה | zeh} ‘this’ specifying the subsequent gĕvûl {גְּב֧וּל | gĕvûl} as the precise boundary. The construct phrase bənê-yəhûdāh {בְּנֵֽי־יְהוּדָ֛ה | bənê-yəhûdāh} ‘sons of Judah’ identifies the tribal group, while săvîv {סָבִ֖יב | săvîv} ‘all around’ underscores the encircling nature of the border. Finally, the phrase lə-mišpāḥōṯām {לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָֽם | lə-mišpāḥōṯām} ‘according to their clans’ indicates subdivision by family. The repetition of ū-gĕvûl and the construct chain reflect Hebrew’s legal syntax for inheritance boundaries, which the English renders by grouping the boundary terms into a coherent list of perimeters. |