| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with zot {זֹאת | zōṯ} ‘this’, introducing a summary formula. Nachalat {נַחֲלַת | na-ḥă-lāṯ} ‘inheritance’ enters a construct relationship with matteh {מַטֵּה | ma-ṭê-h} ‘tribe’, which in turn links to bnei {בְנֵי | bə-nē} ‘sons’. The construct phrase bnei Yehudah {בְנֵי־יְהוּדָה | bə-nē Yə-hū-dāh} ‘sons of Judah’ designates the beneficiary group. The preposition le- plus mishpechotam {לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם | lə-miš-pə-ḥō-ṯām} ‘according to their clans’ specifies the internal distribution formula. Hebrew’s chain of construct forms yields a concise legal summary that English renders with prepositional phrases to clarify hierarchical relationships. |