| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse consists of two parallel locative clauses introduced by the conjunction u-g'vul {וּגְב֥וּל | ūgəbûl} ‘and boundary’. In the first clause the adverb kedmah {קֵ֙דְמָה֙ | kēdmāh} ‘eastward’ governs the noun phrase yam ha-melach {יָ֣ם הַמֶּ֔לַח | yām ham-mēlaḥ} ‘the Salt Sea’, followed by the prepositional phrase ad-k'tze {עַד־קְצֵ֖ה | ad-qṣēh} ‘up to edge’ and the place name ha-yarden {הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן | hay-yardēn} ‘the Jordan’. The second clause mirrors this structure with the phrase lif'at tsfonah {לִפְאַ֤ת צָפ֙וֹנָה֙ | lifʾāṯ ṣāpōnāh} ‘to the side of the north’, the origin expression mil'shon ha-yam {מִלְּשׁ֣וֹן הַיָּ֔ם | milšôn hay-yām} ‘from the tongue of the sea’, and concludes with mi-k'tze ha-yarden {מִקְצֵ֖ה הַיַּרְדֵּֽן | miqqṣēh hay-yardēn} ‘from the edge of the Jordan’. This additive, vav-conjoined parallelism delineates tribal inheritance by cardinal directions and natural landmarks. |