| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive verb vayetze {וַיֵּצֵ֨א | way-yē-ṣēʾ} creating narrative continuity. The noun ha-goral {הַגּוֹרָ֜ל | ha-gō·rāl} functions as subject, indicating the boundary allocation. The prepositional phrase li-vnei Yosef {לִבְנֵ֤י יוֹסֵף | li·vnē Yō·sēp̄} marks the recipients. A series of locational phrases—mi-Yarden Yericho {מִיַּרְדֵּ֣ן יְרִיח֔וֹ | min·Yār·dēn Yə·rī·ḥō}, lə-mē Yericho {לְמֵ֥י יְרִיח֖וֹ | lə·mē Yə·rī·ḥō}, mizrachah {מִזְרָ֑חָה | miz·rā·ḥā}, and ha-midbar ʿōlē {הַמִּדְבָּ֗ר עֹלֶ֧ה | ha·mid·bār ʿō·lē}—outline the route. The final clause min-Yericho ba-har Beit-El {מִירִיח֛וֹ בָּהָ֖ר בֵּֽית־אֵֽל | min·Yə·rī·ḥō bā·hār bēt·ʾēl} ‘from Jericho in the hill country to Bethel’ completes the boundary description. The phrase “going up” conveys the ascent from Jericho toward Bethel. |