| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the consecutive waw {וַ | wāw} ‘and’, combining with the imperfect form vayehi {וַיְהִ֨י | wa·yə·hî} to introduce a narrative statement. The prepositional expression limnasheh {לִמְנַשֶּׁ֜ה | li·mə·naš·šé} ‘to Manasseh’ marks tribal possession, followed by parallel locative phrases beyissakhar {בְּיִשָּׂשכָ֣ר | bə·yi·ssā·šə·khar} ‘in Issachar’ and uveasher {וּבְאָשֵׁ֗ר | ū·ḇə·ʾā·šēr} ‘and in Asher’. The recurring idiom uvenoteha {וּבְנוֹתֶ֔יהָ | ū·ḇə·nô·ṯe·hā} ‘and its villages’ functions as a merism for dependent settlements, while the participle yoshvei {יֹשְׁבֵ֧י | yō·šə·ḇê} ‘inhabitants of’ shifts attention to population groups. Finally, the construct sheloshet hanaphet {שְׁלֹשֶׁת הַנָּֽפֶת | šə·lō·šet han·na·phet} ‘three regions of Naphath’ links a cardinal numeral in construct with a geographical noun to summarize the enumeration as a topographical designation. |