| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive vealah {וְעָלָ֨ה | wə-ʿā-lāh} ‘and went up’ marking sequential action in boundary narration. Gevulam {גְבוּלָ֧ם | ḡə-vū-lām} ‘their border’ in construct with a pronominal suffix serves as the subject of motion. Layyamah {לַיָּ֛מָּה | la-yā-mah} ‘to the sea’ employs the directional he to indicate westward orientation. The coordinate vav in umaralah {וּמַרְעֲלָ֖ה | ū-mar-ʿa-lā} ‘and to Maralah’ continues the geographical progression. The repeated ufaga {וּפָגַ֣ע | ū-pā-gaʿ} ‘and it reached’ signals a paratactic sequence linking successive landmarks, first with bedabbashet {בְּדַבָּ֑שֶׁת | bə-ḏab-bā-šet} ‘at Dabbesheth.’ A second ufaga leads into a relative clause with elhanakhal {אֶל־הַנַּ֔חַל | ʾel-ha-na-ḥal} ‘to the brook’, asher {אֲשֶׁ֖ר | ʾa-šer} ‘that,’ and alpenei {עַל־פְּנֵ֥י | ʿal-pə-ney} ‘before’ modifying the place name yokneam {יָקְנְעָֽם | yāq-nə-ʿām} ‘Jokneam.’ The string of prepositions and vav-consecutives is rendered in English by a mix of spatial prepositions and conjunctions to preserve the Hebrew sequence while ensuring readability. |