| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with vayhi {וַיְהִ֖י | vay·hî} ‘and it was’, the narrative vav consecutive introducing a locative report. The subject gevulam {גְּבוּלָ֑ם | gə-vū-lām} ‘their border’ is a construct noun with a pronominal suffix indicating collective possession. A series of place names—yizre’elah {יִזְרְעֶ֥אלָה | yiz-rə-ʾē-lā} ‘Jezreel’, veha•kesulot {וְהַכְּסוּלֹ֖ת | wə-ha-kə-sū-lōṯ} ‘and the Kesulloth’, veshunem {וְשׁוּנֵֽם | wə-šū-nēm} ‘and Shunem’—are listed with vav conjunctions without additional verbs, a syntactic device typical of territorial enumerations in Joshua. The nominal clause structure and pronominal suffix emphasize tribal inheritance. The formal translation retains the technical nuance of boundary, while the dynamic uses territory included to convey the inclusive allotment sense. |