| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive imperfect vayehi {וַיְהִ֥י | va-ye-hî} ‘and it was’, signaling a summary statement. The phrase lahem benachalatam {לָהֶם בְּנַֽחֲלָתָ֑ם | lā-hem bə-ṇa-ḥa-lā-ṯām} functions as a locative genitive specifying the tribal allotment. The narrative then coordinates three toponyms with vav: be’er-sheva {בְּאֵֽר־שֶׁ֥בַע | be-ʾêr-še-vāʿ} ‘Beersheba’, sheva {שֶׁבַע | šé-vāʿ} ‘Sheba’, and moladah {מוֹלָדָֽה | mō-lā-dāh} ‘Moladah’. The maqqef linking “be’er” and “sheva” underscores their construct relationship “well of seven.” This structure—preface, locative phrase, and a tricolon of cities—emphasizes the delineation of the inheritance sites. In English, maintaining the prepositional nuance and list sequence preserves the Hebrew’s rhetorical order. |