| 33. Linguistic Exegesis The verse uses the vav consecutive marker vayehi {וַיְהִ֣י | wə-yĕ-hî} to sequence geographical statements. The construct gevu-lam {גְבוּלָ֗ם | gə-vū-lām} ‘their border’ with a pronominal suffix indicates possession. A chain of prepositional phrases—me-chelef {מֵחֵלֶף | mē-ḥê-lep}, me-’ê-lôn {מֵאֵל֜וֹן | mē-’ê-lôn}, bə-ṣa‘a-năn-nîm {בְּצַעֲנַנִּ֗ים | bə-ṣa‘a-năn-nîm}, ʿad-laqqūm {עַד־לַקּ֑וּם | ʿaḏ-laqqūm}—maps out a linear progression. The proper names Adami {אֲדָמִי | ʾă-dā-mî}, Ha-Neqev {הַנֶּ֛קֶב | han-nĕ-qev}, and Yavne'el {וְיַבְנְאֵ֖ל | wə-yăv-nə-’êl} function as boundary markers. The second vav consecutive introduces tote’otav {תֹצְאֹתָ֖יו | tō-ṣā-’ō-ṯāw} ‘its goings out,’ culminating at ha-Yarden {הַיַּרְדֵּֽן | ha-yăr-dēn}, which denotes the border’s endpoint. |