| 41. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the narrative marker vayhî {וַיְהִ֖י | wayhî} ‘and it was’, a vav-consecutive Qal imperfect that introduces a summary clause. The noun gevul {גְּב֣וּל | gəvûl} ‘boundary’ heads a construct phrase with naḥalatām {נַחֲלָתָ֑ם | naḥalatām} ‘their inheritance’, marking possession and specifying the territorial allotment. This construct phrase functions as the subject of the clause. The toponyms ṣora‘āh {צָרְעָ֥ה | ṣoraʿāh}, ʾeštaʾōl {אֶשְׁתָּא֖וֹל | ʾeštaʾōl}, and ‘îr šāmeš {עִ֥יר שָֽׁמֶשׁ | ʿîr šāmeš} ‘city of Shemesh’ are then listed, each introduced by the coordinating conjunction wə- {וְ | wə-} ‘and’. Hebrew often omits a secondary verb in such nominal lists, relying on the initial vayhî for verbal sense. In English, a copular verb (“was” or “included”) is supplied to render the relationship explicit while preserving the Hebrew word order’s emphasis on named locations. |