| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav consecutivum on the Piel imperfect verb yaqdîšû {וַיַּקְדִּ֜שׁוּ | vāyyaqdîšû} ‘and they consecrated,’ establishing a sequence of sacred designations. The particle et {אֶת־ | ʾeṯ} marks each city as a direct object in a rhythmic triadic parallel. Each location uses the prepositional idioms ba-galil {בַּגָּלִיל֙ | băgālîl} ‘in Galilee’ and be-har {בְּהַ֣ר | bə-hār} ‘in the hill country’ paired with tribal names in construct (Naphtali, Ephraim, Judah). The appositional construction qiryat arba hi chevron {קִרְיַת אַרְבַּע הִ֥יא חֶבְרוֹן | qiryāṯ ʾarbaʿ hīʾ ḥeḇrôn} employs a demonstrative pronoun and nominal copula to clarify that Kiriath Arba is Hebron, a feature rendered with parenthetical phrasing to maintain the Hebrew apposition. This structure underscores the formal allocation of each city of refuge within its tribal territory. |