| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the prepositional phrase ve-livnei {וְלִבְנֵ֣י | wə-lî-vnê} ‘to the sons of’ followed by Gershon and the genitive mi-mishpechot ha-leviyim specifying the Gershonite Levite clans. The clause me-chatzi {מֵחֲצִ֞י | mē-ḥă-ṣî} ‘from half of’ linked to matteh menashsheh narrows the allotment to half of Manasseh’s tribe. The verb ‘assigned’ is implied from context, and the direct object et-golan ba-bashan {אֶת־גּוֹלָ֤ן בַּבָּשָׁן | ʾet-gō-lān ba-bā-šān} ‘Golan in Bashan’ marks the first location. The construct ir miklat {עִיר־מִקְלַ֣ט | ʿîr-miqlāṭ} ‘city of refuge’ highlights its juridical function, and successive wə-ʾet coordination links its pastureland and the separate allotment of Be-Esht’rah as parallel objects. The dual form arim shetayim quantifies the total as two, underscoring the precise enumeration required for Levitical distributions. |