| 30. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive Hiphil imperfect vayakimu {וַיָּקִ֧ימוּ | wayyāqīmū} ‘and they set up,’ marking narrative progression. The prepositional phrase lahem {לָהֶם | lāhēm} ‘for themselves’ indicates self-directed agency. The construct phrase bene-dan {בְּנֵי־דָ֖ן | bənē-dān} ‘sons of Dan’ serves as subject, followed by the direct object marker ʾēṯ {אֶת־ | ʾēṯ} signaling the definite object happasel {הַפָּסֶל | happā-sel} ‘the idol.’ The conjunction viyonatan {וִיהוֹנָתָן | wîhōnāṯān} ‘and Jonathan’ introduces the construct chain ben-gershom {בֶּן־גֵּרְשֹׁ֨ם | ben-gēr-šōm} ‘son of Gershom’ ben-manasseh {בֶּן־מְנַ{7}שֶּׁ֜ה | ben-menăššē} ‘son of Manasseh,’ with hu {ה֣וּא | hûʾ} ‘he’ reinforcing apposition. The clause u-vanav hayu kohanim {וּבָנָיו הָי֤וּ כֹהֲנִים | ūvānāyw hāywū kōhā-nîm} ‘and his sons were priests’ pairs kōhā-nîm {כֹהֲנִים | kōhā-nîm} ‘priests’ with a perfect verb to denote their ongoing role, specified by le-shevet ha-dani {לְשֵׁ֣בֶט הַדָּנִי | lə-šē-ḇeṯ ha-dānî} ‘for the tribe of Dan.’ The temporal phrase ad-yom gelot ha-aretz {עַד־י֖וֹם גְּל֥וֹת הָאָֽרֶץ | ʿǎd-yom gĕ-lôt ha-ʾā-reṣ} ‘until the day of the land’s exile’ uses an infinitive construct to underscore the processual nature of the event. |