לִלְבוֹנָֽה׃

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לִלְבוֹנָֽה׃

   lil-le-vo-NA

   of Lebonah
2. clause🔊 וּמִנֶּ֖גֶב לִלְבוֹנָֽה׃

   u-min-NE-gev lil-le-vo-NA

   and from the south of Lebonah
3. sentence🔊 וַיֹּאמְר֡וּ הִנֵּה֩ חַג־יְהוָ֨ה בְּשִׁל֜וֹ מִיָּמִ֣ים יָמִ֗ימָה אֲשֶׁ֞ר מִצְּפ֤וֹנָה לְבֵֽית־אֵל֙ מִזְרְחָ֣ה הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ לִ֨מְסִלָּ֔ה הָעֹלָ֥ה מִבֵּֽית־אֵ֖ל שְׁכֶ֑מָה וּמִנֶּ֖גֶב לִלְבוֹנָֽה׃

   va-yo-ME-ru hi-NE khag-ye-ho-VAH be-shi-LO mi-ya-MIM ya-mi-MA a-SHER mits-tse-fo-NA le-VET-EL miz-re-KHA ha-SHE-mesh lim-si-LA ha-o-LA mib-BET-EL she-KHE-ma u-min-NE-gev lil-le-vo-NA

   and they said behold a feast of the LORD in Shiloh from days yearly which northward of Bethel eastward of the sun to the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem and from the south of Lebonah

Exegesis

A chain of locative expressions deploys directional nouns to frame Shiloh’s location with precision: miṣpōnāh lə-ḇēṯ-’ēl {מִצְּפ֤וֹנָה לְבֵֽית־אֵל | miṣpōnāh lə-ḇēṯ-’ēl} ‘northward to Bethel,’ mizraḥāh ha-šēmēš lim-ṣillāh {מִזְרְחָ֣ה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לִמשֶלָּה | mizraḥāh ha-šēmēš li-mə-ṣillāh} ‘eastward of the sun to the road,’ and ha-’ôlâh min-ḇēṯ-’ēl šeḵemāh ū-min-negev li-levōnāh {הָעֹלָה מִבֵּֽית־אֵל שְׁכֶמָה וּמִנֶּגֶב לִלְבוֹנָֽה | hā-’ôlâh min-ḇēṯ-’ēl šeḵemāh ū-min-negev li-levōnāh} ‘the road ascending from Bethel to Shechem and from the south to Lebonah.’ By placing these locatives after the festival announcement, Hebrew creates a layered geographic envelope that defines the sacred site.