| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs a distributive listing pattern marked by the preposition lə- in lematteh {לְמַטֵּה | lə·mattēh} ‘for the tribe’, framing each element. It names yosef {יוֹסֵף | yō·seph} ‘Joseph’ first, then repeats lematteh {לְמַטֵּה | lə·mattēh} before menasheh {מְנַשֶּׁה | men·nā·šēh} ‘Manasseh’, reflecting hierarchical ordering from tribe to sub-tribe. The construct chain ben-susi {בֶּן־סוּסִי | ben·sû·sî} ‘son of Susi’ attaches gaddi {גַּדִּי | gad·dî} ‘Gaddi’ to his genealogy. Hebrew syntax places the broader tribal category before the specific individual, emphasizing collective identity prior to personal lineage. English preserves this sequence through “From the tribe of… son of…,” where “From” mirrors the prepositional lə- and “son of” conveys the construct relationship. |