| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive imperfect vayihiyu {וַיְהִ֖יוּ | vāyyihyû} ‘and they were’, signaling narrative sequence. This is followed by the construct chain bnei-perez {בְּנֵ֣י־פֶ֑רֶץ | bənê-pə-reṣ} ‘sons of Perez’, establishing the tribal progenitor. Two parallel clauses introduce subtribes by the preposition le {לְ | lə} ‘to’ before hetsron {חֶצְרֹ֕ן | ḥeṣrôn} and hamul {חָמוּל | ḥāmûl}, each linked to mishpakhath {מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת־ | mišpakhath} ‘clan of’ with gentilic adjectives hetsroni {חֶצְרוֹנִ֑י | ḥeṣrônî} and hamuli {הֶחָמוּלִֽי | hāmûlî}. The balanced construct structure highlights equal status of the two subtribes. In English, the narrative marker is rendered in past tense, and Hebrew construct chains are conveyed through of-phrases and prepositional phrases to preserve genealogical relationships. |