| 48. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew structure begins with bnei {בְּנֵי | bənê} ‘sons of’, functioning as a genealogical heading attached to the proper noun Naftali {נַפְתָּלִי | nāp-tā-lî}. The prepositional phrase lə-mishpāḥōṯām {לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם | lə-miš-pā-ḥōṯ-ām} ‘according to their clans’ clarifies the organizational unit. Each lineage then uses the pattern preposition lə {לְ | lə} ‘to’ plus the ancestor’s name (e.g., lə-yaḥ-ṣē-ʾêl {לְיַחְצְאֵל | lə-yaḥ-ṣē-ʾêl} ‘to Yachzeel’) and the construct noun miš-pā-ḥāṯ {מִשְׁפַּחַת | miš-pā-ḥāṯ} ‘clan of’ with the gentilic adjective ha-yaḥ-ṣē-ʾê-lî {הַיַּחְצְאֵלִי | ha-yaḥ-ṣē-ʾê-lî} ‘the Yachzeelite.’ This repeating formula is characteristic of Hebrew genealogical lists and emphasizes tribal identity and familial association. |