וַיְהִ֗י גְּבוּל֙ בְּנֵ֣י רְאוּבֵ֔ן הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן וּגְב֑וּל זֹ֣את נַחֲלַ֤ת בְּנֵֽי־רְאוּבֵן֙ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֔ם הֶעָרִ֖ים וְחַצְרֵיהֶֽן׃ פ
And the border of the sons of Reʾuven was the Yarden and its boundary. This is the inheritance of the sons of Reʾuven according to their families—the cities and their villages.
Morphology
- וַיְהִ֗י (vayehi) – Root: היה (h-y-h); Form: Verb, Qal wayyiqtol (preterite) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And it was”; Notes: Introduces the statement of boundary description.
- גְּבוּל֙ (gevul) – Root: גבול (g-v-l); Form: Noun, masculine singular absolute; Translation: “border”; Notes: Refers to the territorial boundary.
- בְּנֵ֣י (bene) – Root: בן (b-n); Form: Noun, masculine plural construct; Translation: “sons of”; Notes: Shows possession.
- רְאוּבֵ֔ן (Reʾuven) – Root: ראובן (r-ʾ-v-n); Form: Proper noun, singular; Translation: “Reʾuven”; Notes: Refers to the tribe of Reʾuven.
- הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן (ha-Yarden) – Root: ירדן (y-r-d-n); Form: Proper noun with definite article; Translation: “the Yarden”; Notes: Refers to the Jordan River.
- וּגְב֑וּל (u-gevul) – Root: גבול (g-v-l); Form: Noun, masculine singular absolute with conjunction; Translation: “and boundary”; Notes: Further describes the border.
- זֹ֣את (zot) – Root: זה (z-h); Form: Demonstrative pronoun, feminine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the inheritance.
- נַחֲלַ֤ת (naḥalat) – Root: נחלה (n-ḥ-l); Form: Noun, feminine singular construct; Translation: “inheritance of”; Notes: Indicates an allotted portion of land.
- בְּנֵֽי־רְאוּבֵן֙ (bene-Reʾuven) – Root: בן (b-n) + ראובן (r-ʾ-v-n); Form: Noun, masculine plural construct + proper noun; Translation: “the sons of Reʾuven”; Notes: Specifies the inheriting tribe.
- לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֔ם (le-mishpeḥotam) – Root: משפחה (m-sh-p-ḥ); Form: Noun, feminine plural construct with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “according to their families”; Notes: Refers to the division among clan groups.
- הֶעָרִ֖ים (he-ʿarim) – Root: עיר (ʿ-y-r); Form: Noun, feminine plural definite; Translation: “the cities”; Notes: Cities included in Reʾuven’s inheritance.
- וְחַצְרֵיהֶֽן (ve-ḥatsreihen) – Root: חצר (ḥ-tz-r); Form: Noun, masculine plural construct with 3rd person feminine plural suffix; Translation: “and their villages”; Notes: Refers to the surrounding settlements.
Syntax Analysis
The subject is “the border of the sons of Reʾuven,” and the verb וַיְהִי introduces a narrative statement. The clause “this is the inheritance of the sons of Reʾuven” functions as an appositional explanation of the land division. The phrase “according to their families” further qualifies the recipients.
Grammatical Analysis
The phrase וַיְהִ֗י גְּבוּל֙ functions as a standard biblical introduction for territorial descriptions. The demonstrative זֹ֣את agrees with the feminine noun נַחֲלַ֤ת, while the phrase לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֔ם is a prepositional phrase modifying the inheritance.
Lexical Semantics
- נַחֲלָה (naḥalah) – “inheritance”: Refers to land divisions allocated by divine decree (cf. Numbers 34:13-15).
- חָצֵר (ḥatzer) – “village”: Smaller settlements surrounding cities.
Word Study
- Reʾuven (רְאוּבֵ֔ן): The firstborn son of Yaʿaqov, whose tribe settled east of the Yarden (Genesis 49:3-4).
- Yarden (יַרְדֵּ֖ן): The Jordan River, a key boundary marker in Israel’s territorial divisions.