בְּגֹורַ֖ל נַחֲלָתָ֑ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֔ה לְתִשְׁעַ֥ת הַמַּטֹּ֖ות וַחֲצִ֥י הַמַּטֶּֽה׃
By lot was their inheritance, as YHWH commanded through Moshe, for the nine tribes and the half-tribe.
Morphology
- בְּגֹורַ֖ל (be-goral) – Root: גורל; Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “by lot”; Notes: Refers to the process of allocation by divine decision, often through casting lots.
- נַחֲלָתָ֑ם (naḥalatam) – Root: נחלה; Form: Noun, feminine singular construct with 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “their inheritance”; Notes: Refers to the land apportioned to each tribe.
- כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר (ka’asher) – Root: אשר; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “as”; Notes: Introduces a comparison or correspondence.
- צִוָּ֤ה (tsiwwah) – Root: צוה; Form: Verb, Piel perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “commanded”; Notes: Emphasizes divine instruction.
- יְהוָה֙ (YHWH) – Root: יהוה; Form: Proper noun, divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The Tetragrammaton, the covenant name of God.
- בְּיַד־ (be-yad) – Root: יד; Form: Preposition with noun, feminine singular construct; Translation: “through”; Notes: Indicates agency or means.
- מֹשֶׁ֔ה (Moshe) – Root: משה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Moshe”; Notes: The prophet and leader of Israel.
- לְתִשְׁעַ֥ת (le-tishʿat) – Root: תשע; Form: Numeral, feminine construct; Translation: “for nine”; Notes: Refers to the nine full tribes receiving an inheritance.
- הַמַּטֹּ֖ות (ha-mattot) – Root: מטה; Form: Noun, masculine plural, definite; Translation: “the tribes”; Notes: Used metaphorically for tribal divisions.
- וַחֲצִ֥י (va-ḥatsi) – Root: חצי; Form: Noun, masculine singular construct; Translation: “and half”; Notes: Indicates a portion.
- הַמַּטֶּֽה (ha-matteh) – Root: מטה; Form: Noun, masculine singular, definite; Translation: “the tribe”; Notes: Refers to the half-tribe receiving land.
Lexical Semantics and Word Study
- גורל (goral): The Hebrew term for “lot” often refers to the method of divine decision-making, as seen in dividing the land among Israel (Joshua 18:10) and determining Jonah’s fate (Jonah 1:7).
- נחלה (naḥalah): Frequently used to denote inherited land (Genesis 31:14, Numbers 18:20), but also metaphorically to describe Israel as YHWH’s inheritance (Deuteronomy 9:29).
Textual Criticism
The Masoretic Text (MT) is the primary source, with the Septuagint (LXX) rendering κληρονομία (klēronomia) for “inheritance,” emphasizing divine allocation. The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) do not provide significant variations for this verse. The Peshitta and Vulgate (1592) also align, maintaining the idea of a divinely appointed inheritance.