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.