כִּֽי־הָי֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יֹוסֵ֛ף שְׁנֵ֥י מַטֹּ֖ות מְנַשֶּׁ֣ה וְאֶפְרָ֑יִם וְלֹֽא־נָתְנוּ֩ חֵ֨לֶק לַלְוִיִּ֜ם בָּאָ֗רֶץ כִּ֤י אִם־עָרִים֙ לָשֶׁ֔בֶת וּמִ֨גְרְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם לְמִקְנֵיהֶ֖ם וּלְקִנְיָנָֽם׃
For the sons of Yosef were two tribes, Menashshe and Efrayim, and they did not give a portion to the Levi’im in the land, except cities to dwell in, and their pasturelands for their livestock and for their possessions.
Morphology
- כִּֽי־ (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces an explanation.
- הָי֧וּ (hayu) – Root: היה; Form: Verb, Qal perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “were”; Notes: Denotes completed action in past tense.
- בְנֵֽי־יֹוסֵ֛ף (benei-Yosef) – Root: יוסף; Form: Construct noun phrase; Translation: “sons of Yosef”; Notes: Indicates tribal affiliation.
- שְׁנֵ֥י (shenei) – Root: שנים; Form: Numeral, masculine dual construct; Translation: “two”; Notes: Dual form emphasizes division into two tribes.
- מַטֹּ֖ות (mattot) – Root: מטה; Form: Noun, masculine plural, absolute; Translation: “tribes”; Notes: Refers to Israelite tribal divisions.
- מְנַשֶּׁ֣ה (Menasheh) – Root: מנשה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Menasheh”; Notes: One of Yosef’s sons.
- וְאֶפְרָ֑יִם (ve-Ephrayim) – Root: אפרים; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Ephrayim”; Notes: The other son of Yosef.
- וְלֹֽא־נָתְנוּ֩ (ve-lo-natnu) – Root: נתן; Form: Negative particle + Qal perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “and they did not give”; Notes: The negation highlights the lack of land inheritance for the Levi’im.
- חֵ֨לֶק (ḥeleq) – Root: חלק; Form: Noun, masculine singular absolute; Translation: “portion”; Notes: Used for land allotments.
- לַלְוִיִּ֜ם (la-Levi’im) – Root: לוי; Form: Noun, masculine plural, definite; Translation: “to the Levi’im”; Notes: Refers to the priestly tribe.
- בָּאָ֗רֶץ (ba-aretz) – Root: ארץ; Form: Noun, feminine singular, definite; Translation: “in the land”; Notes: Refers to the Promised Land.
- כִּ֤י אִם־ (ki im) – Root: כי אם; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “except”; Notes: Introduces an exception.
- עָרִים֙ (arim) – Root: עיר; Form: Noun, feminine plural, absolute; Translation: “cities”; Notes: Designated for the Levites.
- לָשֶׁ֔בֶת (lashevet) – Root: ישב; Form: Infinitive construct; Translation: “to dwell”; Notes: Indicates purpose.
- וּמִ֨גְרְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם (u-migr’sheihem) – Root: מגרש; Form: Noun, masculine plural construct with 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “and their pasturelands”; Notes: Refers to land around the cities.
- לְמִקְנֵיהֶ֖ם (le-mikneihem) – Root: מקנה; Form: Noun, masculine singular construct with 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “for their livestock”; Notes: Indicates the use of the pasturelands.
- וּלְקִנְיָנָֽם (u-le-kinyanam) – Root: קנין; Form: Noun, masculine singular construct with 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “and for their possessions”; Notes: Refers to material wealth.
Lexical Semantics and Word Study
- חלק (ḥeleq): Meaning “portion,” often referring to land inheritance (Genesis 14:24, Deuteronomy 18:1).
- מגרש (migrash): This term refers to open land surrounding cities, designated for agriculture or livestock (Numbers 35:2-3).
Textual Criticism
The Masoretic Text (MT) is consistent with the Septuagint (LXX), which renders πόλεις κατοικεῖν (“cities to dwell in”) for the Levites. The Samaritan Pentateuch agrees with the MT. The Vulgate (1592) uses *civitates ad habitandum*, mirroring the Hebrew closely. The Dead Sea Scrolls do not present notable variations in this passage.