כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֔ה כֵּ֥ן עָשׂ֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַֽיַּחְלְק֖וּ אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ פ
As YHWH commanded Moshe, so did the sons of Yisraʾel, and they divided the land.
Morphology
- כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר (ka’asher) – Root: אשר; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “As”; Notes: Introduces a comparison.
- צִוָּ֤ה (tzivvah) – Root: צוה; Form: Verb, Piel perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “commanded”; Notes: The Piel form intensifies the meaning of giving a directive.
- יְהוָה֙ (YHWH) – Root: יהוה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The Tetragrammaton referring to the God of Yisra’el.
- אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֔ה (et-Mosheh) – Root: משה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Moshe”; Notes: Direct object of the verb “commanded.”
- כֵּ֥ן (ken) – Root: כן; Form: Adverb; Translation: “so”; Notes: Indicates compliance with the preceding command.
- עָשׂ֖וּ (asu) – Root: עשה; Form: Verb, Qal perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “did”; Notes: Refers to the execution of YHWH’s command.
- בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (benei Yisra’el) – Root: ישראל; Form: Construct noun phrase; Translation: “sons of Yisra’el”; Notes: The collective nation.
- וַֽיַּחְלְק֖וּ (vayyachl’ku) – Root: חלק; Form: Verb, Piel wayyiqtol 3rd person plural; Translation: “and they divided”; Notes: The Piel form conveys distributing or apportioning.
- אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ (et-ha’aretz) – Root: ארץ; Form: Noun, feminine singular definite; Translation: “the land”; Notes: Refers to the division of the Promised Land.
Lexical Semantics and Word Study
- חלק (ḥalaq): This root carries the meaning of “to divide, apportion.” It frequently appears in contexts of land distribution (e.g., Joshua 18:10, Ezekiel 47:21).
- צוה (tzavah): The Piel stem of this verb intensifies the meaning, signifying authoritative command rather than a mere instruction (Genesis 50:16, Deuteronomy 1:16).
Textual Criticism
The Masoretic Text (MT) aligns with the Septuagint (*LXX*), which renders καθὼς ἐνετείλατο κύριος τῷ Μωυσῇ, οὕτως ἐποίησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ διεμέρισαν τὴν γῆν, maintaining the original meaning. The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) contain fragments supporting the MT reading. The Vulgate (1592) translates sicut praeceperat Dominus Moysi, ita fecerunt filii Israel et diviserunt terram, closely matching the Hebrew structure.