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וַֽיְחִי־תֶ֖רַח שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֙וֹלֶד֙ אֶת־אַבְרָ֔ם אֶת־נָח֖וֹר וְאֶת־הָרָֽן׃ 27 וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת תֶּ֔רַח תֶּ֚רַח הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־אַבְרָ֔ם אֶת־נָח֖וֹר וְאֶת־הָרָ֑ן וְהָרָ֖ן הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־לֽוֹט׃

Vocabulary

Verse 26

            היה  verb (Qal waw-consecutive imperfect 3ms): “to be”

            תרח  name: “Terah”

            ילד  verb (Hiphil): “beget, father, have children”

            אברם  name: “Abram”

            נחור  name: “Nahor”

            הרן  name: “Haran”

Verse 27

            תולדות  noun: “generations” (BDB, 410)

            לוט  name: “Lot”

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 26

• Sentence Typology is a type of sentence diagramming that denotes the clause constituents (e.g. Subject [S], Subject Compliment [SC], Predicate Nominative [P], Object [O], Verb [V], Indirect Object [IO], Modifier [M], etc.) of the matrix sentence.  As in English, Biblical Hebrew contains several static sentence typologies from which modification may occur.  Learning to identify the basic constituents and how they typically are arraigned will lead to a better reading knowledge of BH. 
• Sentence Typology 1 (וַֽיְחִי־תֶ֖רַח שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה): V-S-SC.
• The word היה is one of the most common verbs in BH (second only to אָמַר “to say”).  The addition of the waw causes retraction of stress and loss of the final root [R3] letter ה (called apocopation).  The doubling of yod is dropped because of the shewa (BHRG 8.2.5).
• The waw-consecutive imperfect (or wayyiqtol) construction functions both as the aspectual equivalent of the perfect and as a continuer of narrative, progression, or succession (BHRG, 21.2; GKC, 111; Joüon, 118).
• The plural form of שֶׁבַע “seven” is שִׁבְעִים “seventy.”
• A number is a substantive that may be connected to a noun in three ways: (1) in construct before the noun, (2) in absolute before the noun, or (3) after the noun in the absolute state (GKC, 134a).  This verse is an example of the second case.
• Sentence Typology 2 (וַיּ֙וֹלֶד֙ אֶת־אַבְרָ֔ם אֶת־נָח֖וֹר וְאֶת־הָרָֽן): V-O
• The implied subject, תרח, continues from the first clause.
• The most common Hebrew morpheme/word is וְ waw (more than fifty thousand occurrences).  Although waw can function in many different capacities within and without the clause, the most basic understanding is that it connects two equal components (e.g. a noun to a noun, a verbal clause to a verbal clause, or a paragraph to a paragraph).  The initial waw of וַיּ֙וֹלֶד֙ joins the first clause to the second.
• Verbs with the first root radical [R1] of yod fall into two categories—original R1 waw and R1 yod verbs.  With the addition of a preformative, the original waw reappears, hence יודל (GKC, 69).
• The particle, אֵת, marks the definite direct object in the clause.  When it is attached to the following word with a maqqep (־), the vowel shorts to a seghol, אֶת־ [Note: In 8% of the occurrences, אֵת functions as a preposition, “with, beside;” it is distinguishable in form only with suffixes].
• The conjunction of three or more items may be indicated in several ways: (1) waw between each word, (2) waw between sets of two words, or (3) waw connecting on the last element.  The last of these conjunctive forms is used to link together the complex object of this clause.

Verse 27

• Sentence Typology 1 (וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת תֶּ֔רַח): S-P
• A verbless clause is a clause that does not have an explicit verb.  The verb, היה, is implied.  Some grammarians call these nominal clauses.  The typology of verbless clause may be S-P or P-S. 
• The Hebrew represented in the biblical text is uninflected meaning it does not mark nouns morphologically with specific case (as in Greek or Latin).  Function is determined primarily by word order and particles, such as the definite direct object marker, אֵת.  When two (or more) nouns are closely related, however, the morphology of the nouns changes to reflect this relationship, called a construct phrase.  The head noun looses its accent causing phonological changes.  The first element is in this “construct state;” whereas the second element is not, that is in “absolute state.”  Other names for this phenomenon are bound and free forms, the status constructus and postconstructus, nomen regens and nomen rectum, or נִסְמָךְ (supported) and סֹמֵךְ (supporter).
• On a metanarrative scale, the term, תולדת “generations,” serves to separate the book of Genesis into eleven distinct units each beginning with the phrase אֵלֶּה תוֹלְדוֹת (“of the heavens and the earth” 2:4; “of Adam” 5:1; “of Noah” 6:9; “of Noah” 10:1; “of Shem” 11:10, “of Terah” 11:27; “of Ishmael” 25:12, “of Isaac” 25:19; “of Esau” 36:1, “of Esau” 36:9; “of Jacob” 37:2.
• Sentence Typology 2 (תֶּ֚רַח הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־אַבְרָ֔ם אֶת־נָח֖וֹר וְאֶת־הָרָ֑ן): S-V-O
• The lack of a clause connector, or asyndeton, is used to indicate an explication, or recapitulation, of previously discussed material.  This may be used to give the reader new details about the story, but does not further the narrative (much like the normal use of parentheses in English).
• The Hiphil stem is one of the seven main verbal stems in BH.  It is marked in the perfect by a prefixed הִ (the Hiphil imperfect prefers a qames as the preformative vowel) and an “i-class” theme vowel with yod infix (sere is used in the short forms of the jussive, waw-consecutive imperfect, imperative and infinitive absolute).  Hiphil verbs are characterized by a primarily causative meaning of a root (that is the subject causes the object to do the action of the verb).  In this case, יָלַד (Qal) means “to bear, or birth, a child;” whereas הֹלִיד (Hiphil) means “to beget (father) a child.”
• Sentence Typology 3 (וְהָרָ֖ן הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־לֽוֹט): S-V-O
• The clause demonstrates a disjunctive clause arraignment with the initial position filled by a non-verbal unit.

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