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וַיָּ֣מָת הָרָ֔ן עַל־פְּנֵ֖י תֶּ֣רַח אָבִ֑יו בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מוֹלַדְתּ֖וֹ בְּא֥וּר כַּשְׂדִּֽים׃ 29 וַיִּקַּ֨ח אַבְרָ֧ם וְנָח֛וֹר לָהֶ֖ם נָשִׁ֑ים שֵׁ֤ם אֵֽשֶׁת־אַבְרָם֙ שָׂרָ֔י וְשֵׁ֤ם אֵֽשֶׁת־נָחוֹר֙ מִלְכָּ֔ה בַּת־הָרָ֥ן אֲבִֽי־מִלְכָּ֖ה וַֽאֲבִ֥י יִסְכָּֽה׃ 30 וַתְּהִ֥י שָׂרַ֖י עֲקָרָ֑ה אֵ֥ין לָ֖הּ וָלָֽד׃

Vocabulary

Verse 28

            מות  verb: “die”

            מולדת  noun: “kindred” (BDB, 409)

            אור  name: “Ur”

            כשׁדים  name: “Chaldea”

Verse 29

            אִשָּׁה  noun (plural נָשִׁים ): “wife”

            שׁרי  name: “Sarai”

            מלכה  name: “Milcah”

            יסכה  name: “Iscah”

Verse 30

            עקר  adjective: “barren” (BDB, 785)

            ולד  noun: “child” (BDB, 409)

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 28

• Clause Typology 1 (וַיָּ֣מָת הָרָ֔ן עַל־פְּנֵ֖י תֶּ֣רַח אָבִ֑יו בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מוֹלַדְתּ֖וֹ בְּא֥וּר כַּשְׂדִּֽים): V-S-M
• The initial waw-consecutive imperfect, וַיָּ֣מָת, functions to continue the narrative sequence from verse 27 and is understood as a perfect, “he died.”
• The verb מות is an intransitive verb—a verb that does not take an object.
• When a suffix, such as the plural construct ending ֵי, is attached to a word with R3 ה, the final consonant is dropped through elision.
• The word, פָּנֶה “face,” is used idiomatically to mean the presence of an individual, thus “before the face of Terah” means “in the presence of Terah.”
• The noun אביו is in apposition to the proper name תרח.  Apposition occurs when two constituents fill the same grammatical slot.  Example: “He, John, slept” and “I will go to the place of peace, [that is] heaven.”
• A pronominal suffix must refer either backward (anaphora) or forward (cataphora) to another constituent.  In the case of אביו, the 3ms suffix refers anaphorically to הרן “Haran.”

Verse 29

• Clause Typology 1 (וַיִּקַּ֨ח אַבְרָ֧ם וְנָח֛וֹר לָהֶ֖ם נָשִׁ֑ים): V-S-M-O.
• The verb, לקח, acts like a R1 נ verb by “assimilating” the initial ל into a dagesh with prefix forms.
• The compound subject, אַבְרָ֧ם וְנָח֛וֹר, is joined by waw.
• The verbs, לקח “take” and נתן “give,” take a modifier usually marked by the preposition lamed which functions like an indirect object.
• Clause Typology 2 (שֵׁ֤ם אֵֽשֶׁת־אַבְרָם֙ שָׂרָ֔י): S-P.
• The subject is a three member construct phrase, שֵׁ֤ם אֵֽשֶׁת־אַבְרָם֙.  Such a linkage would require the first two nouns to be in the construct state and the last in the absolute state.  Only the second word is morphologically different from its absolute form (אִשָּׁה).
• Clause Typology 3 (וְשֵׁ֤ם אֵֽשֶׁת־נָחוֹר֙ מִלְכָּ֔ה בַּת־הָרָ֥ן אֲבִֽי־מִלְכָּ֖ה וַֽאֲבִ֥י יִסְכָּֽה): S-P
• The clause following the last word of the first clause is not connected by any transition word or conjunctive.  This asyndetic sequence serves to allot further information about the previous clause.  In this case, the asyndetic clauses provide the names of Abraham and Nahor’s wives.
• The last three construct phrases, בַּת־הָרָ֥ן אֲבִֽי־מִלְכָּ֖ה וַֽאֲבִ֥י יִסְכָּֽה, chain the relationship of each individual from the previous phrase.  The final noun phrases are in apposition to the proper name, מלכה.

Verse 30

• Clause Typology 1 (וַתְּהִ֥י שָׂרַ֖י עֲקָרָ֑ה): V-S-O
• R3 ה imperfect verbs loose the final letter in the waw-consecutive because of apocopation—retraction of stress.
• The feminine adjective, עֲקָרָה, is used as a substantive.
• Clause Typology 2 (אֵ֥ין לָ֖הּ וָלָֽד): P
• The lack of a connection to the previous clause—asyndeton—marks the final clause as explanatory or redundant.
• The negative predicator of existence is אֵין “there is not.”
• The lamed preposition marks a type of possession; literally, “there is not to her a child” meaning “she does not have a child.”
• Mappiq serves to distinguish the ה as a 3fs suffix and not merely a vowel (GKC, 14a).

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