Genesis 10:16

Summary

This verse continues a genealogical list, naming three peoples descended from Canaan: the Jebusites, the Amorites, and the Girgashites. The verse consists entirely of a coordinated series of direct objects marked with the definite article.

Key words

• y.vu.Si ("Jebusite", H2983G) — a gentilic noun, masculine singular, marked with the definite article ha (H9009), indicating the people-group as a collective definite entity, and preceded by the object marker 'Et (H0853).
• 'e.mo.Ri ("Amorite", H0567) — same construction: definite article + gentilic noun, functioning as a direct object of the verb governing this list (found earlier in the genealogy, v. 15's "begat").
• gir.ga.Shi ("Girgashite", H1622) — same pattern, third item in the series, closing the list without an additional conjunction difference (it uses ve like the others).
• 'Et (H0853) — the direct object marker, repeated three times, syntactically binding each named people to the verb of begetting from the preceding verse; it carries no independent meaning but signals grammatical function.
• ve. (H9002) — the conjunction "and," repeated before each object marker, producing a paratactic (list-like) structure typical of Hebrew genealogical enumeration.

What the text says

The verse is composed of three parallel units, each built from the same four-part pattern: conjunction ve + object marker 'Et + definite article ha + gentilic noun. This repetition creates a rhythmic, list-like structure common in genealogical texts (the toledot pattern), where the verb governing the objects appears earlier in the passage rather than within this verse itself. Each people-name is grammatically definite and functions as a direct object, meaning the underlying (unstated in this verse but present in context) verb — likely "begat" from verse 15 — takes each of these three names as what was produced or fathered.

The Hebrew syntax has no explicit subject or verb in this verse; it is a continuation of a larger sentence. This means the grammatical weight rests entirely on the coordinated object markers and articles, which serve to enumerate discrete entities within a single ongoing genealogical statement rather than to introduce new independent clauses.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew gir.ga.Shi ("Girgashite", H1622) is rendered in the LXX as Γερυεσαῖον (Geryesaion), a form that differs orthographically from the expected Γεργεσαῖον seen in some manuscript traditions; the Vulgate uses "Gergesæum," closer to the alternate Greek spelling. The Spanish RV1909 and SBLIBRE both use "gergeseos," following the Vulgate/alternate Greek tradition rather than a transliteration closer to the Hebrew gir.ga.Shi. The English BSB renders it "Girgashites," closer to the Hebrew consonantal form.