Genesis 15:19

Summary

Genesis 15:19 lists three peoples—the Kenites, Kenizzites, and Kadmonites—whose land is included in the territorial promise. The verse consists of three grammatical objects joined by conjunctions, each marked as the direct object of a verb from the preceding context (v. 18, "I have given").

Key words

• ha.qeiNi ("the Kenite", H7017) — definite gentilic noun, singular form used to designate the people-group as a collective; marked by the article ha ("the", H9009).
• 'et- ("", H0853) — untranslated direct object marker, repeated before each of the three names, signaling that all three are grammatical objects of the governing verb from the prior verse.
• ha.keniZi ("the Kenizzite", H7074G) — definite gentilic noun, parallel in form to the other two names.
• ve. ("and", H9002) — coordinating conjunction linking the three object phrases into a single list.
• ha.qadmoNi ("the Kadmonite", H6935) — definite gentilic noun, final item in the series.

What the text says

The verse is composed of three parallel noun phrases, each built identically: the direct object marker 'et, the definite article ha, and a gentilic noun in the masculine singular. This repeated structure ('et-ha-X) marks all three names as syntactic objects governed by a verb that appears earlier in the passage (v. 18), rather than as an independent sentence. The gentilic singular form (e.g., qeiNi, keniZi, qadmoNi) functions collectively, referring to the people-group as a whole rather than to an individual member of it — a common pattern in Hebrew for naming nations or clans.

The three names are joined by the conjunction ve ("and", H9002), appearing twice, which creates a simple additive list: Kenite, and Kenizzite, and Kadmonite. There is no verb within the verse itself; it continues syntactically from the preceding material, extending a longer list of peoples whose territory is in view. The definite article on each name indicates these are treated as known, specific groups rather than generic descriptions.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew presents the three names as bare objects without an explicit governing noun like "land," relying on the verb and object structure established in the previous verse. The BSB and SBLIBRE (Spanish) translations insert an explicit noun — "the land of" (BSB) / "la tierra de" (SBLIBRE) — to clarify that these peoples' territory is meant, a word not present in the Hebrew of this verse itself. The Vulgate (VULCLEM) and RV1909 render the three names as a simple list of proper nouns (Cinæos, Cenezæos, Cedmonæos / Cineos, Ceneceos, Cedmoneos) without added clarifying nouns, staying closer to the elliptical structure of the Hebrew.