Καὶ Ιεβους αὕτη ἐστὶν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ πόλεις καὶ Γαβαωθιαριμ πόλεις τρεῖς καὶ δέκα καὶ αἱ κῶμαι αὐτῶν αὕτη ἡ κληρονομία υἱῶν Βενιαμιν κατὰ δήμους αὐτῶν (Joshua 18:28 LXX)
A Tribal Boundary Cast in Syntax
This verse concludes the allotment of the tribe of Benjamin, listing its final city — Jebus (Jerusalem) — and summarizing the total number of cities and villages. The Greek text uses apposition, numeric phrasing, and final summarizing formulas to bind geography with identity and to reflect how tribal inheritance is encoded grammatically.
Καὶ Ιεβους αὕτη ἐστὶν Ιερουσαλημ — Naming by Apposition
Grammatical Structure:
- Ιεβους: “Jebus” — the ancient name of the city later known as Jerusalem
- αὕτη ἐστὶν Ιερουσαλημ: “this is Jerusalem”
This is a classic case of naming through apposition:
- αὕτη (“this”) refers back to Ιεβους
- ἐστὶν is the present indicative of εἰμί
- Ιερουσαλημ is in the predicate position, renaming the subject
Theological Implication:
The grammar identifies Jebus — once a Canaanite stronghold — as Jerusalem, the future capital and spiritual center of Israel. The sentence quietly conveys transition and transformation, rooted in covenantal inheritance.
καὶ πόλεις καὶ Γαβαωθιαριμ πόλεις τρεῖς καὶ δέκα — Counting the Cities
Peculiar Coordination:
- πόλεις καὶ Γαβαωθιαριμ: suggests that Gabaoth-Iarim is one entry among several unnamed cities
- Followed by: πόλεις τρεῖς καὶ δέκα — “thirteen cities”
This structure reflects a list-final enumeration, similar to Hebrew enumeration style:
- List items (some named, some grouped)
- A final total number given for the whole
Syntax of Numerals:
- τρεῖς καὶ δέκα: “three and ten” = thirteen
- This reversed Greek order reflects Semitic influence, where lower numerals precede higher ones (cf. עֶשֶׂר וּשְׁלֹשׁ)
καὶ αἱ κῶμαι αὐτῶν — Villages Included
- κῶμαι: “villages” or “rural towns”
- αὐτῶν: “their” — referring to the cities just enumerated
Syntax and Significance:
The inclusion of villages emphasizes that the tribal inheritance extends beyond walled cities — the surrounding land and agricultural life are part of the divine grant.
αὕτη ἡ κληρονομία υἱῶν Βενιαμιν κατὰ δήμους αὐτῶν — Summary of Inheritance
Key Elements:
- αὕτη ἡ κληρονομία: “this is the inheritance” — deictic pronoun + predicate noun
- υἱῶν Βενιαμιν: “of the sons of Benjamin” — genitive of possession
- κατὰ δήμους αὐτῶν: “according to their districts/towns”
- δήμος: originally “people,” but here means administrative regions
Summary Formula:
This is a common closing statement in the land allotment sections of Joshua. The grammar binds together:
- Geography (cities and villages)
- Tribal identity (sons of Benjamin)
- Administrative structure (districts/dēmoi)
The Grammar of Possession and Identity
In this verse:
- Apposition (Ιεβους… Ιερουσαλημ) connects past and future identities
- Numerals and coordinated nouns encode legal inheritance
- The closing formula affirms that the land is not merely inhabited, but owned by covenant
The list becomes more than topography — it is grammarized theology, proclaiming that what God gives is secured by syntax.
Grammar as Boundary and Blessing
The LXX preserves Israel’s inheritance not only in narrative, but in nominative and genitive, in dative and number. The verse’s repetitive rhythm and structured phrasing imitate the land survey itself — careful, lawful, covenantal.
As such, grammar becomes the topography of grace. Every clause is a border. Every list is a claim. And every inheritance, whether city or village, is secured by divine word — and participle.
