וּמַדֹּתֶ֞ם מִח֣וּץ לָעִ֗יר אֶת־פְּאַת־קֵ֣דְמָה אַלְפַּ֪יִם בָּֽאַמָּ֟ה וְאֶת־פְּאַת־נֶגֶב֩ אַלְפַּ֨יִם בָּאַמָּ֜ה וְאֶת־פְּאַת־יָ֣ם אַלְפַּ֣יִם בָּֽאַמָּ֗ה וְאֵ֨ת פְּאַ֥ת צָפֹ֛ון אַלְפַּ֥יִם בָּאַמָּ֖ה וְהָעִ֣יר בַּתָּ֑וֶךְ זֶ֚ה יִהְיֶ֣ה לָהֶ֔ם מִגְרְשֵׁ֖י הֶעָרִֽים׃
(Numbers 35:5)
Introductory Verb: Imperative Structure and Plural Address
וּמַדֹּתֶ֞ם מִח֣וּץ לָעִ֗יר
“And you shall measure from outside the city…”
The root מ־ד־ד appears in the Piel conjugation here: וּמַדֹּתֶם (“you shall measure”). It is a 2nd person masculine plural perfect form used modally as a command. The syntax is simple but significant—this is a legislative directive to a collective audience, likely the Levitical community or Israelite leadership.
The phrase מִחוּץ לָעִיר (“from outside the city”) acts as a spatial prepositional phrase setting the reference point for the measurements. The verb governs the entire complex of directional phrases that follow.
Fourfold Measurement: Coordinated Parallelism
The sentence then lists four measurements—each with the phrase פְּאַת (“the edge/side”) followed by a direction:
- אֶת־פְּאַת־קֵ֣דְמָה — the eastern side
- פְּאַת־נֶגֶב — the southern side
- פְּאַת־יָם — the western side
- פְּאַת צָפֹון — the northern side
Each direction is followed by:
אַלְפַּ֪יִם בָּאַמָּ֟ה
“two thousand cubits”
This consistent structure shows syntactic isocolon (equal grammatical structure), with each directional clause syntactically mirroring the others. The repeated use of וְאֶת and בָּאַמָּה builds a rhythm that emphasizes equidistance and symmetry.
Apposition and Centrality
וְהָעִ֣יר בַּתָּ֑וֶךְ
“And the city in the midst”
This clause is a verbless nominal sentence, typical of Biblical Hebrew. It serves as a conclusive appositional phrase, anchoring the measurements with a central point. The syntax positions בַּתָּוֶךְ (“in the midst”) at the end for emphasis, highlighting the geometric center of the quadrilateral.
Deictic Closure and Legislative Syntax
זֶ֚ה יִהְיֶ֣ה לָהֶ֔ם מִגְרְשֵׁ֖י הֶעָרִֽים
“This shall be for them the open land of the cities”
This clause includes:
- The demonstrative pronoun זֶה (“this”) as a syntactic deictic marker
- A future tense verb יִהְיֶה functioning as a legislative declaration
- A construct chain: מִגְרְשֵׁי הֶעָרִים (“the pasturelands of the cities”)
The syntax concludes the verse with legal finality, assigning functional status to the measured space.
Syntactic Theology: Ordered Holiness in Space
The verse’s structure reinforces divine order:
- Symmetry in measurements across cardinal directions
- Centering of sacred urban space
- Designation of boundaries as sacred-use land
The syntax reflects not just geometry but theology—ordered space is consecrated space. Precision in language maps onto precision in holiness.
When Grammar Draws Maps
Through parallel clauses, construct chains, and spatial prepositions, Numbers 35:5 draws a map in grammar. It encodes geometry in Hebrew syntax and lays down borders that are not just civic but sacred. The city in the center, the pasture on all sides, and language as the blueprint.