May God Enlarge Japheth: Syntax, Blessing, and Subordination in Genesis 9:27
יַ֤פְתְּ אֱלֹהִים֙ לְיֶ֔פֶת וְיִשְׁכֹּ֖ן בְּאָֽהֳלֵי־שֵׁ֑ם וִיהִ֥י כְנַ֖עַן עֶ֥בֶד לָֽמֹו׃ (Genesis 9:27) May God enlarge Yefet, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Kenaʿan be a servant to them.. The Syntax of Prophetic Pronouncement Genesis 9:27 forms the final line of Noaḥ’s three-fold pronouncement concerning his sons. This verse is deceptively simple…