Exodus 6:15
וּבְנֵי שִׁמְעוֹן יְמוּאֵל וְיָמִין וְאֹהַד וְיָכִין וְצֹחַר וְשָׁאוּל בֶּן־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִית אֵלֶּה מִשְׁפְּחֹת שִׁמְעֽוֹן׃
✦ Hebrew interlinear
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✦ The same verse in five languages
וּבְנֵ֣י שִׁמְע֗וֹן יְמוּאֵ֨ל וְיָמִ֤ין וְאֹ֙הַד֙ וְיָכִ֣ין וְצֹ֔חַר וְשָׁא֖וּל בֶּן־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֑ית אֵ֖לֶּה מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת שִׁמְעֽוֹן׃
καὶ υἱοὶ Συμεών· Ἰεμιὴλ καὶ ’1αμεὶν καὶ Ἰώαδ καὶ Ἰαχεὶν καὶ Σάαρ καὶ Σαοὺλ ὁ ἐκ τῆς Φοινίσσης· αὗται αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν νἱῶν Συμεών.
Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0
Latin (Vulgate)
hæ cognationes Ruben. Filii Simeon: Jamuel, et Jamin, et Ahod, et Jachin, et Soar, et Saul filius Chananitidis: hæ progenies Simeon.
Los hijos de Simeón fueron: Jemuel, Jamín, Ohad, Jaquín, Zóhar y Saúl, hijo de una mujer cananea. Estas son las familias de Simeón.
Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)
Los hijos de Simeón: Jemuel, y Jamín, y Ohad, y Jachîn, y Zoar, y Saúl, hijo de una Cananea: estas son las familias de Simeón.
The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
✦ What the text says
Summary
The verse lists the six sons of Simeon, one of Jacob's sons, and identifies Shaul specifically as ben ("son of", H1121A) a Canaanite woman. It closes by naming this group as the mishpechot ("clans of", H4940) Simeon.
Key words
- ve.Nei ("sons of", H1121A) — masculine plural construct form of "son," opening the list by binding the names to Simeon as their father.
- ben ("son of", H1121A) — the same root in singular construct, used specifically for Shaul to attach him to his mother's identity rather than only to Simeon.
- ha.Kena'anit ("the Canaanite [woman]", H3669G with article H9009) — a feminine singular gentilic noun with the definite article, marking her as a specific, known woman of Canaanite origin rather than a generic reference.
- mishpeChot ("clans of", H4940) — feminine plural construct of a term for family/clan groupings, used to summarize the preceding list as social-genealogical units.
- 'Elleh ("these", H0428) — demonstrative particle that closes the list, pointing back to all six names just given.
What the text says
The verse follows a genealogical list pattern: a construct chain ve.Nei Shim'on ("sons of Simeon") introduces five names joined by the conjunction ve ("and", H9002), then a sixth name, Shaul, receives additional qualification. Where the other five sons are named only by their personal names, Shaul is marked by a second construct phrase, ben ha-Kena'anit ("son of the Canaanite [woman]"), specifying his mother's origin. The definite article on Kena'anit indicates a particular woman already identifiable in context, not merely "a Canaanite" in general.
The final clause repeats the construct pattern from the opening (mishpechot Shim'on, "clans of Simeon") but shifts the noun from ben/venei ("son"/"sons") to mishpachot ("clans"), reframing the individual names as designations for larger family groupings that descend from each son. The demonstrative 'Elleh ("these") functions as a grammatical hinge, closing the list and applying the label "clans of Simeon" retroactively to all six names.
Differences between versions
The LXX renders ha-Kena'anit ("the Canaanite [woman]") as τῆς Φοινίσσης ("the Phoenician woman"), substituting a different ethnic designation for the Hebrew's "Canaanite." The Vulgate follows the Hebrew more closely with Chananitidis ("Canaanite woman"). The LXX also renders the closing clause as "the clans of the sons of Simeon" (τῶν υἱῶν Συμεών), adding "sons" where the Hebrew and Vulgate simply say "clans of Simeon" (mishpechot Shim'on / progenies Simeon).
This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.