Genesis 22:21

Summary

This fragment lists three names connected by direct object markers and conjunctions: Utz the firstborn, Buz his brother, and Kemuel, described as father of Aram. The verse is part of a genealogical list, structured as a series of objects governed by a verb outside this excerpt (likely "she bore," referring to Milcah's sons in the fuller context of Genesis 22:20-21).

Key words

• utz ("Uz", H5780) — proper name, first item in the list, marked by 'et- (H0853) as a direct object.
• bekhoR-o ("his firstborn", H1060 + H9023) — construct noun bekhor ("firstborn of") with 3ms suffix -o ("his"), forming "his firstborn," identifying Utz's status relative to an antecedent (Nahor, per the wider context).
• buz ("Buz", H0938) — second proper name, also marked as direct object by ve'et- (conjunction + H0853).
• 'achi-v ("his brother", H0251 + H9023) — construct noun 'ach ("brother of") plus 3ms suffix, paralleling the bekhor-o construction.
• 'avi ("father of", H0001) — construct form of 'av ("father"), linking Kemuel to Aram in a construct chain: "Kemuel, father of Aram."

What the text says

The Hebrew presents three parallel units, each introduced by the direct object marker 'et (untranslated, marking the noun that follows as the object of a governing verb not present in this excerpt). Each unit consists of a proper name followed by a kinship term in construct state with a pronominal suffix or a following name: utz bekhoro ("Utz his firstborn"), buz 'achiv ("Buz his brother"), and kemu'el 'avi 'aram ("Kemuel father of Aram").

The construct chains bekhor-o and 'achi-v both carry the 3ms suffix "his," pointing back to an antecedent not present in this fragment — grammatically, both Utz and Buz are identified in relation to the same third person (masculine singular). This is a common feature of Hebrew genealogical lists, where kinship terms in construct state with suffixes create compact relational statements without needing a separate clause for each ("Utz was his firstborn" becomes simply "Utz, his firstborn").

The third unit differs structurally: instead of a suffixed noun, 'avi ("father of") is in construct directly with a following proper name, 'aram ("Aram"), producing a construct chain of two nouns rather than noun plus suffix. This creates "Kemuel, father of Aram," where Aram functions as either a personal or place name completing the construct phrase.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders 'aram (H0758) as Σύρων ("of Syrians"), a plural gentilic, where the Hebrew has the singular proper noun Aram. The Vulgate follows this same reading with "Syrorum" ("of the Syrians"). Modern translations (RV1909, BSB, SBLIBRE) render it as the personal/place name "Aram," closer to the Hebrew form, without the ethnic plural found in LXX and Vulgate.