Genesis 36:28

Summary

The verse lists the sons of Dishan, naming two individuals: Uz and Aran. It follows the standard genealogical formula used throughout this chapter of Genesis.

Key words

• 'E.leh ("these", H0428) — demonstrative particle opening the genealogical formula, pointing forward to the names that follow.
• ve.nei- ("[were] [the] sons of", H1121A) — masculine plural construct form of "sons," grammatically linking the following name (Dishan) as the one to whom the sons belong.
• di.Shan ("Dishan", H1789G) — proper name in construct relationship with ve.nei-, identifying the father of the two sons named.
• 'utz ("Uz", H5780I) — proper name, first son listed, given without connective conjunction.
• va. ("and", H9002) — conjunction prefixed to 'a.Ran, joining the second name to the first.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence follows a fixed genealogical pattern common in Genesis 36: the demonstrative 'E.leh ("these") introduces the list, followed by the construct phrase ve.nei-Dishan ("sons of Dishan"), which establishes the paternal link. The two sons' names then follow: 'utz ("Uz") appears first without a conjunction, and 'a.Ran ("Aran") is joined to it by the prefixed conjunction va. ("and"). This asyndetic-then-conjunctive structure (no "and" before the first name, "and" before the second) is typical of Hebrew list formulas where only the final item in a short list receives the conjunction.

The construct chain ve.nei-Dishan is a single grammatical unit indicating possession or genealogical descent — literally "sons-of Dishan" — rather than two separate words joined loosely. This tightly bound form is common in Hebrew genealogies and cannot always be rendered with equivalent compactness in translation, though English "sons of Dishan" preserves the sense adequately.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew name di.Shan ("Dishan", H1789G) is rendered by the LXX as Ῥεισών (Rheisōn), a transliteration that differs notably in form from the Hebrew. Similarly, the Hebrew 'utz ("Uz") appears in the LXX as Ὢς (Ōs), and 'a.Ran ("Aran") appears as Ἀράμ (Aram) — the LXX form is closer to the Hebrew name "Aram" found elsewhere in Genesis than to 'a.Ran itself. The Vulgate's Disan, Hus, and Aram likewise show Aram rather than a form matching 'a.Ran directly, paralleling the LXX's rendering rather than the Hebrew consonantal form.