Genesis 36:38

Summary

The verse records the death of Shaul and the succession of Baal-hanan son of Achbor as the next ruler in his place. It continues the king-list pattern found in this chapter of Genesis, marking a transition from one ruler to the next through the formula "X died, and Y reigned in his place."

Key words

va-yamot ("and he died", H4191) — qal narrative verb form, marking sequential past action: "and then he died."

Sha'ul ("Shaul", H7586I) — proper name of the ruler whose death is recorded; the subject of the first clause.

va-yimlokh ("and he reigned", H4427A) — qal narrative verb form, parallel in construction to va-yamot, indicating the next sequential event: "and then he reigned."

tachtav ("in his place", H8478H + H9033) — construct noun with pronominal suffix, literally "under him" or "in place of him," marking succession.

ben-Akhbor ("son of Achbor", H1121A + H5907G) — construct chain identifying Baal-hanan through patronymic, a standard method of identification in these genealogical/king lists.

What the text says

The verse is built from two parallel narrative clauses joined by the narrative vav (H9001), each opening with a qal verb in the same sequential form: va-yamot ("and he died") followed by va-yimlokh ("and he reigned"). This repeated grammatical pattern — vav plus verb — creates the rhythmic king-list structure seen throughout this chapter, where each ruler's death directly triggers the notice of his successor's accession, with no stated cause, duration of reign, or genealogical link between the two rulers beyond succession itself.

The phrase tachtav ("in his place", H8478H) functions as the hinge of the sentence, grammatically marking the transfer of rule from Shaul to Baal-hanan. The final element, ben-Akhbor ("son of Achbor", H1121A), uses the construct form typical of patronymic identification, distinguishing this Baal-hanan from other bearers of the same name by referencing his father.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the name as Βαλαεννών (Balaennōn) and the father's name as Ἀχοβώρ (Achobōr), showing minor phonetic variation from the Hebrew Ba'al Chanan (H1177G) and Akhbor (H5907G). The Vulgate similarly gives "Balanan filius Achobor," reflecting comparable transliteration differences without altering the sense of succession. The Vulgate also rephrases the death notice as "cumque et hic obiisset" ("and when this one also had died"), a stylistic variation from the Hebrew's direct va-yamot Sha'ul ("and Shaul died").