Genesis 46:11

Summary

The verse lists the sons of Levi within the genealogical catalogue of Genesis 46, naming three individuals: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Key words

• bene ("sons of", H1121A) — masculine plural noun in construct state, linking the following name Levi as the possessor; this construct form marks the entire clause as a genealogical heading ("the sons of Levi") rather than a full sentence.
• Levi (H3878) — proper name, the father to whom the list belongs; grammatically it is the noun bound to by bene, forming the construct phrase.
• Gershon (H1648) — proper name, first son listed, standing in apposition to the construct phrase with no verb connecting it.
• Kohath (H6955) — proper name, second son listed, likewise appositional, joined to the previous name only by juxtaposition.
• Merari (H4847) — proper name, third son, preceded by the conjunction u ("and", H9002), which marks the closing item of the list.

What the text says

The Hebrew clause consists of a construct phrase, bene Levi ("sons of Levi"), followed by a simple enumeration of three proper names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. There is no finite verb in the clause; the sentence functions as a nominal list, typical of genealogical registers in this chapter. The names Gershon and Kohath are placed side by side without any conjunction between them, while the conjunction u ("and", H9002) appears only before the final name, Merari. This pattern—asyndeton (no connector) between the first two items and a conjunction before the last—is a common structural feature in Hebrew list-making, where the final "and" signals the closing of the enumeration rather than joining each item individually.

The construct form bene ("sons of", H1121A) ties the entire list to Levi (H3878) as a single grammatical unit, meaning the verse presents itself as a heading identifying whose descendants follow, rather than as an independent statement about Levi's actions or status.

Differences between versions

The Septuagint (LXXSWETE) inserts the conjunction de ("but/and") after "sons," reading "υἱοὶ δὲ Λευί" ("the sons, and, of Levi"), a connective particle not explicit in the Hebrew construct phrase. Both the LXX and the Vulgate (VULCLEM) use "et" or "καί" only before "Merari," matching the Hebrew's single conjunction placement before the final name. The Vulgate renders Kohath as "Caath," a transliteration variant reflecting Latin phonetic adaptation rather than a difference in the underlying Hebrew name.