Genesis 46:12

Summary

The verse lists the sons of Judah — Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah — and notes that Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan. It then names the sons of Perez as Hezron and Hamul.

Key words

• ve.nei ("[the] sons of", H1121A) — masculine plural construct form, meaning it must be followed by another noun (here "Judah" and later "Perez") to form the phrase "sons of X."
• va.Ya.mot ("he had died", H4191) — Qal narrative form (with the narrative vav) describing a completed action within the story's timeline; the narrative vav links this clause to what precedes as a continuing report.
• be.'E.retz ("in [the] land of", H0776G construct + H9003 preposition) — construct chain locating the death of Er and Onan specifically "in the land of Canaan," distinguishing this from other places named in the surrounding genealogy (e.g., Egypt).
• va.yih.Yu ("they were", H1961) — Qal narrative plural verb, again with narrative vav, introducing the next genealogical fact — the sons of Perez.
• Fe.retz ("Perez", H6557) — proper name appearing twice, first as one of Judah's five sons, then as the father whose own sons (Hezron and Hamul) are listed, showing the genealogy moving one generation further.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built as a chain of construct phrases and narrative verb forms typical of genealogical lists. It opens with u-ve.nei Yehudah ("and the sons of Judah"), a construct phrase that governs the five names that follow: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. No verb is needed for this list — the construct noun phrase alone establishes the relationship "sons of Judah = these names."

The next clause shifts to narrative verb forms marked by the vav that chains events in Hebrew narrative (rules 14 and 22): va-Ya.mot ("and he/they died") and va-yih.Yu ("and they were"). The verb Ya.mot is grammatically singular in Hebrew but functions with two subjects, Er and Onan, a construction the Hebrew allows without needing a plural verb form for compound subjects introduced this way. The location be-'E.retz Kena'an ("in the land of Canaan") specifies where this death occurred, using another construct chain ('E.retz + Kena'an).

The final clause repeats the construct pattern ve.nei-Fe.retz ("sons of Perez"), introducing the next generation: Hezron and Hamul. This mirrors the sentence's opening structure, showing the genealogy's recursive, list-based format — sons named for one figure (Judah), an aside on those who died, then a listing of a new generation from the surviving line (Perez).

Differences between versions

The LXX renders Shelah (H7956) as Σηλὼμ (Sēlōm), adding a final consonant not present in the Hebrew form. The LXX also gives Ἰεμουήλ (Iemouēl) for Hamul (H2538), a name that differs substantially from the Hebrew consonants; the Vulgate's Hamul follows the Hebrew form more closely.