Genesis 46:23

Summary

The verse lists the descendant(s) of Dan among the family members who went to Egypt with Jacob. Only one name, Chushim ("Hushim", H2366B), appears under the heading "sons of Dan," despite the plural construct form used to introduce it.

Key words

• u. ("and", H9002) — conjunction linking this clause to the preceding genealogical list, marking a continuation of the enumeration.
• venei- ("sons of", H1121A) — masculine plural noun in construct state, grammatically requiring a following genitive; it sets up an expectation of multiple descendants.
• Dan (H1835H) — proper name, the father whose lineage is being recorded, functioning as the noun governed by the construct venei-.
• Chushim (H2366B) — proper name, the single individual listed as the content of the construct phrase "sons of Dan."

What the text says

The Hebrew clause is built on a construct chain: venei-Dan ("sons of Dan") functions as a single grammatical unit, with Dan as the genitive noun completing the construct noun venei-. Normally such a construct plural would introduce a list of two or more names, as seen with the other sons of Jacob earlier in the chapter. Here, however, only one name follows — Chushim — creating a grammatical mismatch between the plural form venei- and the singular referent that follows it.

This mismatch is purely morphological: the noun venei- is fixed in the plural construct form regardless of how many names are subsequently listed. The text does not explain the discrepancy; it simply presents the plural heading followed by a single proper name. The verse's brevity — four words total — mirrors the compressed style of the surrounding genealogical entries in Genesis 46, where each tribal ancestor's descendants are listed with minimal elaboration.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew retains the plural construct venei- ("sons of") despite listing only one name. The LXX (Swete) follows this same plural pattern: huioi de Dan ("sons of Dan"), also followed by a single name, Hasom ("Hasom"), which differs in transliteration from the Hebrew Chushim. The Vulgate uses Filii Dan ("sons of Dan"), preserving the plural form and the name Husim, close to the Hebrew. Among the modern versions provided, the BSB and SBLIBRE render the heading in the singular — "The son of Dan" / "El hijo de Dan" — adjusting the grammatical number to match the single name that follows, whereas the RV1909 keeps the plural "los hijos de Dan," matching the Hebrew, LXX, and Vulgate structure.