Numbers 1:7

Summary

This verse names the representative of the tribe of Judah for the census: Nahshon, identified by patronymic as the son of Amminadab. It follows the fixed formula used throughout Numbers 1 to list one leader per tribe.

Key words

• li ("for", H9005) — the preposition prefixed to "Judah," marking the tribe to which the named leader belongs; it introduces the construct pattern used for every tribe in this list.
• Yehudah ("Judah", H3063G) — the proper name of the tribe, here functioning as the reference point to which the following person is attached.
• Nachshon ("Nahshon", H5177) — a masculine personal proper name, the subject of the clause, identified as the tribal leader.
• ben ("son of", H1121A) — a masculine singular noun in construct state, syntactically binding "Nahshon" to "Amminadab" to form the patronymic phrase "son of Amminadab."
• Amminadav ("Amminadab", H5992G) — the proper name of Nahshon's father, completing the genealogical identification.

What the text says

The Hebrew clause is minimal and nominal, with no verb: li-Yehudah ("for Judah") functions as a prepositional phrase set at the head of the sentence, marking the tribal affiliation before the name of the individual is given. This word order — tribe first, then person — is consistent across the parallel list of tribal leaders in Numbers 1, producing a formulaic rhythm where each entry begins with le- plus the tribe name.

The core of the sentence is the construct chain Nachshon ben-Amminadav, "Nahshon, son of Amminadab." The word ben ("son of", H1121A) is in the construct state, meaning it cannot stand alone semantically — it requires the following noun (Amminadav) to complete its meaning, forming a single grammatical and conceptual unit that functions as a patronymic identifier rather than two separate statements. This construct structure is common in Hebrew genealogical notices and allows an entire lineage marker to be compressed into a tight noun phrase without a verb "to be."

Because the whole verse is verbless, its function is purely designative: it supplies data (tribe, name, patronymic) rather than describing an action. The syntax mirrors an administrative or census-list style, matching the surrounding verses of the chapter.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew preposition li ("for Judah") is rendered in the LXX with the genitive article construction tōn Iouda ("of the ones of Judah"), and in the Vulgate with de Juda ("from Judah"), both preserving the tribal-affiliation sense of the Hebrew prefix without any change in the identified individuals. The proper names show only phonological adaptation across versions (Nachshon/Nassōn/Nahasson; Amminadav/Ameinadab/Aminadab), reflecting transliteration differences rather than differences in referent or meaning.