Numbers 10:16

Summary

The verse identifies the leader appointed over the military division of the tribe of Zebulun during the wilderness march. It names Eliab son of Helon as the man positioned over this specific tzava ("military group/host", H6635A).

Key words

• tze.Va' ("military group of", H6635A) — masculine singular construct noun, meaning it must be followed by another noun to complete its sense ("the host of..."); it designates an organized military/marching unit, not a general army.
• ma.Teh ("tribe of", H4294H) — masculine singular construct noun, chaining onto tze.Va' to specify whose host is meant: "the host of the tribe of..."
• be.Nei ("sons/descendants of", H1121G) — masculine plural construct noun, continuing the chain to identify the tribe by its eponymous ancestor's descendants.
• 'e.li.'Av ("Eliab", H0446G) — proper name, the individual identified as the one positioned "over" ('Al-, H5921A) the division.
• ben- ("son of", H1121A) — masculine singular construct noun, linking Eliab to his father Helon for identification.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built as a construct chain: tze.Va' ("host of") + ma.Teh ("tribe of") + be.Nei ("sons of") + Zevulun ("Zebulun"). This produces a layered phrase meaning "the host of the tribe of the sons of Zebulun" — a formal military designation rather than a simple tribal name. The preposition 'Al- ("over") at the start marks the syntactic link to the subject named at the end of the verse, Eliab, showing that he stands in a position of oversight over this specific military division. The name 'e.li.'Av ("Eliab") is further specified by the construct ben- ("son of") plus Chelon ("Helon"), a patronymic formula common in these lists to distinguish individuals sharing the same tribe.

The verse's word order — preposition and construct chain first, personal name last — differs from ordinary Hebrew narrative syntax and reflects the list-like, administrative character of the passage, cataloguing marching-order leadership rather than describing an action.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders tze.Va' ("host/military group of", H6635A) with dynameōs ("of the power/army"), and omits an explicit equivalent for ma.Teh ("tribe of", H4294H), instead writing "the power of the sons of Zabulon" (huiōn Zaboulōn), collapsing the two Hebrew construct nouns ma.Teh and be.Nei into one phrase. The Vulgate simplifies further, using "in tribu Zabulon erat princeps" ("in the tribe of Zabulon there was a leader"), which foregrounds ma.Teh ("tribe") and supplies the word "princeps" ("leader/chief") not present as a separate lexical item in the Hebrew, where the notion of leadership is conveyed only through the preposition 'Al- ("over").