Numbers 10:8

Summary

The verse assigns the task of blowing the trumpets specifically to the sons of Aaron who serve as priests, and establishes this practice as a permanent statute binding across future generations.

Key words

• ve.nei ("sons of", H1121A) — masculine plural construct, linking directly to 'Aharon, marking the phrase as a genitive chain: "the sons of Aaron."
• hakkohanim ("the priests", H3548) — masculine plural noun with definite article, standing in apposition to "the sons of Aaron," identifying them by their cultic role rather than merely their lineage.
• yitqe'u ("they will give a blast", H8628) — qal imperfect, third person masculine plural, expressing an action that is either future or habitual/ongoing, describing the recurring duty of trumpet-blowing.
• hayu ("they will become", H1961) — qal sequential perfect (vav-consecutive), continuing the narrative sequence begun by the imperfect verb; this grammatical shift ties the trumpets' status as a "statute" to the preceding command.
• chuqqat ("a statute of", H2708) — feminine singular construct, forming a construct chain with 'olam ("perpetuity", H5769G), yielding "a statute of perpetuity" — a fixed, enduring legal provision.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence opens with a construct chain, u-vnei 'Aharon ha-kohanim ("and the sons of Aaron, the priests"), in which "the priests" (hakkohanim) functions in apposition, clarifying that the sons of Aaron are addressed here specifically in their priestly capacity, not simply as descendants. This subject is followed by the verb yitqe'u ("they will give a blast", H8628) in the qal imperfect, a form that can denote future action or a recurring, customary practice — the text does not restrict this to a single occasion but frames the trumpet-blowing as a task performed by this group whenever the occasion arises.

The second clause begins with ve-hayu ("and they will become", H1961), a qal sequential perfect that continues the verbal chain begun by the imperfect verb. This grammatical construction ("imperfect followed by vav + perfect") is a standard way in Biblical Hebrew of expressing a sequence of instructions or consequences: first the action (blowing trumpets) is stated, then the status of that action (a permanent statute) is declared as following from it. The phrase chuqqat 'olam ("a statute of perpetuity", H2708 + H5769G) is itself a construct chain, and it is further qualified by le-dorotekhem ("to your generations", H1755 + H9026), extending the statute's force beyond the immediate audience.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders yitqe'u with the future indicative salpiousin ("they will sound"), matching the Hebrew imperfect's forward-looking sense without conveying its habitual nuance as explicitly. The Vulgate uses clangent ("they will blast"), also future tense, paralleling both Hebrew and Greek. The Vulgate's legitimum sempiternum ("everlasting statute") and the LXX's nomimon aiōnion ("eternal ordinance") both render chuqqat 'olam with terms emphasizing permanence, consistent with the Hebrew construct phrase.