Numbers 2:14

Summary

The verse identifies the tribe of Gad and names its leader, Eliasaph, specifying his father as Reuel. It follows the same formulaic pattern used throughout Numbers 2 to list each tribe's leader within the camp arrangement.

Key words

• matteh ("the tribe of", H4294H) — construct form, binding the noun to the following proper name Gad, so the phrase reads "the tribe of Gad."
• nasi' ("the leader", H5387A) — absolute masculine singular noun functioning as the subject of the second clause; no verb "to be" appears, so the equivalence with Eliasaph is implied by juxtaposition.
• liv'nei ("of the descendants of", H1121G + preposition H9005) — construct plural with prefixed preposition li, marking "leader" as belonging to "the sons of Gad."
• ben ("the son of", H1121A) — construct singular used patronymically, linking Eliasaph to his father's name.
• Re'u'El ("Reuel", H7467I) — proper name, closing the genealogical chain that identifies the leader.

What the text says

The verse is built as two coordinated nominal clauses joined by the conjunction ve ("and", H9002). The first clause, ve-matteh Gad, simply names the tribe using a construct chain ("tribe of Gad"), with no verb — this is typical of list-style enumeration in this chapter. The second clause, ve-nasi li-v'nei Gad Eliasaph ben Re'u'El, is also verbless: the noun nasi ("the leader") stands as subject, followed by the construct phrase liv'nei Gad ("of the sons of Gad") specifying which group is led, and then the personal name Eliasaph functions as the predicate nominative, followed by his patronymic ben Re'u'El ("son of Reuel"). The absence of an explicit copula is standard in Biblical Hebrew nominal sentences and requires the reader to supply "is/was" in translation.

The construct chains (matteh Gad, b'nei Gad, ben Re'u'El) create a layered structure moving from tribe, to tribal descendants, to the specific leader and his lineage — a compact genealogical and administrative notice rather than a narrated action.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew text here reads the father's name as Re'u'El ("Reuel", H7467I), and the LXX renders this as Ῥαγουήλ (Ragouēl), which corresponds closely to the Hebrew form. However, the Vulgate gives "Duel," and modern translations such as BSB and SBLIBRE render the name as "Deuel" — reflecting a different underlying spelling (with dalet rather than resh) also found in other passages of Numbers referring to this same figure. The Hebrew text supplied for this verse itself preserves the resh-spelling Re'u'El, matching RV1909's "Rehuel," while other versions follow the alternate dalet-spelling tradition.