Numbers 2:22

Summary

The verse identifies the tribe of Binyamin ("Benjamin", H1144G) as part of the camp arrangement, naming its leader as Avidan ("Abidan", H0027), son of Gid'oni ("Gideoni", H1441). The structure follows the same formula used throughout Numbers 2 for listing tribal leaders.

Key words

• matteh ("tribe of", H4294H) — masculine singular construct noun, meaning it must be followed by a genitive; here it links to Binyamin, producing "tribe of Benjamin."
• nasi' ("leader", H5387A) — masculine singular noun in absolute form, functioning as the subject introducing the named individual.
• bene ("descendants of", H1121G) — masculine plural construct of ben ("son"), forming the phrase "sons of Benjamin," i.e., the Benjaminite population.
• ben ("son of", H1121A) — masculine singular construct, here creating a patronymic: "Abidan, son of Gideoni."

What the text says

The Hebrew clause opens with the conjunction ve ("and", H9002) attached to matteh ("tribe of", H4294H), continuing a list format from the preceding verses. Matteh is in construct state, meaning it cannot stand alone grammatically — it requires the following proper noun Binyamin to complete its sense: "the tribe of Benjamin." A second ve-clause follows, introducing nasi' ("leader", H5387A), an absolute-form noun that functions as the grammatical subject of the clause, though no verb "to be" appears — this is typical of Hebrew nominal sentences where "is" or "was" is implied rather than stated.

The phrase li-vnei Binyamin ("of the descendants of Benjamin") uses the construct noun bene ("descendants of", H1121G) governed by the preposition le ("of", H9005), specifying whose leader is being named. The name Avidan ("Abidan", H0027) then stands appositionally as the referent of nasi', followed by the construct phrase ben Gid'oni ("son of Gideoni", H1121A + H1441), which identifies Abidan's father. The construct chain ben... directly attaches genealogical information without any linking verb, a common feature of Hebrew genealogical notation.

Differences between versions

The LXX (Swete) adds the phrase "καὶ οἱ παρεμβαλόντες ἐχόμενοι" ("and those camping nearby"), an element not present in the Hebrew text's wording for this verse, describing positional camping rather than simply naming the tribe. The Vulgate (Clementine) renders the tribal designation as "In tribu filiorum Benjamin" ("In the tribe of the sons of Benjamin"), incorporating "filiorum" ("of the sons") into the tribal name itself, whereas the Hebrew separates matteh Binyamin ("tribe of Benjamin") from the later bene Binyamin ("sons/descendants of Benjamin") as two distinct constructions.