Numbers 2:27

Summary

The verse identifies the tribe of Asher as encamping next to the tribe mentioned in the preceding context (the referent of the pronominal suffix "him"), and names Pagiel son of Ocran as the leader of the Asherites.

Key words

• cho.Nim ("[who] encamp", H2583) — qal participle, masculine plural, describing an ongoing/characteristic action ("those encamping") rather than a finite past or future verb; it functions almost as a noun ("the encampers").
• ma.Teh ("[will be] [the] tribe of", H4294H) — masculine singular noun in construct state, meaning it must be followed by another noun to complete its sense ("tribe of X").
• na.Si' ("[the] leader", H5387A) — masculine singular noun, here functioning as the subject introducing the identification of the tribal leader.
• v.Nei ("[the] descendants of", H1121G) — masculine plural construct form of "son," meaning literally "sons of," used to designate tribal affiliation.
• ben- ("[the] son of", H1121A) — masculine singular construct, linking Pagiel to his father Ocran in the standard patronymic formula.

What the text says

The verse opens with the participle cho.Nim ("those encamping") governed by the article ha ("the"), forming the phrase "the ones encamping upon/beside him" ('a.La with pronominal suffix v, "on him"). This construction does not use a finite verb like "will camp" but rather a participial phrase, which in Hebrew narrative of this type (tribal census lists) conveys a description of positional arrangement rather than a single dated event. The masculine singular suffix "him" attached to 'a.La refers back to a previously named tribe or standard in the chapter's list structure, not stated within this verse itself.

The second half of the verse follows the fixed formula seen throughout Numbers 2: na.Si' ("leader") in construct relation li.v.Nei ("of the sons of") plus the tribal name 'a.Sher ("Asher"), followed by the personal name pag.'i.'El ("Pagiel") and the patronym ben-'a.khe.Ran ("son of Ocran"). The construct chains (ma.Teh 'a.Sher, "tribe of Asher"; v.Nei 'a.Sher, "sons of Asher") tightly bind the tribal designation to the personal name, a standard genealogical-administrative style.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the participial phrase cho.Nim 'a.Lav ("those encamping upon him") as οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες ἐχόμενοι αὐτοῦ ("those encamping, being next to him"), adding the participle ἐχόμενοι ("being adjacent") not present as a separate lexical item in the Hebrew, which relies solely on the preposition 'a.La plus suffix. The Vulgate uses a finite verb, fixere tentoria ("they pitched their tents"), converting the Hebrew participle into a completed past action, differing from the Hebrew's participial, descriptive aspect.