Numbers 26:28

Summary

This verse introduces the descendants of Yosef ("Joseph", H3130G) as counted by their clans, then names the two divisions: Menasheh ("Manasseh", H4519G) and 'Efrayim ("Ephraim", H0669G). It functions as a heading that opens the census listing for the tribe of Joseph, split into its two constituent groups.

Key words

benei ("[the] sons of", H1121G) — masculine plural construct form of "son," here meaning "descendants of"; it opens a construct chain governing Yosef.

Yosef ("Joseph", H3130G) — proper name in the genitive-type position of the construct chain, identifying whose descendants are being listed.

mishpechotam ("their clans", H4940) — feminine plural construct noun mishpechot with the 3rd person masculine plural suffix -am ("their", H9028); this indicates the specific kinship subdivisions used for the census.

Menasheh ("Manasseh", H4519G) and 'Efrayim ("Ephraim", H0669G) — two proper names joined by the conjunction ve- ("and", H9002), appositionally specifying the two units that make up "the sons of Joseph."

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built as a construct chain: benei Yosef ("sons of Joseph") forms the head, followed by the prepositional phrase le-mishpechotam ("according to their clans"), which sets the organizing category for the list that follows in the broader census section. The names Menasheh and 'Efrayim then stand in apposition to "sons of Joseph," clarifying that this single tribal designation actually comprises two named groups. There is no finite verb in the clause — it is a nominal, list-heading construction typical of the genealogical/census style used throughout Numbers 26, where a tribal name is stated, followed by "according to their clans," and then the specific clan or sub-tribal names are enumerated.

The suffix -am on mishpechotam ("their clans") refers back to benei Yosef, tying the classification word grammatically to "the sons of Joseph" as a collective antecedent, even though what follows are two distinct tribal names rather than clan names per se. This reflects the structural pattern where Joseph's line is treated as one unit for the heading but immediately divided into the two recognized groups, Manasseh and Ephraim, each of which receives its own further clan listing in the following verses.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew text of this verse names Yosef, "their clans," Menasheh, and 'Efrayim. The Vulgate (Filii Joseph per cognationes suas, Manasse et Ephraim) and the Spanish translations (RV1909, SBLIBRE) and English BSB all render the same content, matching the Hebrew structure and names. The LXXSWETE text supplied for this reference does not correspond to the Hebrew of Numbers 26:28: it lists "sons of Aser" (Ασήρ) with different clan names (Iamein, Iesou, Baria), which belongs to a different portion of the chapter's census list rather than to the Joseph/Manasseh/Ephraim heading found in the Hebrew, Vulgate, and modern translations given here.