Numbers 26:36

Summary

The verse records a genealogical entry within the tribal lists of Numbers 26: the descendants of Shuthelah are named, specifically one line traced through Eran, whose descendants formed the clan known as "the Eranite." The verse functions as a single entry in a longer list of tribal subdivisions.

Key words

• 'Eleh ("these", H0428) — demonstrative particle opening the genealogical formula, pointing forward to the list that follows.
• bene ("descendants of", H1121G) — masculine plural construct form, meaning it must be followed by another noun; here it introduces the line of Shuthelah's offspring.
• Shuthelach ("Shuthelah", H7803G) — proper name, the father figure whose lineage is being traced.
• mishpachat ("clan of", H4940) — feminine singular construct, linking the abstract noun "clan" directly to the following gentilic term.
• ha-'Erani ("the Eranite", H6198) — gentilic noun with definite article, denoting the collective clan-name derived from the ancestor Eran.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built on two construct chains. The first, bene Shuthelach ("sons of Shuthelah"), sets up an expected list of descendants. Rather than continuing with a second construct noun, the text shifts to the preposition le ("of/belonging to") before 'Eran ("Eran", H6197) — a formula used repeatedly in Numbers 26 to introduce each son's name within a list, functioning almost like a bullet-point marker rather than a full sentence connector. This means the verse structurally says "these are the sons of Shuthelah: [belonging to him is] Eran" rather than a direct predication.

The second half forms another construct chain, mishpachat ha-'Erani ("the clan of the Eranite"), where the gentilic ha-'Erani is built from the personal name Eran with the addition of the gentilic ending and the definite article. This grammatical move converts a personal name into the label for a kinship/clan group, a common device in the Numbers 26 census lists where individual ancestors become eponyms for their descendant clans.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate renders the le- construction as a full clause, "filius Suthala fuit Heran" ("the son of Suthala was Heran"), turning the elliptical Hebrew list-marker into an explicit statement of filiation, and adds "a quo familia Heranitarum" ("from whom the family of the Heranites [came]"), making explicit the derivation that the Hebrew construct chain mishpachat ha-'Erani leaves implicit.

The Greek text supplied (Συμαέρ, Ὅφερ) does not correspond to the names Shuthelah or Eran found in the Hebrew of this verse; the LXX text given here reflects different proper names, indicating a divergence in the textual material aligned to this verse rather than a translation variant of the same names.