Numbers 26:40

Summary

The verse lists the descendants of Bela: Ard and Naaman, and names the two clans descended from them — the Ardite clan and the Naamite clan. This continues the census genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin in Numbers 26.

Key words

• va-yihyu ("and they were", H1961) — qal verb with narrative vav, opening the statement as a continuation of the preceding genealogical list.
• vnei ("descendants of", H1121G) — masculine plural noun in construct state, linking Bela to his descendants Ard and Naaman.
• mishpachat ("clan of", H4940) — feminine singular noun in construct state, appearing twice, each time introducing a clan name derived from a person's name.
• ha-'Ardi ("the Ardite", H0716) — gentilic adjective with definite article, denoting the clan-group descended from Ard, distinct from the personal name 'Ard (H0714H) used earlier in the verse.
• ha-Na'ami ("the Naamanite", H5280) — gentilic adjective with definite article, denoting the clan-group descended from Naaman, distinct from the personal name Na'aman (H5283H).

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence has two parts joined by the narrative structure typical of these census lists. The first part states that the vnei ("descendants of", H1121G) Bela were 'Ard ("Ard", H0714H) and Na'aman ("Naaman", H5283H) — two personal names joined by the conjunction ve ("and", H9002). The second part repeats each name with the preposition le ("to", H9005), followed by mishpachat ("clan of", H4940) plus a gentilic form of the same name with the definite article ha ("the", H9009): ha-'Ardi ("the Ardite", H0716) and ha-Na'ami ("the Naamanite", H5280).

This structure shows a grammatical shift: the personal names 'Ard and Na'aman become clan names through the addition of the gentilic ending and definite article, turning an individual's name into a designation for his descendant group. The construct chain mishpachat ha-'Ardi literally reads "the clan of the Ardite," meaning the clan identified with the Ardite people, not merely "Ard's clan" in a simple possessive sense.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the personal names differently from the Hebrew: where the Hebrew has Bela and lists his sons as 'Ard and Na'aman, the LXX gives "Σουτάλα" and speaks only of "τῷ Ἐδέν" with the clan "Ἐδενεί," omitting the second name (Naaman) found in the Hebrew and Vulgate. The Vulgate follows the Hebrew's two-name structure with "Hered" and "Noëman," corresponding respectively to 'Ard and Na'aman, and names the clans "Hereditarum" and "Noëmanitarum," paralleling the Hebrew ha-'Ardi and ha-Na'ami.