Numbers 26:49

Summary

This verse lists two subdivisions within a larger tribal genealogy (the sons of Naphtali), naming two eponymous ancestors, Jezer and Shillem, and the clans (mishpachot) descended from each.

Key words

• le ("of/to", H9005) — preposition attached twice to introduce each ancestor's name, marking the clan as belonging "to" or descending "from" that person.
• Yetzer ("Jezer", H3337) — proper name of a male individual, the eponymous ancestor of the first clan mentioned.
• mishpachat ("clan of", H4940) — feminine singular construct noun, requiring a following genitive; it structurally links each ancestor to his descendant group.
• ha-Yitzri ("the Jezerite[s]", H3340) — gentilic noun with definite article, denoting the collective clan-name derived from Jezer's name.
• ha-Shillemi ("the Shillemite[s]", H8016) — gentilic noun with definite article, the collective clan-name derived from Shillem's name.

What the text says

The verse follows a repeating formula: preposition le + personal name + construct noun mishpachat + definite gentilic noun. This pattern appears twice, once for Jezer and once for Shillem. The construct state of mishpachat ("clan of") means it cannot stand alone grammatically — it must be followed by a genitive, here supplied by the gentilic forms ha-Yitzri and ha-Shillemi. These gentilics are built directly from the personal names Jezer and Shillem by adding the gentilic ending, producing "Jezerite" and "Shillemite" respectively.

The repeated use of the preposition le before each name signals attribution or belonging — the clan named "of the Jezerite" belongs to (or descends from) Jezer, and likewise for Shillem. The definite article ha on each gentilic noun marks these as specific, known collective groups rather than generic references. The verse contains no verb; it is a nominal list, consistent with the genealogical census structure of the surrounding chapter, where each tribal segment is enumerated by ancestor name and corresponding clan name.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew structure preposition + name + construct noun + gentilic is rendered differently across versions in word order. The Vulgate (VULCLEM) uses "a quo familia" ("from whom the family"), making the derivational relationship between ancestor and clan explicit with a relative clause, which is not present as such in the Hebrew syntax (Hebrew uses simple juxtaposition via construct chain). The LXX (Swete) preserves a structure closer to the Hebrew, using the dative τῷ ("to/for") followed by the name and δῆμος ("people/clan") plus the gentilic adjective. English and Spanish translations (BSB, RV1909, SBLIBRE) reorder the elements, placing "clan" before "from [name]," which reflects natural target-language word order but reverses the Hebrew sequence of name-then-clan-designation.