Numbers 3:27

Summary

The verse lists the four clans descended from Kohath — the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites, and Uzzielites — and closes by identifying them collectively as "the clans of the Kohathites."

Key words

• li ("to/belonged to", H9005) — prefixed preposition attached to Qehat, marking possession: the clans belong to Kohath's lineage.
• mishPachat ("clan of", H4940) — feminine singular construct noun, repeated four times, each time governing a following gentilic name ("clan of the X-ite").
• ha'amraMi ("the Amramite", H6020) — gentilic adjective with definite article, denoting the collective group descended from Amram, not a single individual.
• 'Elleh ("these", H0428) — demonstrative particle opening the summary clause that recaps the preceding list.
• hem ("they", H1992) — third person plural pronoun reinforcing the demonstrative, functioning together as "these — they [are]."
• mishpeChot ("clans of", H4940) — plural construct form (contrasting with the singular mishPachat used earlier), summarizing all four clans as one collective category tied to haqqehaTi ("the Kohathite", H6956).

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence structure begins with ve-li-Qehat ("and to Kohath"), establishing possession before any verb appears — the four clan names that follow are grammatically dependent on this opening phrase. Each clan is introduced by the construct noun mishPachat ("clan of") followed by a gentilic adjective bearing the definite article (ha'amraMi, hayyitzhaRi, hachevroNi, ha'azzi'eLi). This repeated construct pattern creates a list format without needing repeated verbs — the implied sense is "and to Kohath [belonged] the clan of the Amramite, and the clan of the Izharite," and so on.

The final clause shifts from singular mishPachat to plural mishpeChot ("clans of"), summarizing all four named groups under one category. The double subject 'Elleh hem ("these, they") is a common Hebrew construction for emphatic identification, functioning like "these are indeed" — pointing back to the entire preceding list and forward to the collective label haqqehaTi ("the Kohathite"), the singular gentilic used to denote the whole tribal group of Kohath.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the third clan name as Sariēs (Σαριείς) rather than reflecting the Hebrew hayyitzhaRi ("the Izharite", H3325); the Vulgate's Jesaaritas and other versions listed (RV1909 "Izeharítica", BSB "Izharites") more closely follow the Hebrew form. This suggests a divergence in how the Greek tradition transmitted this particular gentilic name compared to the Hebrew textual tradition.