Numbers 32:25

Summary

The sons of Gad and Reuben respond to Moses, declaring that his "servants" will act according to whatever "my lord" is commanding. The verse is framed as reported direct speech, introduced by the standard narrative formula "and X said... saying."

Key words

• bene ("descendants of", H1121G) — construct plural, appears twice (for Gad and for Reuben), linking each tribal name to the head noun "sons/descendants of."
• avadeikha ("your servants", H5650 + H9021) — construct plural noun with 2nd person masculine singular suffix, meaning "servants of you," used here by the speakers to describe themselves in relation to Moses.
• ya'asu ("they will do", H6213A) — qal imperfect, denoting future or ongoing action: the servants' compliance is projected forward, not stated as already accomplished.
• adoni ("my lord", H0113 + H9020) — singular noun with 1st person singular suffix ("lord of me"), a term of deference addressed to a superior.
• metzaveh ("commanding", H6680) — piel participle, masculine singular, presenting the action as continuous or habitual: "the one who is commanding," rather than a completed past command.

What the text says

The verse opens with the narrative vav on va-yomer ("and he said," H0559), followed by the compound subject bene-Gad and u-vene-Re'uven ("sons of Gad and sons of Reuben"), both governed by the same construct noun bene. The infinitive lemor ("saying," H0559) introduces the quoted speech that follows.

Within the direct speech, the speakers refer to themselves as avadeikha ("your servants"), using the 2nd person suffix directed at Moses, while the imperfect verb ya'asu expresses what they will do going forward. The comparative clause ka'asher... metzaveh ("just as... is commanding") uses the piel participle metzaveh, which grammatically frames the command as an ongoing or present authority rather than a single completed instruction. Notably, the noun adoni carries a 1st person singular suffix ("my lord"), even though the plural group of speakers (Gad and Reuben) is addressing Moses — the Hebrew text does not shift this to a plural "our lord."

Differences between versions

The Hebrew adoni ("my lord," singular suffix) is rendered in the LXX as "ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν" ("our lord," plural) and in the Vulgate as "dominus noster" ("our lord," plural), both adjusting the singular possessive to match the plural group of speakers. Additionally, the Hebrew and Vulgate list Gad before Reuben (bene-Gad u-vene-Re'uven / "filii Gad et Ruben"), while the LXX reverses the order, naming "οἱ υἱοὶ Ῥουβὴν καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Γὰδ" (Reuben before Gad).