Numbers 34:20

Summary

The verse identifies the representative appointed from the tribe of Simeon for a task described in the surrounding context (the allotment of land): Shemuel ("Shemuel", H8050H), son of Ammihud ("Ammihud", H5989H). The sentence is structured as a genealogical notice attached to a tribal designation.

Key words

• u. ("and", H9002) — the conjunction opening the verse, linking this entry to the previous one in a list of tribal representatives.
• le. ("of", H9005) — a preposition attached to "tribe," marking this clause as belonging syntactically to a series ("and for/of the tribe...").
• ma.Teh ("[the] tribe of", H4294H) — construct form, meaning it cannot stand alone grammatically but requires a following noun to complete its meaning ("tribe of X").
• be.Nei ("[the] descendants of", H1121G) — construct plural of "son," here meaning "sons/descendants of," further specifying which group's tribe is meant.
• ben- ("[the] son of", H1121A) — construct singular, used to link the personal name Shemuel to his father's name, the standard patronymic formula in Hebrew genealogical lists.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built entirely on construct chains, a grammatical feature where nouns lacking independent vocalization or standing depend directly on the noun that follows. The phrase ma.Teh be.Nei shim.'on ("tribe of the sons of Simeon") stacks two construct nouns — ma.Teh and be.Nei — before reaching the proper name shim.'on ("Simeon", H8095G), which anchors the whole chain. This construction is common in Hebrew list-style texts and produces a compact phrase meaning "the tribe of the descendants of Simeon."

The second half of the verse follows the same patronymic pattern seen throughout this chapter: personal name + ben- ("son of") + father's name. Here she.mu.'El ("Shemuel", H8050H) is identified as ben 'a.mi.Hud ("son of Ammihud"). Grammatically, this is a minimal genealogical notice with no verb — the entire verse functions as a noun clause, simply naming the tribe and its designated representative without describing any action.

Differences between versions

The proper names show orthographic variation across versions. The LXX renders she.mu.'El as "Σαλαμιὴλ" (Salamiēl), a different transliteration from the Hebrew she.mu.'El, and renders 'a.mi.Hud as "Σεμιούδ" (Semioud), differing from the Hebrew form. The Vulgate renders these names as "Samuel" and "Ammiud," staying closer to the Hebrew consonantal shape than the LXX's Greek forms.