Numbers 34:23

Summary

This verse names the leader appointed from the tribe of Manasseh, one of the two tribes descended from Joseph, for the task of allotting the land of Canaan. The individual named is Channi'El ("Hanniel", H2592), son of 'Efod ("Ephod", H0641).

Key words

• v.Nei ("[the] sons of", H1121G) — masculine plural construct, linking "sons" to Joseph; establishes the larger tribal grouping (the Josephite tribes) before narrowing to Manasseh specifically.
• ma.Teh ("[the] tribe of", H4294H) — masculine singular construct, the standard term for a tribal unit, here governing "sons of Manasseh."
• ve.nei- ("[the] descendants of", H1121G) — masculine plural construct, repeating the same root as word 2, showing that "tribe of Manasseh" is expressed literally as "tribe of the sons/descendants of Manasseh."
• na.Si' ("a leader", H5387A) — masculine singular noun, the title given to the appointed representative, appearing without the definite article in this construction.
• ben- ("[the] son of", H1121A) — masculine singular construct, forming the patronymic that identifies Hanniel by his father's name, Ephod.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built entirely through construct chains (noun + noun relationships) without a finite verb, since it continues a list format from the surrounding verses enumerating tribal leaders. The structure moves from the general to the specific: li-v.Nei Yosef ("of the sons of Joseph") sets the broader ancestral frame, then le-ma.Teh v.nei-Menashsheh ("of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh") narrows this to the specific tribe. Only after this double-layered genealogical framing does the text introduce the na.Si' ("leader") himself, followed by his name and patronymic: Channi'El ben-'Efod ("Hanniel son of Ephod").

The repetition of the root ben/v.Nei (H1121) three times in the verse — for "sons of Joseph," "sons of Manasseh," and "son of Ephod" — is a feature of the Hebrew that flattens in translation, since English typically varies the phrasing ("sons," "tribe," "son of") where the Hebrew reuses the same underlying term for filial or tribal descent.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders 'e.Fod ("Ephod", H0641) as Σουφί (Souphi), a different name than the Hebrew 'e.Fod. The Vulgate follows the Hebrew form, giving "Ephod." Additionally, the LXX writes the tribal name as ανασσή rather than a form matching "Manasseh" precisely, though this reflects the same tribe referenced in the Hebrew Menashsheh (H4519G).