Numbers 34:25

Summary

Numbers 34:25 names the leader appointed from the tribe of Zebulun to take part in the allocation of land in Canaan. The verse identifies him as Elizaphan, son of Parnach, continuing the list of tribal representatives given in this chapter.

Key words

• ma.Teh ("[the] tribe of", H4294H) — masculine singular construct noun, linking directly to the following genealogical phrase "descendants of Zebulun."
• ve.nei- ("[the] descendants of", H1121G) — masculine plural construct of "son," forming the standard construct chain "tribe of the sons of Zebulun."
• na.Si' ("a leader", H5387A) — masculine singular noun, here functioning appositionally to introduce the named individual as the tribal representative.
• ben- ("[the] son of", H1121A) — masculine singular construct, forming the patronymic "Elizaphan son of Parnach."
• 'e.li.tza.Fan ("Elizaphan", H0469H) — proper name, the individual designated as nasi for Zebulun.

What the text says

The verse opens with the conjunction u ("and", H9002) attached to the preposition le ("of", H9005), which together mark this as a continuation of a list — each tribe introduced with "and of the tribe of...". The construct chain ma.Teh ve.nei-zevulun ("tribe of the sons of Zebulun") follows the same syntactic pattern used throughout this chapter's roster: tribe name is expressed not as a simple noun but through a double construct — "tribe of" governing "sons of" governing the personal/tribal name "Zebulun" (H2074).

After the tribal designation, the noun nasi ("a leader", H5387A) stands in apposition, without the definite article, functioning as a title rather than a fully specified office in this immediate clause — the specificity comes from the following personal name. The name Elizaphan (H0469H) is then identified through the patronymic construct ben-Parnach ("son of Parnach", H1121A + H6535), a formula consistently used in this chapter to distinguish each leader by his father's name. The grammatical structure — construct chains stacked upon each other — is typical of Hebrew list-formulas and produces a terse, formulaic rhythm rendered in Hebrew without any verb, the entire verse being a nominal clause.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate (VULCLEM) omits the noun corresponding to nasi ("a leader", H5387A) altogether, moving directly from "De tribu Zabulon" to the name "Elisaphan filius Pharnach," while the Hebrew and the LXX (ἄρχων) both preserve a term for "leader/ruler." The LXX renders nasi as ἄρχων ("ruler"), matching the Hebrew's appositional title, whereas the Vulgate's structure implicitly assumes the leadership role without stating it lexically.