Numbers 26:12

These were the descendants of Simeon by their clans: The Nemuelite clan from Nemuel, the Jaminite clan from Jamin, the Jachinite clan from Jachin,

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the assembled Israelite tribes in the plains of Moab during the second census, recording tribal lineages after the wilderness generation’s judgment. The verse functions as a structural marker in a demographic inventory preceding the conquest.

The words — בְּנֵ֣י (be.Nei) translates literally to "descendants of" and מִשׁפּחַת (mish.Pa.chat) means "clan." These terms anchor the passage in genealogical documentation rather than narrative action.

The thread — Parallel genealogical records appear in Genesis 46:10, Exodus 6:15, and 1 Chronicles 4:24, which catalog Simeon’s sons and the founding patriarchs of his tribal subdivisions. These passages track the same lineage but preserve distinct transliterations for the first patriarch across the textual tradition.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition of how divine preservation operates through documented tribal structure rather than individual prominence. It asks the reader to trace continuity across generations by observing how clan names preserve ancestral identity.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] descendants of שִׁמְעוֹן֮shim.'OnSimeon לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם֒le./mish.pe.cho.Ta/mto/ clans/ their לִנְמוּאֵ֗לli/n.mu.'Elof/ Nemuel מִשְׁפַּ֙חַת֙mish.Pa.chat[the] clan of הַנְּמ֣וּאֵלִ֔יha./ne.Mu.'e.Lithe/ Nemuelite[s]לְיָמִ֕יןle./ya.Minof/ Jamin מִשְׁפַּ֖חַתmish.Pa.chat[the] clan of הַיָּמִינִ֑יhai./ya.mi.Nithe/ Jaminite[s]לְיָכִ֕יןle./ya.Khinof/ Jakin מִשְׁפַּ֖חַתmish.Pa.chat[the] clan of הַיָּכִינִֽי׃hai./ya.khi.Nithe/ Jakinite[s]

King James Version

The sons of Simeon after their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites: of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites: of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites:

Cross-references

1 Chronicles 4:24 The descendants of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul.
Genesis 46:10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
Exodus 6:15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
1 Kings 7:21 Thus he set up the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jachin, and the pillar to the north he named Boaz.