Numbers 26:36

Study note

Setting — The text records a second-generation census of Israel’s tribes following the wilderness wanderings, specifically detailing the lineage of Ephraim’s descendants before the conquest of Canaan.

The words — The Hebrew בְּנֵי שׁוּתָלַח (bene Shuthelah) literally means “descendants of Shuthelah,” while מִשְׁפַּחַת הָעֵרָנִי (mishpachat haEraní) translates to “the clan of the Eranites.”

The thread — This genealogical structure appears immediately in Numbers 26:35 as the preceding patriarchal entry and in Numbers 26:37 as the closing summary of Ephraim’s registered clans.

Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to note that tribal identity and land inheritance were formally anchored to direct paternal lineage rather than individual achievement.

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.