Numbers 4:36

Paleo Hebrew Niqqud

RBT Hebrew Interlinear:

ויהיו וַיִּהְיוּ

and they are becoming

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ו

wāw

Definition

sequential 'and'

Root

From H8505; a prefix

Exhaustive

Vav Conversive/Consecutive: The category “vav conversive / vav consecutive” is not an ancient grammatical datum; it is a modern explanatory construct, developed by early Hebraists to force Biblical Hebrew into a Latin/chronological tense model that it simply does not share.

The notion arose in early modern grammar (17th–19th c.) when scholars assumed:
- verbs must encode tense,
- narratives must advance by past → present → future,
- therefore Hebrew forms that “don’t behave” must be converted.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

היה

hâyâh

Definition

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

Root

a primitive root (compare H1933 (הוא));

Exhaustive

a primitive root (compare הוא); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary); beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H1961

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

הָיָה

verb • Root היה • Strongs / High • Page 397

To be, to exist, to live, to become. A substantive verb used to unite a subject and predicate. It can also mean to happen, to arise, or to belong to. Used in a wide variety of grammatical constructions.

הָיָה

verb • Root היה • Strongs / High • Page 591

To be, to become, to exist. The common Hebrew verb for 'to be', considered the root of the divine name.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

הַיָּה

noun feminine • Page 185

Keri הַוָּה suffering, calamity. Job 6: 2; 30: 13.

הָיָה

verb • Page 184

1. To be (Ex. 20:3, Num. 10:31, etc.); 2. to become (Ex. 4:4, Hos. 3:3, etc.); 3. to happen (Is. 19:15).

conjunctive, Verb Qal sequential imperfect third person masculine plural

LXX: ἔσται ἐγένετο ἦν ἐγενήθη ἔσονται

LXX Usage Statistics

H1961:

ἔσται 827× (22.9%)

ἐγένετο 634× (16.8%)

ἦν 280× (7.9%)

ἐγενήθη 215× (5.8%)

ἔσονται 160× (4.5%)

ἦσαν 134× (3.8%)

ἐγένοντο 83× (2.3%)

'' 74× (1.9%)

--- 73× (2.2%)

εἶναι 67× (1.7%)

פקדיהם פְקֻדֵיהֶם

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

פקד

pâqad

Definition

to visit (with friendly or hostile intent); by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit, etc.

Root

a primitive root;

Exhaustive

a primitive root; to visit (with friendly or hostile intent); by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit, etc.; appoint, [idiom] at all, avenge, bestow, (appoint to have the, give a) charge, commit, count, deliver to keep, be empty, enjoin, go see, hurt, do judgment, lack, lay up, look, make, [idiom] by any means, miss, number, officer, (make) overseer, have (the) oversight, punish, reckon, (call to) remember(-brance), set (over), sum, [idiom] surely, visit, want.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H6485

הם

Definition

their, personal posessive - noun suffix: 3rd person masculine plural

Root

Exhaustive

Personal posessive pronoun - suffix for nouns, adjectives and passive participles: 3rd person masculine plural

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H9028

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

פָּקַד

verb • Root פקד • Strongs / High • Page 1187

To examine, number, muster (Hothpaal: to be mustered, numbered). Fundamentally: to break through or to open (derived from the analogous Arabic roots).

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

פָּקַד

verb • Page 550

1. to look on or after a thing. 2. to visit (sometimes with a present). 3. to examine, prove. 4. to visit, punish. 5. to number, review, muster. 6. to miss in reviewing. 7. to give oversight, to place a person over anything. 8. to give commission, to command. 2 K. 9: 34; Jer. 23: 2; Ps. 17: 3; Job 31: 14; Num. 1: 44.

פָּקַד

verb • Root פקד • Page 551

To visit, look after, appoint. (Continuation of entry from previous page). Forms on this page include Niph. (pass. of Kal no. 4), Pi. (to muster), Pu. (to be numbered, to be missed), Hiph. (to appoint, to lay down/commit), Hoph. (to be punished, to be appointed over, to be deposited with), Hithpa. (to be numbered), and Hothpa.

Verb Qal participle passive masculine plural construct, Suffix pronominal third person masculine plural

LXX: ἐπίσκεψισ ἐπεσκέψατο ἐπεσκεμμένοι ἐπισκέψομαι ἐκδικήσω

LXX Usage Statistics

H6485a:

ἐπίσκεψισ 29× (8.3%)

ἐπεσκέψατο 21× (6.6%)

ἐπεσκεμμένοι 17× (4.9%)

ἐπισκέψομαι 14× (4.5%)

ἐκδικήσω 14× (4.2%)

κατέστησεν 13× (4.1%)

ἐπεσκέπησαν 12× (3.8%)

ἐπισκέψεωσ 10× (2.8%)

ἐπισκέψασθε 7× (2.4%)

ἐπίσκεψαι 6× (1.9%)

למשפחתם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ל

lə

Definition

to, for

Root

A primitive particle; a prefix

Exhaustive

(lamed) — to / toward / for

Core value: orientation, directionality, belonging
ל is often mistranslated as purpose (“in order to”), but that smuggles in future-time. In reality, ל marks:
- movement toward,
- dedication unto,
- reference with respect to.
Aonically, ל is vectorial, not teleological.
not “for the sake of a future outcome”
but “oriented toward a locus or pole.”
This is why possession (“belongs to”) and motion (“toward”) use the same preposition: both indicate relational alignment, not time.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

משפחה

mishpâchâh

Definition

a family, i.e. circle of relatives; figuratively, a class (of persons), a species (of animals) or sort (of things); by extension a tribe or people

Root

from H8192 (שפה) (compare H8198 (שפחה));

Exhaustive

from שפה (compare שפחה); a family, i.e. circle of relatives; figuratively, a class (of persons), a species (of animals) or sort (of things); by extension a tribe or people; family, kind(-red).

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H4940

הם

Definition

their, personal posessive - noun suffix: 3rd person masculine plural

Root

Exhaustive

Personal posessive pronoun - suffix for nouns, adjectives and passive participles: 3rd person masculine plural

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H9028

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

שֶׁפַח

concept / noun • Root שפח • Consonantal / Low • Page 1469

shed, blood; figuratively to break out, of pustules, leprosy.

Matched via prefix/suffix stripped stem

שָׁפַח

verb • Root שפח • Consonantal / Low • Page 1468

(Not used) intransitive. To be attached, to associate, of the members of a family and domestics; to be related.

Matched via prefix/suffix stripped stem

שִׁפַּח

verb piel • Root שפח • Consonantal / Low • Page 1469

To make break out, i. e. to cover with leprosy; perhaps to make empty.

Matched via prefix/suffix stripped stem

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

מִשְׁפָּחָה

noun feminine • Root שפח • Page 416

1. a kind, species, of animals. Gen. 8: 19. 2. a tribe. Gen. 10: 18. 3. a subdivision of a tribe, a family. Ex. 6: 14.

Preposition, Noun common feminine plural construct, Suffix pronominal third person masculine plural

LXX: δῆμοσ δήμουσ δῆμοι --- δήμου

LXX Usage Statistics

H4940:

δῆμοσ 75× (27.0%)

δήμουσ 66× (20.5%)

δῆμοι 16× (5.8%)

--- 14× (5.1%)

δήμου 14× (4.2%)

φυλῆσ 10× (2.8%)

φυλὴ 9× (2.9%)

συγγενείασ 9× (2.6%)

πατριαὶ 7× (2.3%)

φυλαὶ 6× (1.8%)

אלפים אַלְפַּ֕יִם

thousands

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

אלף

ʼeleph

Definition

hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousand

Root

prop, the same as H504 (אלף);

Exhaustive

prop, the same as אלף; hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousand; thousand.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H505

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

אֶלֶף

noun masculine • Strongs_Numbers • Page 143

Oxen, heifers, cattle for the yoke; tame house-animals; the name of the first letter of the alphabet.

אֶלֶף

numeral / noun masculine • Root אלף • Strongs_Numbers • Page 144

As a numeral, a thousand; properly the union of many individuals, a mass; then fixed to a definite number.

אֶלֶף

noun masculine • Root אלף • Strongs_Numbers • Page 144

Properly a union of family members, therefore association of the members of a family or tribe, larger communities into which every race was divided; a smaller division of a tribe or race.

אֶלֶף

noun proper • Root אלף • Strongs_Numbers • Page 144

A city in Benjamin's territory (Josh. 18, 28).

אֶלֶף

unknown • Strongs_Numbers • Page 145

see אַלּוּף

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

אֶלֶף

masc. epicene / dec. vi. b. • Root אלף • Page 54

I. ox, animal of the ox kind. Deut. 7: 13. 28: 4. Ps. 8: 8. Perhaps denoting literally tame cattle.

אֶלֶף

m. prim. dec. vi. b. • Page 54

II. 1. thousand. Dual אַלְפַּיִם. Plur. אֲלָפִים. 2. family, subdivision of a tribe, originally of a thousand, i. q. מִשְׁפָּחָה. Judg. 6: 15. 1 Sam. 10: 19. 23: 23.

Adjective cardinal number both dual absolute

LXX:

LXX Usage Statistics

H0505:

No stats available

שבע שְׁבַע

seven

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

שבע

shebaʻ

Definition

seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number

Root

or (masculine) (שבעה); from H7650 (שבע); a primitive cardinal number;

Exhaustive

or (masculine) (שבעה); from שבע; a primitive cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number; ([phrase] by) seven(-fold),-s, (-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare שבענה.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H7651

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

שֶׁבַע

numeral • Strongs / High • Page 1041

Seven (Comparative example for interchange with Ayin, corresponding to 'septem' in context)

שֶׁבַע

numeral / noun masculine / noun proper • Strongs / High • Page 1376

1. (Numeral) Seven; used generally as a figure for the number seven. 2. (n. m.) A Covenant or an Oath. 3. (n. p.) Part of a place name, like Beer-sheba (בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע).

שֶׁבַע

numeral cardinal / adv. • Strongs / High • Page 1375

Seven (masculine numeral). Used cardinally, as an ordinal, or adverbially meaning seven times/often. Also denotes the sacred number seven.

שֶׁבַע

numeral cardinal • Strongs / High • Page 1377

seven (numeral card. f., absolute or construct state).

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

שָׂבַע

verb • Root שבע • Page 634

3. rich or abounding in any thing. Deut. 33:23. Job 14:1. 10:15.

שָׂבַע

m. verbal • Root שבע • Page 634

1. satiety. Ex. 16:3. 2. fullness. Ps. 16:11.

שֹׂבַע

m. verbal • Root שבע • Page 634

satiety, hence abundance, plenty. Prov. 3: 10. Gen. 41:29 ff.

שָׂבַע and שָׂבֵעַ

verb • Page 633

1. To be satisfied, satiated, or filled, particularly with food (Am. 4:8, Prov. 30:16, Ps. 104:16). 2. To be tired, weary, or disgusted (Is. 1:11, Job 7:4, Prov. 25:17). Includes Pi'el and Hiph'il forms meaning 'to satisfy' (Ezek. 7:19, Ps. 107:9).

שֶׁבַע

f. const. שְׁבַע and שִׁבְעָה / const. שִׁבְעַת • Page 652

1. seven, placed before or after a noun. Often used as a round or sacred number (Gen. 8:10, Num. 23:1, Job 1:2, Gen. 21:28). 2. seven times, usually as an indefinite round number (Ps. 119:164, Prov. 24:16).

שֶׁבַע

proper name • Root שבע • Page 652

Gen. 26:33. proper name of a well so called from an oath (שְׁבוּעָה).

Adjective cardinal number both singular construct

LXX: ἑπτὰ ἑπτακόσιοι ἑπτά ἑπτάκισ ''

LXX Usage Statistics

H7651:

ἑπτὰ 227× (50.6%)

ἑπτακόσιοι 26× (5.7%)

ἑπτά 21× (4.5%)

ἑπτάκισ 19× (4.5%)

'' 15× (3.0%)

τριάκοντα 9× (1.7%)

εἴκοσι 9× (1.8%)

ἑβδόμῳ 9× (1.6%)

ἑκατὸν 7× (1.7%)

ἑβδόμῃ 6× (1.4%)

מאות מֵאוֹת

hundred

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

מאה

mêʼâh

Definition

a hundred; also as a multiplicative and a fraction

Root

or מאיה; properly, a primitive numeral

Exhaustive

or מאיה; properly, a primitive numeral; a hundred; also as a multiplicative and a fraction; hundred((-fold), -th), [phrase] sixscore.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H3967

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

מֵאָה

f. noun • Root מאה • Strongs / High • Page 798

A multitude, a heap; then a hundred, either as a large round sum or a definite number. Its dual form מָאתַיִם means two hundred, and its plural מֵאוֹת means hundreds.

מֵאָה

numeral noun / f. • Strongs / High • Page 799

A hundred; a hundred-fold; the hundredth. Also used to denote extent or greatness, as in מִגְדַּל הַמֵּאָה (tower of extent, giant-tower).

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

מֵאָה

f. const. מְאַת / dec. xi. b. • Page 351

a hundred. Includes various forms like dual מָאתַיִם and plur. מֵאוֹות. (Gen. 17:17, 25:7; Prov. 17:10; Ecc. 8:12). Also prob. interest, usury (Neh. 5:11). Also proper name of a tower in Jerusalem (Neh. 3:1, 12:39).

Adjective cardinal number feminine plural absolute

LXX: ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι πεντήκοντα τριάκοντα διακόσιοι

LXX Usage Statistics

H3967:

ἑκατὸν 146× (18.2%)

εἴκοσι 46× (5.0%)

πεντήκοντα 44× (4.5%)

τριάκοντα 39× (4.3%)

διακόσιοι 38× (4.8%)

ἑξακόσιοι 33× (4.1%)

πέντε 25× (2.1%)

ἑπτακόσιοι 23× (2.8%)

δύο 22× (1.9%)

τριακόσιοι 21× (2.7%)

וחמשים וַחֲמִשִּׁים׃

and fifty

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ו

wə

Definition

and

Root

From H8505; a prefix

Exhaustive

The conjunctive ו is not merely a fixed coordinator with a stable semantic value (“and/but/or/then”). Its core function is linkage, not meaning. It binds units into a single discourse field—phrases, clauses, or whole scenes—while leaving the logical relation to be inferred from aspect, word order, genre, and context.

So the variability in translation (“and / but / or / even / then”) is not polyvalence in the particle; it is underspecification by design. The language expects the reader/hearer to perceive the relation rather than have it encoded.

Crucially, conjunctive ו does not imply temporal sequence. It implies continuity of attention. Think of it as:
- “this belongs with what precedes,”
- “remain within the same frame,”
“do not reset the discourse.”
This is why Hebrew can chain dozens of clauses with ו without subordination or explicit logic markers. The text advances by accumulation, not by branching syntactic trees. Meaning arises from the interaction:
- Aspect (qatal / yiqtol / participle),
- Position (fronted elements, resumptive nouns),
- Genre (law, narrative, oracle),
- Context (who speaks, to whom).
The ו simply keeps the circuit closed so these cues can operate together. Remove tense assumptions, and the system becomes coherent.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

חמשים

chămishshîym

Definition

fifty

Root

multiple of H2568 (חמש);

Exhaustive

multiple of חמש; fifty; fifty.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H2572

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

חִמֵּשׁ

verb • Root חמש • Consonantal / Low • Page 501

To take the fifth part; to exact a fifth part as a tax.

Matched via prefix/suffix stripped stem

חָמֵשׁ

numeral / cardinal / feminine • Root חמש • Consonantal / Low • Page 501

Five (feminine cardinal number).

Matched via prefix/suffix stripped stem

חָמַשׁ

transitive verb • Root חמש • Consonantal / Low • Page 500

(not used) A transitive verb stem assumed for the numeral five (חָמֵשׁ), in the sense of 'to comprehend' or 'to pack together'.

Matched via prefix/suffix stripped stem

חָמַשׁ

intransitive verb • Root חמש • Consonantal / Low • Page 500

(not used) 1. To be thick, fat (of the paunch or abdomen). 2. Figuratively, to be firm, strong, powerful, vigorous.

Matched via prefix/suffix stripped stem

חָמֻשׁ

adjective • Root חמש • Consonantal / Low • Page 501

Armed, girt, equipped for battle. An adjective form suggested from the plural חֲמֻשִּׁים, used to describe an army on the march.

Matched via prefix/suffix stripped stem

חֹמֶשׁ

masculine noun • Root חמש • Consonantal / Low • Page 501

1. A fifth, the fifth part of a thing, often as tribute. 2. Paunch, abdomen.

Matched via prefix/suffix stripped stem

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

חֲמֻשִׁים

adjective • Page 236

armed, in battle-array, spoken of an army. Ex. 13:18. Josh. 1:14. 4:12. Judg. 7:11.

Conjunction, Adjective cardinal number masculine plural absolute

LXX: πεντήκοντα διακόσιοι δύο τέσσαρεσ πεντηκονταετοῦσ

LXX Usage Statistics

H2572:

πεντήκοντα 126× (53.1%)

διακόσιοι 10× (4.6%)

δύο 10× (3.6%)

τέσσαρεσ 7× (2.7%)

πεντηκονταετοῦσ 7× (3.2%)

'' 6× (2.5%)

ἑκατὸν 6× (2.8%)

πεντηκόνταρχον 6× (2.3%)

πεντηκοντάρχουσ 4× (1.6%)

ἑξακόσιοι 4× (1.9%)

RBT Translation:

No verse found

RBT Paraphrase:
No verse found

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
And they being numbered according to their families shall be two thousand seven hundred and fifty.

LITV Translation:
Their numbered ones, by their families, were two thousand, seven hundred and fifty.

Brenton Septuagint Translation:
And the numbering of them according to their families was two thousand, seven hundred and fifty.