יַחְלְאֵלִי
a Jachleelite or descendant of Jachleel
Definition
יַחְלְאֵלִי (Yachlᵉʼêlîy) is a patronymic noun meaning 'a descendant of Jachleel' or 'belonging to the Jachleelite clan.' It refers specifically to the family line of Jachleel, who was a son of Zebulun (Genesis 46:14). The term appears only in the context of the second census of Israel in Numbers 26:26, where the Jachleelites are counted as one of the Zebulunite clans. As a patronymic, it functions to identify tribal lineage and inheritance rights within the tribe of Zebulun during the wilderness period.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exactly once in the Old Testament, in Numbers 26:26, within the list of the clans of Zebulun taken during the second wilderness census. Its usage is purely genealogical and administrative, serving to record the male descendants of Jachleel for the purpose of tribal organization and land allocation in Canaan. No other biblical passages use this specific term.
Etymology
Derived patronymically from the proper name יַחְלְאֵל (Yachlᵉʼêl, H3177), meaning 'God waits' or 'may God wait.' The suffix -ִי (-î) is a standard Hebrew patronymic ending meaning 'belonging to' or 'descendant of.' Thus, יַחְלְאֵלִי literally means 'of Jachleel.' The name Jachleel itself may be a compound of יָחַל (yachal, H3176, 'to wait, hope') and אֵל (ʼêl, 'God').
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, patronymic names like יַחְלְאֵלִי were crucial for establishing identity, lineage, and tribal affiliation. Being listed as a Jachleelite in the census of Numbers 26 tied an individual's rights and inheritance directly to their ancestral house within the tribe of Zebulun. This reflects the societal importance of genealogy and the collective identity of the 'households' that comprised the tribes of Israel, especially prior to the conquest and settlement of the Promised Land.
צְבוּלֻנִי (Tsebuluniy, H2075) — Refers broadly to any member of the tribe of Zebulun, whereas יַחְלְאֵלִי specifies a sub-clan within that tribe.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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