The Meaning of Numbers 1:4 Explained

Numbers 1:4

KJV: And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.

YLT: and with you there is a man for a tribe, each is a head to the house of his fathers.

Darby: And with you there shall be a man for every tribe, a man who is the head of his father's house.

ASV: And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of his fathers house.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And with you there shall be a man  of every  tribe;  every one  head  of the house  of his fathers. 

What does Numbers 1:4 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Numbers 1

1  God commands Moses to number the people
5  The princes of the tribes
17  The number of every tribe
47  The Levites are exempted for the service of the Lord

What do the individual words in Numbers 1:4 mean?

And with you there shall be a man of every tribe each one the head of house of his father is
וְאִתְּכֶ֣ם יִהְי֔וּ אִ֥ישׁ אִ֖ישׁ לַמַּטֶּ֑ה אִ֛ישׁ רֹ֥אשׁ לְבֵית־ אֲבֹתָ֖יו הֽוּא

וְאִתְּכֶ֣ם  And  with  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition, second person masculine plural
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
יִהְי֔וּ  there  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
אִ֥ישׁ  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
אִ֖ישׁ  of  every 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
לַמַּטֶּ֑ה  tribe 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַטֶּה  
Sense: staff, branch, tribe.
אִ֛ישׁ  each  one 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
רֹ֥אשׁ  the  head 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
לְבֵית־  of  house 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אֲבֹתָ֖יו  of  his  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.