5241. Nemuel

Lexical Summary

Nemuel: Nemuel

Original Word: נְמוּאֵל
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Nmuw'el
Pronunciation: neh-moo-EL
Phonetic Spelling: (nem-oo-ale')
KJV: Nemuel
NASB: Nemuel
Word Origin: [apparently for H3223 (יְמוּאֵל - Jemuel)]

1. Nemuel, the name of two Israelites

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Nemuel

Apparently for Ymuw'el; Nemuel, the name of two Israelites -- Nemuel.

see HEBREW Ymuw'el

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
two Isr.
NASB Translation
Nemuel (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

נְמוּאֵל proper name, masculine (compare Gray^{Prop. N. 307}); —

1 son of Simeon Numbers 26:12; 1 Chronicles 4:24 (= יְמוּאֵל, q. v., Genesis 46:10; Exodus 6:15), ᵐ5 Ναμουηλ.

2 a Reubenite (brother of Dathan and Abiram) Numbers 26:9, ᵐ5 id.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Variants

The name appears in two spellings in the Hebrew text—​נְמוּאֵל (Nemuel) and the older יְמוּאֵל (Jemuel, Genesis 46:10). Both forms point to a confession that the bearer’s life is bound to the word or day of God. The shift from yod to nun is a common scribal phenomenon and does not indicate a different person when the genealogical data clearly overlap.

People Named Nemuel

1. A son of Eliab, of the tribe of Reuben (Numbers 26:9).
2. A son of Simeon, founder of the Nemuelite clan (Numbers 26:12; 1 Chronicles 4:24).

Nemuel son of Eliab (Tribe of Reuben)

Numbers 26:9 introduces him while recounting the aftermath of Korah’s rebellion: “The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram—these were the same Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the assembly, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron with the followers of Korah when they rebelled against the LORD”.
• Placement in the genealogy shows he lived during Israel’s wilderness years.
• Although his brothers Dathan and Abiram are infamous for open revolt, Scripture is silent about Nemuel’s personal role. The Reubenite census lists him without censure, suggesting mercy toward individuals who did not participate even while belonging to a compromised household.
• The mention underscores the Bible’s honesty in preserving both virtue and shame within the same family tree.

Nemuel son of Simeon (Patriarch of the Nemuelites)

Numbers 26:12 records, “The descendants of Simeon by their clans were: from Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites….” 1 Chronicles 4:24 repeats the list after Israel’s settlement: “The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul”.
• His line survived the wilderness and entered Canaan, eventually settling inside Judah’s inheritance (Joshua 19:1–9).
• The chronicler’s interest in Simeon highlights the tribe’s later dispersion, yet Nemuel’s name remains as a stabilizing point in the record.
• That the clan endured long enough to be counted again in King David’s era (1 Chronicles 4) demonstrates divine faithfulness despite Simeon’s earlier record of violence (Genesis 34).

Tribal Legacy of the Nemuelites

• Census totals in Numbers 26 show Simeon plummeting from 59,300 to 22,200—a dramatic lesson in judgment. Nemuel’s clan contributes to the remnant that survives.
• The Simeonites, including Nemuel’s descendants, migrate southward, taking pastureland as far as Gerar (1 Chronicles 4:38–43). Their expansion provides a hedge along Judah’s vulnerable flank toward Philistia and the Negev.
• The eventual absorption of Simeon into Judah foreshadows the gathering of all Israel under the house of David, hinting at the greater ingathering under David’s greater Son.

Theological Significance

1. Mercy amid Judgment: Nemuel’s inclusion after the rebellion of his brothers (Numbers 26:9) exemplifies Ezekiel 18’s principle that “the soul who sins is the one who will die.” Family guilt is not automatically imputed when personal fidelity is maintained.
2. Remnant Hope: The Nemuelites illustrate how even a diminished tribe retains a future within God’s covenant. The line is preserved for the Chronicler’s readers returning from exile, encouraging trust in God’s steadfast promises.
3. Corporate Responsibility: Both Reuben and Simeon exhibit checkered histories, yet Scripture records their sons so that each generation might weigh its own allegiance to the LORD.

Lessons for Today

• Heritage does not dictate destiny; individuals can choose obedience regardless of family record.
• Decline in numbers or influence does not negate divine purpose. A faithful minority, like the Nemuelites, can secure strategic ground and bless the wider people of God.
• Genealogies are not mere lists; they testify to God’s providence in preserving lines through which redemptive history advances, culminating in Jesus Christ, Himself traced through impeccable genealogical record (Matthew 1; Luke 3).

Related Passages

Genesis 46:10; Numbers 1:23; Numbers 26:9–12; Joshua 19:1–9; 1 Chronicles 4:24–43; Ezekiel 18:20.

Forms and Transliterations

לִנְמוּאֵ֗ל לנמואל נְמוּאֵ֖ל נְמוּאֵ֣ל נמואל lin·mū·’êl linmū’êl linmuEl nə·mū·’êl nəmū’êl nemuEl

Englishman's Concordance

Numbers 26:9
HEB: וּבְנֵ֣י אֱלִיאָ֔ב נְמוּאֵ֖ל וְדָתָ֣ן וַאֲבִירָ֑ם
NAS: of Eliab: Nemuel and Dathan
KJV: of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan,
INT: the sons of Eliab Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram

Numbers 26:12
HEB: שִׁמְעוֹן֮ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם֒ לִנְמוּאֵ֗ל מִשְׁפַּ֙חַת֙ הַנְּמ֣וּאֵלִ֔י
NAS: according to their families: of Nemuel, the family
KJV: after their families: of Nemuel, the family
INT: of Simeon to their families of Nemuel the family of the Nemuelites

1 Chronicles 4:24
HEB: בְּנֵ֖י שִׁמְע֑וֹן נְמוּאֵ֣ל וְיָמִ֔ין יָרִ֖יב
NAS: of Simeon [were] Nemuel and Jamin,
KJV: of Simeon [were], Nemuel, and Jamin,
INT: the sons of Simeon Nemuel and Jamin Jarib

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5241
3 Occurrences

lin·mū·’êl — 1 Occ.
nə·mū·’êl — 2 Occ.