# clan

## Definition

Clan is another word for family or relatives. It usually refers to a group of extended family members who come from a common ancestor.

* In the Old Testament, the Israelites were counted according to their clans, or family groups.
* Clans were normally named after their most well-known ancestor.
* Individual people were sometimes referred to by the name of their clan. An example of this is when Moses' father-in-law Jethro is sometimes called by his clan name, Reuel.
* Clan could be translated as "family group" or "extended family" or "relatives."