1 Chronicles 11:40 — Word Study
WLCעִירָא֙ הַיִּתְרִ֔י גָּרֵ֖ב הַיִּתְרִֽי׃ ס
BSAIraʻÎyrâʼ [a mighty warrior] the IthriteYithrîy [a descendant of Jether] GarebGârêb [meaning scorn or scorch] the IthriteYithrîy [from Jattir town]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| עִירָא֙ | Ira | Noun proper masculine |
| הַיִּתְרִ֔י | the Ithrite | Particle, noun gentilic masculine singular absolute |
| גָּרֵ֖ב | Gareb | Noun proper masculine |
| הַיִּתְרִֽי׃ ס | the Ithrite | Particle, noun gentilic masculine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, |
| KJV | Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, |
| ASV | Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, |
| YLT | Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, |
| WEB | Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, |
| BBE | Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, |
All translations agree on the names and their descriptions.
The sentence is a straightforward listing of names, emphasizing the collective identity of David's warriors.
3 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — 1 Chronicles 11:40
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — David's Mighty Warriorsgenerated
1 Chronicles 11:40 lists Ira and Gareb as part of David's elite group of warriors, the Ithrites, who were known for their bravery and loyalty. This verse emphasizes the importance of these individuals in David's military ranks, showcasing the diversity of his supporters, as seen in the surrounding verses that mention other warriors from different backgrounds.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Samuel 20:26 | and Ira the Jairite was David’s priest. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — עִירָא, 'i.Ra'generated
The name עִירָא ('i.Ra') is a proper masculine noun, referring to a notable warrior in David's service. It is derived from a root meaning 'watchful of a city,' indicating a role of vigilance and protection.
Ira is one of several individuals with this name in the Old Testament, underscoring his significance as a mighty warrior. His mention alongside Gareb highlights the valor of those who served under King David.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
All translations agree on the names presented: Ira and Gareb, both identified as Ithrites.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main structure of the verse consists of a series of noun phrases, with the finite verb implied in the context of listing. The phrases identify the warriors and their affiliations, creating a straightforward catalog format.
This structure emphasizes the collective identity of David's warriors, presenting them in a way that highlights their roles and lineage.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates עִירָא as ιρα, which retains the name without alteration, indicating a direct correspondence between the Hebrew and Greek.
The choice to keep the names unchanged suggests a respect for the original Hebrew context and the importance of these figures in the narrative.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
1 Chronicles 11:40 mentions Ira and Gareb as warriors from the tribe of Judah who served King David. They are noted for their bravery and loyalty, contributing to David's military strength during his reign.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Ira and Gareb were warriors who served King David, specifically identified as Ithrites, which indicates their lineage as descendants of Jether.
The term 'Ithrite' refers to a descendant of Jether, and it implies a connection to a group known for their excellence.
Naming these warriors highlights their importance in David's military and illustrates the diverse backgrounds of those who supported him.
These names are part of a larger narrative that showcases the loyalty and valor of David's supporters, contributing to his legacy as a king.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What qualities do you think made Ira and Gareb valuable to King David?
- How can we learn from the loyalty of David's warriors in our own lives?
- In what ways can we recognize and appreciate the contributions of those who support us?
- What does it mean to be part of a community that stands together, like David's warriors?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 11:40 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryIra the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, No JFB commentary on this verse.
Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Chronicles 11 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(40) The Ithrite.—Of Jether, one of the clans of Kirjath-jearim (1 Chronicles 2:53).
Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Chronicles 11 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges40. the Ithrite] i.e. “member of the family (or ‘clan’) of Jether.” Cp. 1 Chronicles 2:17, note.
Read Cambridge on 1 Chronicles 11 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
Tyndale line
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite;
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
Ira the Ithrite, Garib the Ithrite,
Strictly literal
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
'Ira the Yithrite, Gareb the Yithrite,
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
From the Latin
Ira a Jethrite, Gareb a Jethrite,
Simplified
Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite;
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the names listed in this verse, with all four words matched directly. This agreement shows consistency in the transmission of these names across different textual traditions.
עִירָא֙ הַיִּתְרִ֔י גָּרֵ֖ב הַיִּתְרִֽי׃ ס
4 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in 1 Chronicles 11:40
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
עִירָא (Iyra') refers to a name meaning 'watchful of a city.' It is associated with three individuals from the time of the United Monarchy, all of whom were notable figures in King David's circle, including one of his great officers and two of his mighty warriors. The name is derived from the root meaning 'wakefulness.'
עִירָא n.pr.m.
of David
heroes of David
base
H5896 עִירָא
5896 `Iyra' ee-raw'
from 5782; wakefulness; Ira, the name of three
Israelites:--Ira.
see HEBREW for 05782
עִירָא (i.ra) — Ira.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, only mentioned at 2Sa.20.26
§ Ira = "watchful of a city"
1) the Jairite, one of David's great officers
2) one of David's mighty warriors
3) a Tekoite, son of Ikkesh, and another of David's mighty warriors
עִירָא (i.ra) — Ira.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.23.26;
son of: Ikkesh (H6142)
§ Ira = "watchful of a city"
1) the Jairite, one of David's great officers
2) one of David's mighty warriors
3) a Tekoite, son of Ikkesh, and another of David's mighty warriors
עִירָא (i.ra) — Ira.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.23.38
§ Ira = "watchful of a city"
1) the Jairite, one of David's great officers
2) one of David's mighty warriors
3) a Tekoite, son of Ikkesh, and another of David's mighty warriors
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
i'-ra (`ira'; Eiras):
(1) A person referred to in 2Sa 20:26 as "priest" (so the Revised Version (British and American) correctly; the King James Version "a chief ruler," the American Standard Revised Version "chief minister") unto David. The translation of the Revised Version (British and American) is the only possible one; but, according to the text, Ira was "a Jairite," and thus of the tribe of Manasseh (Nu 32:41) and not eligible to the priesthood. On the basis of the Peshitta some would correct "Jairite" of 2Sa 20:26 into "Jattirite," referring to Jattir, a priestly city within the territory of Judah (Jos 21:14). Others point to
Ira
Citizen; wakeful. (1.) A Tekoite, one of David’s thirty warriors (2 Sam. 23:26).
(2.) An Ithrite, also one of David’s heroes (2 Sam. 23:38).
(3.) A Jairite and priest, a royal chaplain (2 Sam. 20:26) or confidential adviser (comp. 2 Sam. 8:18; 1 Chr. 18:17).
(watchful of a city). "The Jairite," named in the catalogue of David’s great officers. (2 Samuel 20:26) One of the heroes of David’s guard. (2 Samuel 23:38; 1 Chronicles 11:40) Another of David’s guard, a Tekoite, son of Ikkesh- (2 Samuel 23:26; 1 Chronicles 11:28) (B.C. 1046-1014.)
watchman; making bare; pouring out
יִתְרִי (Yithriy) refers to an Ithrite, a descendant of Jether. The term is patronymically derived from another Hebrew word and is associated with the idea of a remnant or excellence. It appears in the context of individuals in the Old Testament, specifically noted in 2 Samuel 23:38.
יִתְרִי adj.gent., alw. c. art.
base
H3505 יִתְרִי
3505 Yithriy yith-ree'
patronymically from 3500; a Jithrite or descendant of
Jether:--Ithrite.
see HEBREW for 03500
יִתְרִי (yit.ri) — Ithrite.
Someone descended from Ithar(?), first mentioned at 2Sa.23.38
§ Ithrite = "a remnant: excellence"
a descendant of Jether
Art | Ngmsa — Particle · noun gentilic masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ngmsa
Ithrite
Two of David’s warriors so designated (2 Sam. 23:38; 1 Chr. 11:40).
(belonging to Jether), The, the designation of two of the members of David’s guard, Ira and Gareb. (2 Samuel 23:38; 1 Chronicles 11:40) They may have come from Jattir, in the mountains of Judah. (B.C 1046.)
גָּרֵב (Gareb) refers to a name meaning 'scabby.' It denotes both a man, one of David's heroes mentioned in 2 Samuel 23:38, and a hill located southwest of Jerusalem. The word is derived from a root related to the concept of being scabby, linking the name to its physical connotation.
גָּרֵב
n.pr.m. one of David’s heroes
n.pr.loc. hill of Gareb, appar. close to Jerusalem on the SW.
base
H1619 גָּרֵב
1619 Gareb gaw-rabe'
from the same as 1618; scabby; Gareb, the name of an
Israelite, also of a hill near Jerusalem:--Gareb.
see HEBREW for 01618
גָּרֵב (ga.rev) — Gareb.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.23.38
§ Gareb = "scabby"
1) one of the heroes of David's army
2) a hill near Jerusalem, apparently southwest
גָּרֵב (ga.rev) — Gareb.
§ Gareb = "scabby"
a hill near Jerusalem, apparently southwest
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
Gareb
Scabby; itch. (1.) One of David’s warriors (2 Sam. 23:38), an Ithrite.
(2.) A hill near Jerusalem (Jer. 31:39), probably the hill of lepers, and consequently a place outside the boundary of the city.
(scabby), one of the heroes of David’s army. (2 Samuel 23:38)
a scab
יִתְרִי (Yithriy) refers to an Ithrite, a descendant of Jether. The term is patronymically derived from another Hebrew word and is associated with the idea of a remnant or excellence. It appears in the context of individuals in the Old Testament, specifically noted in 2 Samuel 23:38.
יִתְרִי adj.gent., alw. c. art.
base
H3505 יִתְרִי
3505 Yithriy yith-ree'
patronymically from 3500; a Jithrite or descendant of
Jether:--Ithrite.
see HEBREW for 03500
יִתְרִי (yit.ri) — Ithrite.
Someone descended from Ithar(?), first mentioned at 2Sa.23.38
§ Ithrite = "a remnant: excellence"
a descendant of Jether
Art | Ngmsa — Particle · noun gentilic masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ngmsa
Ithrite
Two of David’s warriors so designated (2 Sam. 23:38; 1 Chr. 11:40).
(belonging to Jether), The, the designation of two of the members of David’s guard, Ira and Gareb. (2 Samuel 23:38; 1 Chronicles 11:40) They may have come from Jattir, in the mountains of Judah. (B.C 1046.)