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1 Chronicles 2:2 — Word Study

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WLCדָּ֚ן יוֹסֵ֣ף וּבִנְיָמִ֔ן נַפְתָּלִ֖י גָּ֥ד וְאָשֵֽׁר׃ ס

BSADanDân [a son of Jacob] JosephYôwçêph [Jehovah has added] BenjaminBinyâmîyn [son of the right hand] NaphtaliNaphtâlîy [born to Bilhah] GadGâd [the seventh son] and AsherʼÂshêr [the eighth son]

Word
Listen & take away1 Chronicles 2
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 2 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (ve.'a.Sher) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
1 Chronicles 2:2quick helps
In a sentenceThis verse lists the sons of Jacob, highlighting their significance in the formation of the tribes of Israel.
Who is speakingThe chronicler, recounting the lineage of Israel.
Where we areThe genealogical record in the opening chapters of 1 Chronicles.
The hard wordדָּן
Take awayThese names represent the foundational tribes of Israel.
3 commentators on this verse Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them › clause The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

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 2:2

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 — The Sons of Israelgenerated

1These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,
2Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
3The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanite. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, who put him to death.
4Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore to him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.

1 Chronicles 2:2 presents a list of Jacob's sons, emphasizing their roles as the ancestors of the tribes of Israel. This genealogical record serves to establish the heritage and identity of the Israelite people, connecting them to their patriarch Jacob. The names mentioned here are significant in the narrative of Israel's history, as they represent the founding fathers of the twelve tribes, each with its own distinct characteristics and territories, as further explored throughout the biblical text.


Cross References


The Key Word דָּן, dangenerated

The name דָּן (dan) means 'judge' and refers to Dan, the fifth son of Jacob and Bilhah. He is the founder of the tribe of Dan, which is known for its skills in warfare. The tribe is significant in the history of Israel, often associated with strength and valor, and is first mentioned in Genesis 30:6.

In this verse, דָּן is listed among the sons of Jacob, emphasizing his importance in the lineage of Israel. The parsing as a noun proper masculine indicates that it is a personal name, specifically referring to an individual and the tribe descended from him.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse consists of a simple noun phrase that lists the names of Jacob's sons. The structure is straightforward, with each name presented in a series, emphasizing their collective identity as the sons of Israel.

The order of the names is significant, as it reflects the familial relationships and the historical context of each tribe's origin. The use of conjunctions connects the names, indicating their equal status in the genealogical record.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates דָּן as δαν, maintaining the same name in Greek. This choice shows a direct correspondence between the Hebrew and Greek texts, indicating the importance of the name in both traditions.

The consistency in naming across both texts highlights the significance of these patriarchs in the lineage of Israel, preserving their identities through translation.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

1 Chronicles 2:2 lists the sons of Jacob: Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. Each of these names represents one of the twelve tribes of Israel, highlighting their importance in the history and identity of the Israelite people.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What is the significance of the names listed in this verse?

These names represent the foundational tribes of Israel, each with its own unique history and characteristics.

Who were Dan and Joseph?

Dan was the fifth son of Jacob and Bilhah, while Joseph was the first son of Jacob and Rachel, known for his rise to power in Egypt.

Why is Benjamin referred to as 'son of the right hand'?

The name Benjamin means 'son of the right hand,' indicating a place of honor and significance as the youngest son of Jacob.

What does it mean that these are the sons of Israel?

These sons are the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel, forming the foundation of the Israelite nation.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. How do the names of the tribes influence our understanding of Israel's history?
  2. What characteristics do you associate with each of the tribes mentioned in this verse?
  3. Why is it important to remember the lineage of the tribes of Israel?
  4. How can the stories of these patriarchs inspire us today?

Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 2:2 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. No JFB commentary on this verse.

Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Chronicles 2 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(1, 2) The sons of Israel.—The list is apparently taken from Genesis 35:23-26, where the heading is, “Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.” The chronicler omits the mothers, and puts Dan before instead of after Joseph and Benjamin, as if to hint that Dan was considered Rachel’s elder son. (See Genesis 30:6.) In the list at Genesis 46:9-23, Gad and Asher follow Zebulun, and Dan follows Joseph and Benjamin. Of course accident may have caused the transposition of Dan with Joseph and Benjamin in our list, especially as it otherwise agrees with Genesis 35:3-4.

Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Chronicles 2 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Ch. 1 Chronicles 2:1-2. The Sons of Israel (Cp. Genesis 35:22 b–26).

Read Cambridge on 1 Chronicles 2 →

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

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin; Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Dan, Joseph and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Dan, Ioseph, and Beniamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Dan, Joseph and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Nephtali, Gad, and Aser.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Dan, Joseph and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

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.

clausenoun phrase · predicateדָּ֚ןDanיוֹסֵ֣ףJosephוּandבִנְיָמִ֔ןBenjaminנַפְתָּלִ֖יNaphtaliגָּ֥דGadוְandאָשֵֽׁרAsher

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 six names matched. This alignment reinforces the reliability of the genealogical record as it has been preserved through different textual traditions.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

דָּ֚ן יוֹסֵ֣ף וּבִנְיָמִ֔ן נַפְתָּלִ֖י גָּ֥ד וְאָשֵֽׁר׃ ס

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
דָּ֚ןδανיוֹסֵ֣ףιωσηφוּבִנְיָמִ֔ןβενιαμινנַפְתָּלִ֖יνεφθαλιגָּ֥דγαδוְאָשֵֽׁר׃ סασηρ

6 of the 6 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.

1 Chronicles 2:2דָּןDanDanדָּןיוֹסֵףJosephJosephיוֹסֵףבִּנְיָמִיןand Benjamiand BenjaminבִּנְיָמִיןנַפְתָּלִיNaphtaliNaphtaliנַפְתָּלִיגָּדGadGadגָּדאָשֵׁרand Asherand Asherאָשֵׁרדִּיןto judgeto judgeדִּיןבֵּןson: childson: childבֵּןפָּתַלto twistto twistפָּתַלגּוּדto raidto raidגּוּדאָשַׁרto blessto blessאָשַׁריָסַףto addto addיָסַףיוֹסֵףJosephJosephיוֹסֵףבְּאֵרBeershebaBeershebaבְּאֵרחֲלוֹםdreamdreamחֲלוֹםמְנַשֶּׁהMosesMosesמְנַשֶּׁהגִּבְעָהGibeahGibeahגִּבְעָהמַטֶּהtribetribeמַטֶּהקֶ֫דֶשׁKedeshKedeshקֶ֫דֶשׁאָשֵׁרAsherAsherאָשֵׁררְאוּבֵןReubenReubenרְאוּבֵןחֲצִיhalfhalfחֲצִינַפְתָּלִיNaphtaliNaphtaliנַפְתָּלִיזְבוּלֻןZebulunZebulunזְבוּלֻן
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in 1 Chronicles 2:2

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.

Dan Joseph and Benjamin Naphtali Gad and Asher
דָּ֚ןdan Dan H1835 Noun proper masculine
70× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Dan was a son of Jacob and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe of Dan was known for its skills in warfare and is mentioned in the book of Genesis.
Amplified meaning
a son of Jacob
Tyndale gloss
Dan
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

דָּן (Dan) means 'judge' and refers to the fifth son of Jacob and Bilhah. It encompasses the tribe descended from him and a city located in northern Israel, significant as a landmark in Palestine. The entries consistently highlight these aspects without notable disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

דָּן n.pr.m. (judge)

son of Jacob and Bilhah

the tribe of Dan

a city on northern frontier of Israel at one of the sources of the Jordan

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1835 דָּן judge . son of Jacob and Bilhah

. the tribe of Dan

. a city on northern frontier of Israel at one of the sources of the Jordan

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1835 Dan dawn

from 1777; judge; Dan, one of the sons of Jacob; also the

tribe descended from him, and its territory; likewise a place

in Palestine colonized by them:--Dan.

see HEBREW for 01777

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

דָּן (dan) — Dan.

§ Dan = "a judge"

1) the territory of the tribe of Dan 2) a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine

דָּן (dan) — Dan.

A man of the tribe of Dan living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.30.6;

son of: Israel (H3478) and Bilhah (H1090A);

brother of: Naphtali (H5321);

half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144);

father of: Hushim (H2366B)

§ Dan = "a judge"

1) the 5th son of Jacob, the 1st of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid

2) the tribe descended from Dan, the son of Jacob

3) a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Dan

A judge. (1.) The fifth son of Jacob. His mother was Bilhah, Rachel’s maid (Gen. 30:6, “God hath judged me”, Heb. dananni). The blessing pronounced on him by his father was, “Dan shall judge his people” (49:16), probably in allusion to the judgeship of Samson, who was of the tribe of Dan.

The tribe of Dan had their place in the march through the wilderness on the north side of the tabernacle (Num. 2:25, 31; 10:25). It was the last of the tribes to receive a portion in the Land of Promise. Its position and extent are described in Josh. 19:40-48.

The territory of Dan extended from the west of that of Ephraim and Benjamin to the sea. It was a small territory, but was very fertile. It included in it, among others, the…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(a judge). The fifth son of Jacob, and the first of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid. (Genesis 30:6) (B.C. after 1753.) The origin of the name is given in the exclamation of Rachel. The records of Dan are unusually meagre. Only one son is attributed to him, (Genesis 46:23) but his tribe was, with the exception of Judah, the most numerous of all. In the division of the promised land Dan was the last of the tribes to receive his portion, which was the smallest of the twelve. (Joshua 19:48) But notwithstanding its smallness it had eminent natural advantages. On the north and east it was completely embraced by its two brother tribes Ephraim and Benjamin, while on the southeast and south it joined Judah, and was thus surrounded by the three…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A judge,

1. A son of Jacob by Bilhah, Ge 30:3 35:25. The tribe of Dan was second only to that of Judah in numbers before entering Canaan, Nu 1:39 26:43. A portion was assigned to Dan, extending southeast from the seacoast near Joppa. It bordered on the land of the Philistines, with whom the tribe of Dan had much to do, Jud 13:1-16:31. Their territory was fertile, but small, and the natives were powerful. A part of the tribe therefore sought and conquered another home, Jos 19:1-51 Jud 18:1-31

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

judgment; he that judges

Dan Joseph and Benjamin Naphtali Gad and Asher
יוֹסֵ֣ףyo.Sef Joseph H3130 Noun proper masculine
213× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Joseph means Jehovah has added, a name given to several Israelites, including the son of Jacob and Rachel. Joseph was a significant figure in the book of Genesis and the story of his brothers. He became a leader in Egypt.
Amplified meaning
Jehovah has added
Tyndale gloss
Joseph
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יוֹסֵף (Yowceph) means 'he adds' or 'increases' and refers primarily to Joseph, the eldest son of Jacob and Rachel. The name appears in various contexts, including other individuals named Joseph, such as a man of Issachar, a son of Asaph, and a priest. The entries highlight his familial relationships and roles during different periods, including the Exile and Return.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יוֹסֵף 212 and יְהוֹסֵף n.pr.m. (he adds, increases)

elder son of Jacob and Rachael

a man of Issachar

a son of Asaph

one of those who took strange wives

a priest

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3130 יוֹסֵף and יְהוֹסֵף (he adds, increases) . elder son of Jacob and Rachael

. a man of Issachar

. a son of Asaph

. one of those who took strange wives

. a priest

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3130 Yowceph yo-safe'

future of 3254; let him add (or perhaps simply active

participle adding); Joseph, the name of seven

Israelites:--Joseph. Compare 3084.

see HEBREW for 03254

see HEBREW for 03084

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יוֹסֵף (yo.seph) — Joseph.

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.30.24;

son of: Israel (H3478) and Rachel (H7354);

brother of: Benjamin (H1144);

half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783); married to Asenath (H0621);

father of: Manasseh (H4519) and Ephraim (H0669); also called Zaphenath-paneah at Gen.41.45;

§ Joseph = "Jehovah has added"

1) the eldest son of Jacob by Rachel

2) father of Igal, who represented the tribe of Issachar among the spies

3) a son of Asaph

4) a man who took a foreign wife in the time of Ezra

5) a priest of the family of Shebaniah in the time of Nehemiah

יוֹסֵף (yo.seph) — Joseph.

A man living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, only mentioned at Num.13.7;

father of: Igal (H3008)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Joseph

Remover or increaser. (1.) The elder of the two sons of Jacob by Rachel (Gen. 30:23, 24), who, on the occasion of his birth, said, “God hath taken away [Heb. ‘asaph] my reproach.” “The Lord shall add [Heb. yoseph] to me another son” (Gen. 30:24). He was a child of probably six years of age when his father returned from Haran to Canaan and took up his residence in the old patriarchal town of Hebron. “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age,” and he “made him a long garment with sleeves” (Gen. 37:3, R.V. marg.), i.e., a garment long and full, such as was worn by the children of nobles. This seems to be the correct rendering of the words. The phrase, however, may also be…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(increase). The elder of the two sons of Jacob by Rachel. He was born in Padan-aram (Mesopotamia), probably about B.C. 1746. He is first mentioned when a youth, seventeen years old. Joseph brought the evil report of his brethren to his father, and they hated him because his father loved him more than he did them, and had shown his preference by making a dress which appears to have been a long tunic with sleeves, worn by youths and maidens of the richer class. (Genesis 37:2) He dreamed a dream foreshadowing his future power, which increased the hatred of his brethren. (Genesis 37:5-7) He was sent by his father to visit his brothers, who were tending flocks in the fields of Dothan. They resolved to kill him, but he was saved by Reuben, who persuaded the brothers to cast Joseph into…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

1. The son of Jacob and his beloved Rachel, born in Mesopotamia, Ge 30:22-24, B. C. 1747. He is memorable for the wonderful providence of God, which raised him from a prison to be the grandvizier of Egypt, and made him the honored means of saving countless human lives. His history is one of the most pleasing and instructive in the Bible; and is related in language inimitably natural, simple, and touching. It is too beautiful for abridgment, and too familiar to need rehearsal. It throws much light on the superintending providence of God, as embracing all things, great and small in the perpetual unfolding of his universal plan. No narrative in the Bible more strikingly illustrates the protective and elevating power of the fear of God, and its especial value for the young. To behold this lovely image of filial piety and unwavering…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

increase; addition

Dan Joseph and Benjamin Naphtali Gad and Asher
וּבִנְיָמִ֔ןu.vin.ya.Min and Benjamin H1144 Conjunction · noun proper masculine
166× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Benjamin means son of the right hand, referring to the youngest son of Jacob and the tribe that descended from him. The term is first used in Genesis 35:18. Benjamin was a brother of Joseph and a half-brother of Reuben and others.
Amplified meaning
son of the right hand
Tyndale gloss
(Gate of) Benjamin
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word בִּנְיָמִין (i.e., *Binyamiyn*) means 'son of the right hand.' It refers primarily to Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, as well as to the tribe descended from him. The entries also mention a son of Bilhan and several individuals from the time of Ezra. Notably, the name is associated with various contexts in the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בִּנְיָמִין n.pr.m. 166 (son of (the) right hand)—

youngest son of Jacob, so called by him, but Rachel, the mother, who died at Benjamin's birth, called בֶּן־אוֹנִ֑י (q.v.)

son of Bilhan and great-grandson of Benjamin

a Jew of Ezra's time

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1144 בִּנְיָמִין . youngest son of Jacob, so called by him, but Rachel, the mother, who died at Benjamin's birth, called בֶּן־אוֹנִ֑י (q.v.)

. son of Bilhan and great-grandson of Benjamin

. a Jew of Ezra's time

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1144 Binyamiyn bin-yaw-mene'

from 1121 and 3225; son of (the) right hand; Binjamin,

youngest son of Jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and

its territory:--Benjamin.

see HEBREW for 01121

see HEBREW for 03225

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בִּנְיָמִין (bin.ya.min) — Benjamin.

A man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.35.18;

son of: Israel (H3478) and Rachel (H7354);

brother of: Joseph (H3130);

half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783);

father of: Bela (H1106A), Becher (H1071), Ashbel (H0788), Gera (H1617), Naaman (H5283), Ehi (H0278), Rosh (H7220), Muppim (H4649), Huppim (H2650H), Ard (H0714), Ahiram (H0297) and Jediael (H3043); also called Jamin at 1Sa.9.1,4; 22.7; 1x

§ Benjamin = "son of the right hand"

1) Jacob's and Rachel's youngest son, Joseph's full brother

2) son of Bilhan, great-grandson of Benjamin

3) a Benjamite, one of the sons of Harim, in the time of Ezra who had taken a strange wife

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun proper masculine
HC/Npm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ben'-ja-min (binyamin, or binyamin; Beniaein, Beniamin):

1. The Patriarch:

The youngest of Jacob's sons. His mother Rachel died in giving him birth. As she felt death approaching she called him Benoni, "son of my sorrow." Fearing, probably, that this might bode evil for the child--for names have always preserved a peculiar significance in the East--Jacob called him Benjamin, "son of the fight hand" (Ge 35:17 ff). He alone of Jacob's sons was born in Palestine, between Bethel and Ephrath. Later in the chapter, in the general enumeration of the children born in Paddan-ar am, the writer fails to except Benjamin (Ge 35:24). Joseph was his full brother. In the history where Benjamin appears as an object of solicitude to his father and brothers, we must not forget that he was already a…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Benjamin

Son of my right hand. (1.) The younger son of Jacob by Rachel (Gen. 35:18). His birth took place at Ephrath, on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, at a short distance from the latter place. His mother died in giving him birth, and with her last breath named him Ben-oni, son of my pain, a name which was changed by his father into Benjamin. His posterity are called Benjamites (Gen. 49:27; Deut. 33:12; Josh. 18:21).

The tribe of Benjamin at the Exodus was the smallest but one (Num. 1:36, 37; Ps. 68:27). During the march its place was along with Manasseh…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(son of the right hand, fortunate). The youngest of the children of Jacob. His birth took place on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, near the latter, B.C. 1729. His mother, Rachel, died in the act of giving him birth, naming him with her last breath Ben-oni (son of my sorrow). This was by Jacob changed into Benjamin. (Genesis 35:16,18) Until the journeys of Jacob’s sons and Jacob himself into Egypt we hear nothing of Benjamin. Nothing personal is known of him. Henceforward the history of Benjamin is the history of the tribe. A man of the tribe of Benjamin, son of bilhan, and the head of a family of warriors. (1 Chronicles 7:10) One of the "sons of Harim," an Israelite in the time of Ezra who had married a foreign wife. (Ezra…

The youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, Ge 35:16-18. Rachel died immediately after he was born, and with her last breath named him Ben-oni, the son of my sorrow; but Jacob called him Benjamin, son of my right hand. He was a great comfort to his father, who saw in him the beloved wife he had buried, and Joseph whose loss he mourned. He could hardly be persuaded to let him go with his brethren to Egypt, Ge 42:38. The tribe of Benjamin was small at first and was almost exterminated in the days of the Judges, Jud 20:1-48, but afterwards greatly increased, 2Ch 14:8 17:17. It was valiant, Ge 49:27, and "beloved of the Lord,"…

Dan Joseph and Benjamin Naphtali Gad and Asher
נַפְתָּלִ֖יnaf.ta.Li Naphtali H5321 Noun proper masculine
51× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Naphtali was a son of Jacob and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. He was born to Bilhah, Rachel's servant, and is first mentioned in Genesis 30:8. Naphtali's descendants lived in the region of Galilee.
Amplified meaning
born to Bilhah
Tyndale gloss
Naphtali
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נַפְתָּלִי (Naphtali) refers to a son of Jacob and the tribe that descended from him, as well as the territory assigned to that tribe. The name is derived from a root meaning 'my wrestling.' He is first mentioned in Genesis 30:8, and is noted to be the second son of Jacob by Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נַפְתָּלִי 61 n.pr.m. et trib. Naphtali

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5321 נַפְתָּלִי Naphtali

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5321 Naphtaliy naf-taw-lee'

from 6617; my wrestling; Naphtali, a son of Jacob, with the

tribe descended from him, and its territory:--Naphtali.

see HEBREW for 06617

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נַפְתָּלִי (naph.ta.li) — Naphtali.

A man of the tribe of Naphtali living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.30.8;

son of: Israel (H3478) and Bilhah (H1090A);

brother of: Dan (H1835H);

half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144);

father of: Jahzeel (H3183), Guni (H1476), Jezer (H3337) and Shillem (H8006)

Also named: Nephthaleim (Νεφθαλείμ "Naphtali" G3508)

§ Naphtali = "wrestling"

1) the 5th son of Jacob and the 2nd by Bilhah the handmaid of Rachel

2) the tribe descended from Naphtali the son of Jacob

3) the territory assigned to the tribe of Naphtali

נַפְתָּלִי (naph.ta.li) — (Kedesh)-naphtali.

Combined with qe.desh (קֶ֫דֶשׁ "Kedesh" H6943)

§ Naphtali = "wrestling"

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

naf'-ta-li (naphtali; Nephthaleim):

I. THE PATRIARCH

1. Name

2. Circumstances of His Birth

3. Historical and Traditional Details

II. TRIBE OF NAPHTALI

1. Its Relative Position

2. Its Location in Palestine

3. Physical Features

4. Distinction of the Tribe

5. Sites and Inhabitants

6. Labors of Jesus in This District

I. The Patriarch.

1. Name:

The 5th son of Jacob, and the 2nd born to him by Rachel's handmaid, Bilhah. He was full brother of Da (Ge 30:7).

At his birth Rachel is said to have exclaimed, naphtule 'Elohim niphtalti, "wrestlings of God"--i.e. "mighty wrestlings"--"have I wrestled."

2. Circumstances of His Birth:

Her sister's fruitfulness was a sore trial to the barren Rachel. By her artifice she had obtained children, the offspring of her maid ranking as her own; and thus her reproach of childlessness was removed. The name Naphtali given to…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Naphtali

My wrestling, the fifth son of Jacob. His mother was Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid (Gen. 30:8). When Jacob went down into Egypt, Naphtali had four sons (Gen. 46:24). Little is known of him as an individual.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(wrestling), the fifth son of Jacob; the second child name to him by Bilhah, Rachel’s slave. His birth and the bestowal of his name are recorded in (Genesis 30:8) When the census was taken at Mount Sinai the tribe of Naphtali numbered no less than 53,400 fighting men, (Numbers 1:43; 2:50) but when the borders of the promised land were reached, its numbers were reduced to, 45,400. (Numbers 26:48-50) During the march through the wilderness Naphtali occupied a position on the north of the sacred tent with Dan and Asher. (Numbers 2:25-31) In the apportionment of the land, the lot of Naphtali was enclosed on three sides by those of other tribes. On the west lay Asher, on the…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The sixth son of Jacob, by Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid, Ge 30:8. We know but few particulars of the lie of Naphtali. His sons were four, Ge 46:24. The patriarch Jacob, when he gave his blessing, said, as it is in the English Bible, "Naphtali is a hind let loose; he giveth goodly words," Ge 49:21. For an illustration of this passage, see HIND.

The tribe of Naphtali, called Nephtalim in Mt 4:15, were located in a rich and fertile portion of northern Palestine; having Asher on the west, the upper Jordan and part of the sea of Tiberias on the east; and running north into the Lebanon range, some lower offshoots of which prolonged to the south formed the "mountains of Naphtali,"…

Dan Joseph and Benjamin Naphtali Gad and Asher
גָּ֥דgad Gad H1410 Noun proper masculine
72× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Gad was the seventh son of Jacob and the founder of the tribe of Gad, which was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. He was also the name of a prophet during David's time.
Amplified meaning
the seventh son
Tyndale gloss
Gad
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גָּד (Gad) refers to a son of Jacob and Zilpah, as well as the tribe descended from him. The name means 'troop' and is associated with a prophet during David's time. Gad is first mentioned in Genesis 30:11 and is noted for his role in David's reign, including contributions to musical arrangements and involvement in census events.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גָּד 71 n.pr.m. (fortunatus?)

son of Jacob and Zilpah

a prophet in David's time

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1410 גָּד . son of Jacob and Zilpah

. a prophet in David's time

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1410 Gad gawd

from 1464; Gad, a son of Jacob, including his tribe and its

territory; also a prophet:--Gad.

see HEBREW for 01464

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גָּד (gad) — Gad.

A man of the tribe of Gad living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.30.11;

son of: Israel (H3478) and Zilpah (H2153);

brother of: Asher (H0836);

half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144);

father of: Ziphion (H6837), Haggi (H2291), Shuni (H7764), Ezbon (H0675), Eri (H6179), Arod (H0720) and Areli (H0692)

§ Gad = "troop"

1) seventh son of Jacob by Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, and full brother of Asher.

2) the tribe descended from Gad

3) a prophet during the time of David; appears to have joined David when in the hold; reappears in connection with the punishment for taking a census; also assisted in the arrangements for the musical service of the "house of God"

גָּד (gad) — Gad.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Gad

Fortune; luck. (1.) Jacob’s seventh son, by Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, and the brother of Asher (Gen. 30:11-13; 46:16, 18). In the Authorized Version of 30:11 the words, “A troop cometh: and she called,” etc., should rather be rendered, “In fortune [R.V., ‘Fortunate’]: and she called,” etc., or “Fortune cometh,” etc.

The tribe of Gad during the march through the wilderness had their place with Simeon and Reuben on the south side of the tabernacle (Num. 2:14). The tribes of Reuben and Gad continued all through their history to follow the pastoral pursuits of the patriarchs (Num. 32:1-5).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(a troop). Jacob’s seventh son, the first-born of Zilpah, Leah’s maid, and whole-brother to Asher. (Genesis 30;11-13; 46:16,18) (B.C. 1753-1740.) "The seer," or "the king’s seer," i.e. David’s (1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 29:25) was a "prophet" who appears to have joined David when in the old. (1 Samuel 22:5) (B.C. 1061.) He reappears in connection with the punishment inflicted for the numbering of the people. (2 Samuel 24:11-19; 1 Chronicles 21:9-19) He wrote a book of the Acts of David, (1 Chronicles 29:29) and also assisted in the arrangements for the…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Prosperity, fortune,

1. Son of Jacob and Zilpah, Leah’s servant, Ge 30:11. Leah called him Gad, and said, "A troop cometh." Compare Ge 49:19; but many Hebrew scholars prefer the rendering, good fortune or prosperity cometh. The tribe of Gad came out of Egypt in number forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty, Ge 46:16 Nu 1:24. After the defeat of the kings Og and Sihon, Gad and Reuben desired to have their allotment east of Jordan, alleging their great number of cattle. Moses granted their request, on condition that they should accompany their brethren, and assist in conquering the land west of Jordan, Nu 32:1-42. The…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

a band; a troop

Dan Joseph and Benjamin Naphtali Gad and Asher
וְאָשֵֽׁר׃ סve.'a.Sher and Asher H836 Conjunction · noun proper masculine
43× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Asher was the eighth son of Jacob and one of the twelve tribes of Israel, mentioned in Genesis 30:13. The tribe of Asher was known for its happy and blessed people. Asher is also the name of a region in Palestine.
Amplified meaning
the eighth son
Tyndale gloss
Asher
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָשֵׁר (Asher) refers to a son of Jacob and Zilpah, as well as the tribe descended from him. The name means 'happy' and is also associated with a city east of Shechem. The entries note that Asher is linked to the Hebrew root for happiness, but there is a mention of potential translations related to wood in Ezekiel.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָשֵׁר n.pr.m. Asher (happy one, Felix)

son of Jacob and Zilpah

the tribe

n.pr.loc. city E. of Shechem

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H836 אָשֵׁר Asher

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

836 'Asher aw-share'

from 833, happy; Asher, a son of Jacob, and the tribe

descended from him, with its territory; also a place in

Palestine:--Asher

see HEBREW for 0833

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָשֵׁר (a.sher) — Asher.

A man of the tribe of Asher living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.30.13;

son of: Israel (H3478) and Zilpah (H2153);

brother of: Gad (H1410);

half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144);

father of: Imnah (H3232), Ishvah (H3438), Ishvi (H3440), Beriah (H1283) and Serah (H8294); also translated "pine" or "cypress wood" at Ezk.27.6(?); Ashurite at 2Sa.2.9(?);

§ Asher = "happy"

1) son of Jacob and Zilpah

2) the tribe descended from Asher

3) a city east of Shechem in Manasseh

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun proper masculine
HC/Npm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Asher

Happy, Jacob’s eigth son; his mother was Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid (Gen. 30:13). Of the tribe founded by him nothing is recorded beyond its holding a place in the list of the tribes (35:26; 46:17; Ex. 1:4, etc.) It increased in numbers twenty-nine percent, during the thirty-eight years’ wanderings. The place of this tribe during the march through the desert was between Dan and Naphtali (Num. 2:27). The boundaries of the inheritance given to it, which contained some of the richest soil in Palestine, and the names of its towns, are recorded in Josh. 19:24-31; Judg. 1:31, 32. Asher and Simeon were the only tribes west of…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

a place which formed one boundary of the tribe of Manasseh on the south. (Joshua 17:7) Mr. Porter suggests that Teyasir may be the Asher of Manasseh. Handbook , p.348.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The eighth son of Jacob and second of Zilpah, Ge 30:13 35:26. On entering Canaan his tribe was the fifth in order, numbering fifty-three thousand four hundred. The portion of Asher lay along the seaboard, having Levanon and Zidon on the north, Carmel and the tribe of Issachar on the south, and Zebulun and Naphtali on the east. It was fruitful in grain, wine, oil, and minerals, Ge 49:20 De 33:24,25. How much of the Phoenician coast was included is uncertain, Jos 19:25,28; but the Asherites were unable to expel the Canaanites, and dwelt in part among them, Jud 1:31,32. They are honorably mentioned in the history of…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

happiness

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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