1 Chronicles 25:11 — Word Study
WLCהָרְבִיעִי֙ לַיִּצְרִ֔י בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר׃
BSAthe fourthrᵉbîyʻîy to IzriYitsrîy△ [a Levite, son of Jeduthun] his sonsbên [descendants, offspring] and his brothersʼâch [male siblings, relatives, a dozen, twelve] 12 [in all]shᵉnayim
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| הָרְבִיעִי֙ | the fourth | Particle |
| לַיִּצְרִ֔י | to Izri | Preposition, noun gentilic masculine singular absolute |
| בָּנָ֥יו | sons his | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| וְאֶחָ֖יו | and relatives his | Conjunction, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| שְׁנֵ֥ים | two [plus] | Noun common, both dual absolute |
| עָשָֽׂר׃ | ten | Noun common, both singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the fourth to Izri, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; |
| KJV | The fourth to Izri, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve: |
| ASV | the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve: |
| YLT | the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve; |
| WEB | the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers, twelve; |
| BBE | The fourth Izri, with his sons and his brothers, twelve; |
Where they part company is in the rendering of שְׁנֵ֥ים and עָשָֽׂר — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence is structured around a main clause with additional phrases detailing family relationships and the total count.
3 commentators on this verse
Gill, AdamClarke, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 6 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
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 25:11
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 Divisions of the Levitical Musiciansgenerated
1 Chronicles 25:11 identifies the fourth group of musicians assigned to Izri, a Levite, along with his sons and brothers, totaling twelve individuals. This verse is part of a larger passage that organizes the Levitical musicians into specific divisions, highlighting their roles and responsibilities in temple worship, as seen in the preceding verses.
Cross References
The Key Word — רְבִיעִי, ha.re.vi.'Igenerated
The word רְבִיעִי (rbiy`iy) means 'fourth' and is derived from the root for 'four.' It is used to indicate the ordinal position of Izri in the list of Levitical musicians. This word is commonly found in contexts where items are ranked or ordered.
In this verse, it serves to categorize Izri's group among the divisions of the Levites, emphasizing the structured nature of their roles within the temple service.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the fourth for רְבִיעִי.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause is structured around the noun phrase הָרְבִיעִי (the fourth), which acts as the subject. The prepositional phrase לַיִּצְרִ֔י (to Izri) follows, indicating to whom the fourth position belongs. This is followed by noun phrases that detail his sons and brothers, culminating in the numeral phrase שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר (twelve) that summarizes the total count.
The structure highlights the hierarchical organization of the Levitical musicians, with each group clearly defined and numbered.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates רְבִיעִי as τέταρτος (tétartos), which also means 'fourth.' This choice reflects a direct correspondence in ordinal ranking, maintaining the same structure as the Hebrew.
This consistency in translation indicates that the Greek translators aimed to preserve the original intent of the Hebrew text in their rendering.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
1 Chronicles 25:11 tells us that the fourth group of Levitical musicians was assigned to Izri, along with his sons and brothers, making a total of twelve individuals. This verse is part of a larger list detailing the organization of the Levites in their roles in temple worship.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Izri was a Levite and the son of Jeduthun, known for leading a Levitical choir.
The number twelve represents a complete group, often symbolizing God's people, as seen throughout the Bible.
The organization of the Levites ensured that temple worship was conducted properly and that each family had specific duties.
This verse contributes to the theme of establishing order and structure in worship practices among the Israelites.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the organization of the Levites about the importance of structure in worship?
- How does knowing the roles of different groups enhance our understanding of the temple practices?
- In what ways can we apply the concept of teamwork seen in this verse to our own communities?
- What significance do numbers hold in the Bible, and how can they inform our reading of scripture?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 25:11 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleVer. 11 [See comments on 1 Chronicles 25:9]
Read John Gill on 1 Chronicles 25 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 11. The fourth to Izri] The second son of Jeduthun.
Read AdamClarke on 1 Chronicles 25 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges11. Izri] See note on Zeri, 1 Chronicles 25:3.
Read Cambridge on 1 Chronicles 25 →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
the fourth to Izri, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
the fourth to Izri, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
the fourth to Izri and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
Tyndale line
The fourth to Izri, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
The fourth to Izri, he , his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
The fourth, to Izri, he, his sonnes and his brethren twelue.
Strictly literal
The fourth to Jizri; his sons and his brethren, twelve.
the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve;
the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers—twelve;
The fourth was for Yizri, his sons, and his brethren, being twelve;
the fourth fell to Izri, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number;
From the Latin
The fourth to Isari, to his sons and his brethren twelve.
Simplified
The fourth fell to Izri, his sons, and his brothers, 12 in total.
The fourth Izri, with his sons and his brothers, twelve;
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 perfectly in this verse, with all words matched in their respective translations. This alignment shows a consistent transmission of the text across these ancient witnesses.
הָרְבִיעִי֙ לַיִּצְרִ֔י בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר׃
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.
Lexicons — every word in 1 Chronicles 25:11
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.
רְבִיעִי (rbiy`iy) means 'fourth' and can also refer to a 'fourth part' or describe something as 'foursquare.' It is derived from the root word for 'four' and has both masculine and feminine forms. The term appears in contexts where ordinal numbers are used.
רְבִיעִי m., רְבִיעִית f., adj.num.ordin. fourth
base
H7243 רְבִיעִי, רְבִיעִית fourth
7243 rbiy`iy reb-ee-ee'
or rbiiy {reb-ee-ee'}; from 7251; fourth; also
(fractionally) a fourth:--foursquare, fourth (part).
see HEBREW for 07251
רְבִיעִי (re.vi.i) — fourth.
1) fourth
1a) fourth
1b) four square
1c) fourth part
Aramaic equivalent: re.vi.ay (רְבִיעִי "fourth" H7244)
Art | Adj — ParticleHTd/Aomsa
יִצְרִי (yitsriy) refers to Izri, a Levite mentioned in 1 Chronicles 25.3 as a leader of a Levitical choir. The name is derived from the root meaning 'formative' and is associated with the idea of 'my fashioner.' Izri is also noted as a brother of several other Levitical figures.
יִצְרִי n.pr.m.
chief of one of the Levitical choirs of singers
adj.gent. c. art. = subst. coll.
base
H3339 יִצְרִי, יִצְרִי
3339 Yitsriy yits-ree'
from 3335; formative; Jitsri, an Israelite: -Isri.
see HEBREW for 03335
יִצְרִי (yits.ri) — Izri.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.25.3;
son of: Jeduthun (H3038);
brother of: Obed-edom (H5654), Mattithiah (H4993H), Gedaliah (H1436I), Jeshaiah (H3470H) and Hashabiah (H2811I); also called Izri at 1Ch.25.11;
Another name of tse.ri (צְרִי "Zeri" H6874)
§ Izri = "my fashioner"
a leader of one of the Levitical sanctuary choirs
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun gentilic masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ngmsa
iz'-ri (yitsri, "creator," "former"): A man of the "sons of Jeduthun," leader of the fourth band of musicians, who served in the sanctuary (1Ch 25:11). Identical with Zeri (25:3).
(creator), a Levite leader of the fourth course or ward in the service of the house of God. (1 Chronicles 25:11) In ver. 3 he is called ZERI. (B.C. 1014.)
fasting; tribulation
→ Perhaps the same as ZERI
→ Leader of the fourth division of Levitical singers 1Ch 25:11
בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'male child' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including descendants, young animals, and even figurative uses like sparks or arrows. It can refer to members of a tribe or class and is used in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, such as in 1 Chronicles 24:26. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to build' and implies a connection to family or lineage.
בֵּן 4870 n.m. son
son, male child, born of a woman
children (male and female)
youth, young men
the young of animals
of plant shoots
fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows
member of a guild, order or class
of animals son of (the) herd
ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.
n. relat. of age
base
בְּנוֹ 1 Ch 24:26, 27 as n.pr.m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son, cf. VB & Be Öt.
done
H1121a בֵּן son . son, male child, born of a woman
. children (male and female)
. youth, young men
. the young of animals
. of plant shoots
. fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows
. . member of a guild, order or class
. of animals son of (the) herd
. ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.
. n. relat. of age
H1121b בְּנוֹ as n. pr. m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son
1121 ben bane
from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the
widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship,
including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition,
etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-)
(Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to,
(+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born,
bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X
came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of
first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, +
kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+)
people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, +
spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous
one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
see HEBREW for 01129
see HEBREW for 01
see HEBREW for 0251
בֵּן (ben) — son: child.
: child/son
בְּנוֹ (be.no) — Beno.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.26;
son of: Jaaziah (H3269);
brother of: Shoham (H7719), Zaccur (H2139I) and Ibri (H5681)
§ Beno = "his son"
the sons of Jaaziah and the sons of Merari by Jaahziah (his son)
בֵּן (ben) — son: descendant/people.
: descendant, people, tribe, nation
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : child/son
בֵּן (ben) — son: young animal.
: calf/lamb/young(ANIMAL)
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : descendant
בֵּן (ben) — son: type of.
: rebel/son(Belial)
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : people/men/nation/tribe
בֵּן (ben) — son.
: [inheriting]son/heir
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
בֵּן (ben) — son: warrior.
: warrior/son(strong)
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3ms
אָח (ach) means 'brother' and encompasses a broad range of relationships, including literal siblings, half-brothers, and metaphorical kinship. It can refer to any male relative or compatriot, and it may also imply resemblance or reciprocal relationships. The term is used in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, highlighting both familial and figurative connections.
אָח 630 n.m. brother
brother, born of same mother (& father)
indef. = relative
fig. of resemblance
in phr. one … another
base
H251 אָח brother
251 'ach awkh
a primitive word; a brother (used in the widest sense of
literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance
(like 1)):--another, brother(-ly); kindred, like, other.
Compare also the proper names beginning with "Ah-" or "Ahi-".
see HEBREW for 01
אָח (ach) — brother: male-sibling.
: male-sibling
1) brother
1a) brother of same parents
1b) half-brother (same father)
1c) relative, kinship, same tribe
1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship)
1e) (fig.) of resemblance
אָח (ach) — brother: male-relative.
: male-relative
1) brother
1a) brother of same parents
1b) half-brother (same father)
1c) relative, kinship, same tribe
1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship)
1e) (fig.) of resemblance
אָח (ach) — brother: compatriot.
: compatriot
1) brother
1a) brother of same parents
1b) half-brother (same father)
1c) relative, kinship, same tribe
1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship)
1e) (fig.) of resemblance
Conj | N-mp | Suff — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHC/Ncmpc/Sp3ms
שְׁנַ֫יִם (shnayim) means 'two' and serves as both a cardinal and ordinal number. It can denote 'both,' 'double,' or 'twice,' and is used in various combinations with other numbers. The word is derived as a dual form of שָׁנָה (shanah), which relates to the concept of pairs.
שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם 768 n.m. et f. du. two
base
H8147 שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם two
8147 shnayim shen-ah'-yim
dual of 8145; feminine shttayim {shet-tah'-yim}; two; also
(as ordinal) twofold:--both, couple, double, second, twain, +
twelfth, + twelve, + twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.
see HEBREW for 08145
שְׁנַ֫יִם (she.na.yim) — two.
1) two
1a) two (the cardinal number)
1a1) two, both, double, twice
1b) second (the ordinal number)
1c) in combination with other numbers
1d) both (a dual number)
Adj — Noun common · both dual absoluteHNcbda
עָשָׂר (asar) means 'ten' and is used exclusively in combination with other numbers to form the teen numbers (11-19), both as cardinal and ordinal forms. The entries indicate that it is derived from another Hebrew root, but do not elaborate on its etymology.
עָשָׂר, עֶשְׂרֵה ten, only after units to make num. 11-19, both cardinal and ordinal
base
H6240 עָשָׂר, עֶשְׂרֵה ten, only after units to make num. 11-19, both cardinal and ordinal
6240 `asar aw-sawr'
for 6235; ten (only in combination), i.e. -teen; also
(ordinal) -teenth:--(eigh-, fif-, four-, nine-, seven-,
six-, thir-)teen(-th), + eleven(-th), + sixscore thousand, +
twelve(-th).
see HEBREW for 06235
עָשָׂר (a.sar) — ten.
1) ten, -teen (in combination with other numbers)
1a) used only in combination to make the numbers 11-19
HNcbsa — Noun common · both singular absoluteHNcbsa