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1 Chronicles 26:14 — Word Study

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WLCוַיִּפֹּ֧ל הַגּוֹרָ֛ל מִזְרָ֖חָה לְשֶֽׁלֶמְיָ֑הוּ וּזְכַרְיָ֨הוּ בְנ֜וֹ יוֹעֵ֣ץ׀ בְּשֶׂ֗כֶל הִפִּ֙ילוּ֙ גּֽוֹרָל֔וֹת וַיֵּצֵ֥א גוֹרָל֖וֹ צָפֽוֹנָה׃ ס

BSAThe lotgôwrâl [a pebble or small stone used for making decisions] for the East [Gate]mizrâch [the direction of the sunrise] fellnâphal to ShelemiahShelemyâh [repaid by Jehovah] Then lotsgôwrâl [allotted portions] were castnâphal for his sonbên [a descendant or offspring] ZechariahZᵉkaryâh [Jehovah remembers] a wisesekel [having understanding and insight] counseloryâʻats [one who advises or gives guidance] and the lotgôwrâl for the North Gatetsâphôwn [the direction of Zaphon] fell to himyâtsâʼ

Word
Listen & take away1 Chronicles 26
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 14 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 (tza.Fo.nah) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
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1 Chronicles 26:14quick helps
In a sentenceThe lot for the East Gate was assigned to Shelemiah, and lots were cast for his son Zechariah, who was wise.
Who is speakingThe narrative describes the assignment of duties among the Levites.
Where we areThe passage details the process of casting lots for the gates of the temple.
The hard wordגּוֹרָל
Take awayThe casting of lots was a common practice for decision-making in ancient Israel.
6 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbנָפַל 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 26:14

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 Assignment of Temple Dutiesgenerated

13They cast lots for each gate, according to their families, young and old alike.
14The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him.
15The lot for the South Gate fell to Obed-edom, and the lot for the storehouses to his sons.
16The lots for the West Gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the ascending highway fell to Shuppim and Hosah. There were guards stationed at every watch.

1 Chronicles 26:14 describes the process of assigning duties to the Levites by casting lots for the gates of the temple, a practice rooted in ancient Israelite tradition. This verse highlights the importance of divine guidance in decision-making, as the lots determined the responsibilities of individuals like Shelemiah and his son Zechariah, who was recognized for his wisdom and counsel.


Cross References


The Key Word גּוֹרָל, ha.go.Ralgenerated

The Hebrew word גּוֹרָל (goral) refers to a 'lot' or 'portion,' commonly associated with decision-making through casting pebbles. It signifies a portion assigned by chance, reflecting the ancient practice of determining outcomes or responsibilities within the community.

This term is derived from a root meaning 'to be rough,' which connects it to the physical stones used in casting lots. The use of lots in this context underscores the belief that decisions made in this manner were influenced by divine will.


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 main verb governing the verse is וַיִּפֹּ֧ל, and it fell, which introduces the subject of the lot assigned to Shelemiah. The structure includes a series of noun phrases that describe the lots cast for Zechariah and the direction of the gates.

The syntax emphasizes the sequential action of casting lots, with the main verb leading into the details of the assignments, reflecting the orderly process of decision-making among the Levites.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates גּוֹרָל as κλῆρος (klēros), which also means 'lot' or 'portion.' This choice maintains the original concept of divinely guided decision-making through chance.

The use of κλῆρος in the Septuagint aligns with the Hebrew understanding, emphasizing the role of lots in determining responsibilities and outcomes.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

1 Chronicles 26:14 describes how the lot for the East Gate was assigned to Shelemiah, and then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, who was known for his wisdom. The lot for the North Gate was also assigned to him, showing the importance of these roles in the temple duties.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that the lot fell to Shelemiah?

It signifies that Shelemiah was chosen for a specific duty related to the East Gate, highlighting the practice of casting lots to determine responsibilities.

Who was Zechariah in this context?

Zechariah was the son of Shelemiah, recognized as a wise counselor, indicating his role in advising during the assignment of duties.

Why was casting lots important in ancient Israel?

Casting lots was a method used to seek divine guidance in decision-making, ensuring that the outcomes were seen as ordained by God.

What does the term 'wise counselor' imply about Zechariah?

It suggests that Zechariah possessed understanding and insight, making him a valuable advisor in the context of temple duties.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. How can I seek divine guidance in my own decision-making processes?
  2. What qualities make someone a wise counselor, and how can I develop those in my life?
  3. In what ways can I support others in their responsibilities, similar to how Zechariah supported the temple duties?
  4. How does understanding the cultural practices of casting lots enhance my reading of this passage?

Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 26:14 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah,.... The same with Meshelemiah, 1 Chronicles 26:1 he by lot was placed at the eastern gate, called afterwards the gate Shushan, the city Shushan being portrayed

Read John Gill on 1 Chronicles 26 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counseller, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward. No JFB commentary on this verse.

Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Chronicles 26 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

A wise counsellor; which is noted as an excellent and useful accomplishment for his office, in which there was need of wisdom as well as courage, as may appear by the description of their work, , &c. See Poole "".

Read Matthew Poole on 1 Chronicles 26 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

1 Chronicles 26:14 And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.Ver. 14. Fell to Shelemiah.] Alias Meshelemiah. So Jehoshuah the high priest is called Joshua. It is lawful to abbreviate names. A wise counsellor.] Heb., A giver of counsel with wisdom. This is a high commendation.

Read John Trapp on 1 Chronicles 26 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(14) And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah.—The courses of the sons of Shelemiah (Meshelemiah 1 Chronicles 26:1; 1 Chronicles 26:9, and Shallum 9:19) received by lot the post of honour on the east side of the Sanctuary. Then for Zechariah his son.—Heb., And Zechariah his son, counselling with sagacity, they cast lots. The preposition for may have fallen out before Zechariah; or perhaps Zechariah is the real subject of the verb “cast lots,” which is plural, because Zechariah is the name of a clan or guild. (Comp. 1 Chronicles 24:31; xxv, 8). Zechariah, the firstborn of Meshelemiah (1 Chronicles 26:2), obtained the charge of the north side “They cast lots” may mean drew a lot from the urn. A…

Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Chronicles 26 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

14. Shelemiah] i.e. Meshelemiah, 1 Chronicles 26:1-2. wise counseller] R.V. discreet counsellor.

Read Cambridge on 1 Chronicles 26 →

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

The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

The lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counselor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him.

NETBNew English Translation2006

The lot for the east gate went to Shelemiah. They then cast lots for his son Zechariah, a wise adviser, and the lot for the north gate went to him.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a discreet counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a discreet counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counselor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And the lot on the East side fel to Shelemiah: then they cast lottes for Zechariah his sonne a wise couseller, and his lot came out Northward:

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah; and they cast lots for Zechariah his son, a wise counsellor, and his lot came out northward;

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And the lot falleth eastward to Shelemiah; and [for] Zechariah his son — a counsellor with understanding — they cause to fall lots, and his lot goeth out northward:

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And the lot falls eastward to Shelemiah; and [for] his son Zechariah, a counselor with understanding, they cause lots to fall, and his lot goes out northward;

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And the lot at the east fell for Shelemyahu. And for Zecharyahu his son, an intelligent counsellor, they cast lots, and his lot came out at the north.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

When the lot was cast for the east gate, it fell to Shelemiah . They then cast lots for Zechariah his son, a prudent advisor, and his lot came out for the north gate.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And the lot of the east fell to Selemias. But to his son Zacharias, a very wise and learned man, the north gate fell by lot.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

The lot for the east gate fell to Meshelemiah. Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor with insight, and the lot for the north gate fell to him.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And the care of the door on the east came out for Shelemiah. Then the name of Zechariah his son, a man wise in discussion, came out, and the door on the north was given to him.

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.

וַandclauseverbיִּפֹּ֧לit.fellnoun phrase · subjectהַtheגּוֹרָ֛לlotnoun phrase · prepositionalמִזְרָ֖חָeastwardהtoprepositional phrase · prepositionalלְtoשֶֽׁלֶמְיָ֑הוּShelemiahוּandclausenoun phrase · adverbialnoun phraseזְכַרְיָ֨הוּZechariahnoun phraseבְנ֜sonוֹhisnoun phraseיוֹעֵ֣ץ[was].a.counselorprepositional phraseבְּwithשֶׂ֗כֶלinsightverbהִפִּ֨ילוּ֙they.castobjectגּֽוֹרָל֔וֹתlotsוַandclauseverbיֵּצֵ֥אit.came.outnoun phrase · subjectגוֹרָל֖lotוֹhisnoun phrase · prepositionalצָפֽוֹנָnorthwardהfor

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 wording and structure of this verse, with all 13 words matched in the Hebrew and Greek versions. This consistency reflects a shared understanding of the text's meaning.

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

וַיִּפֹּ֧ל הַגּוֹרָ֛ל מִזְרָ֖חָה לְשֶֽׁלֶמְיָ֑הוּ וּזְכַרְיָ֨הוּ בְנ֜וֹ יוֹעֵ֣ץ׀ בְּשֶׂ֗כֶל הִפִּ֙ילוּ֙ גּֽוֹרָל֔וֹת וַיֵּצֵ֥א גוֹרָל֖וֹ צָפֽוֹנָה׃ ס

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַיִּפֹּ֧לἔπεσενהַגּוֹרָ֛לκλῆροςמִזְרָ֖חָהτῶνלְשֶֽׁלֶמְיָ֑הוּσαλαμιαוּזְכַרְיָ֨הוּζαξαριαבְנ֜וֹυἱοὶיוֹעֵ֣ץ׀ιωαςבְּשֶׂ֗כֶלμελξιαהִפִּ֙ילוּ֙ἔβαλονגּֽוֹרָל֔וֹתκλήρουςוַיֵּצֵ֥אἐχῆλθενגוֹרָל֖וֹκλῆροςצָפֽוֹנָה׃ סβορρᾶ

13 of the 13 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 26:14נָפַלand it felland it fellנָפַלגּוֹרָלthe lotthe lotגּוֹרָלמִזְרָחeast -wardeast -wardמִזְרָחשֶׁלֶמְיָהto Shelemiato Shelemiahשֶׁלֶמְיָהזְכַרְיָהוּand Zechariand Zechariahזְכַרְיָהוּבֵּןson hisson hisבֵּןיָעַץa counselora counselorיָעַץשֵׂ֫כֶלwith insighwith insightשֵׂ֫כֶלנָפַלthey castthey castנָפַלגּוֹרָלlotslotsגּוֹרָליָצָאand it cameand it came outיָצָאגּוֹרָלlot hislot hisגּוֹרָלצָפוֹןnorth -wardnorth -wardצָפוֹןפָּלַלto prayto prayפָּלַלזָרַחto riseto riseזָרַחשֶׁ֫לֶםpeace offepeace offeringשֶׁ֫לֶםזָכַרto remembeto rememberזָכַרבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהשָׂכַלbe prudentbe prudentשָׂכַלצָפַןto treasurto treasureצָפַןגּוֹרָלallottedallottedגּוֹרָלמַטֶּהtribetribeמַטֶּהחָלָלslain: kilslain: killedחָלָלמַעֲרָבwestwestמַעֲרָבשֶׁ֫מֶשׁsunsunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁפַּשְׁחוּרPashhurPashhurפַּשְׁחוּרחֲנַנְיָ֫הוּHananiahHananiahחֲנַנְיָ֫הוּשְׁמִירָמוֹתShemiramotShemiramothשְׁמִירָמוֹתיְחִיאֵלJehielJehielיְחִיאֵלעַמּוֹןAmmonAmmonעַמּוֹןרְאוּבֵןReubenReubenרְאוּבֵן
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 26:14

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.

and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
וַיִּפֹּ֧לvai.yi.Pol and it fell H5307 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
435× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to fall, and it's used in many ways, like falling down, failing, or being defeated. It appears in books like Genesis and Isaiah. God's people often fell away from Him, but He always offered a way back.
Tyndale gloss
to fall: fall
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָפַל (naphal) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to fall,' encompassing a wide range of applications, including falling by accident, experiencing violent death, or going to ruin. It can also refer to prostrating oneself, attacking, or causing someone to fall. The term appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, often indicating physical or metaphorical downfall.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָפַל 433 vb. fall, lie

Qal 366

fall, by accident

Esp. of violent death

fig. = go to ruin, perish, etc.

fig. = experience calamity

fall, of a city

Fall prostrate

fall = prostrate oneself before

fall upon one's neck, in embrace

Fall upon = attack

desert or fall away to, go over to

Fig., of deep sleep

Other idiomatic uses

= lie; = lie prostrate

Hiph.

cause to fall

Of causing death; = overthrow, bring to destruction

Esp. of casting lot

Fig., let drop, cause to fail

cause deep sleep to fall

Other idioms

Hithp. throw, or prostrate oneself

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5307 נָפַל fall, lie .. fall, by accident

. . Esp. of violent death

. fig. = go to ruin, perish, etc.

. fig. = experience calamity

. fall, of a city

. . Fall prostrate

. fall = prostrate oneself before

. fall upon one's neck, in embrace

. . Fall upon = attack

. desert or fall away to, go over to

. Fig., of deep sleep

. Other idiomatic uses

. = lie; = lie prostrate

. . cause to fall

. Of causing death; = overthrow, bring to destruction

. Esp. of casting lot

. Fig., let drop, cause to fail

. cause deep sleep to fall

. Other idioms

. throw, or prostrate oneself

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5307 naphal naw-fal'

a primitive root; to fall, in a great variety of applications

(intransitive or causative, literal or figurative):--be

accepted, cast (down, self, (lots), out), cease, die, divide

(by lot), (let) fail, (cause to, let, make, ready to) fall

(away, down, -en, -ing), fell(-ing), fugitive, have

(inheritance), inferior, be judged (by mistake for 6419), lay

(along), (cause to) lie down, light (down), be (X hast) lost,

lying, overthrow, overwhelm, perish, present(-ed, -ing), (make

to) rot, slay, smite out, X surely, throw down.

see HEBREW for 06419

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָפַל (na.phal) — to fall: fall.

: fall/drop/fail

1) to fall, lie, be cast down, fail

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to fall

1a2) to fall (of violent death)

1a3) to fall prostrate, prostrate oneself before

1a4) to fall upon, attack, desert, fall away to, go away to, fall into the hand of

1a5) to fall short, fail, fall out, turn out, result

1a6) to settle, waste away, be offered, be inferior to

1a7) to lie, lie prostrate

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to cause to fall, fell, throw down, knock out, lay prostrate

1b2) to overthrow

1b3) to make the lot fall, assign by lot, apportion by lot

1b4) to let drop, cause to fail (fig.)

1b5) to cause to fall

1c) (Hithpael)

1c1) to throw or prostrate oneself, throw oneself upon

1c2) to lie prostrate, prostrate oneself

1d) (Pilel) to fall

נָפַל (na.phal) — to fall: deserting.

: deserting

1) to fall, lie, be cast down, fail

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to fall

1a2) to fall (of violent death)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vqw3ms
and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
הַגּוֹרָ֛לha.go.Ral the lot H1486 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
78× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means a pebble or small stone used for making decisions by casting lots. It symbolizes a portion or destiny assigned by chance, like the drawing of lots to determine an outcome. This concept is central to ancient Israelite decision-making practices.
Amplified meaning
a pebble or small stone used for making decisions
Tyndale gloss
allotted
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גּוֹרָל (goral) refers to a 'lot' or 'portion,' often associated with decision-making through casting pebbles. It encompasses the idea of something assigned or apportioned, including land division and duties. The term can also imply recompense or retribution. The entries indicate that it is derived from a root meaning 'to be rough,' suggesting its connection to the physical stones used in the practice.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גּוֹרָל 77 n.m. & f. lot

lot for dividing land

lot for assigning to service, duty or punishment

thing assigned, apportioned, allotted

portion = recompence, retribution

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1486 גּוֹרָל lot

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1486 gowral go-rawl'

or (shortened) goral {go-ral'}; from an unused root meaning

to be rough (as stone); properly, a pebble, i.e. a lot (small

stones being used for that purpose); figuratively, a portion

or destiny (as if determined by lot):--lot.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גּוֹרָל (go.ral) — allotted.

1) lot

1a) lot-pebbles used for systematically making decisions

2) portion

2a) lot, portion (thing assigned by casting lots)

2b) recompense, retribution

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Lot

(Heb. goral, a “pebble”), a small stone used in casting lots (Num. 33:54; Jonah 1:7). The lot was always resorted to by the Hebrews with strictest reference to the interposition of God, and as a method of ascertaining the divine will (Prov. 16:33), and in serious cases of doubt (Esther 3:7). Thus the lot was used at the division of the land of Canaan among the serveral tribes (Num. 26:55; 34:13), at the detection of Achan (Josh. 7:14, 18), the election of Saul to be king (1 Sam. 10:20, 21), the distribution of…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(literally a pebble). The custom of deciding doubtful questions by lot is one of great extent and high antiquity. Among the Jews lots were used with the expectation that God would so control them as to give a right direction to them. They were very often used by God’s appointment. "As to the mode of casting lots, we have no certain information. Probably several modes were practiced." "Very commonly among the Latins little counters of wood were put into a jar with so narrow a neck that only one could come out at a time. After the jar had been filled with water and the contents shaken, the lots were determined by the order in which the bits of wood, representing the several parties, came out with the water. in other cases they were put into a wide open jar, and the counters were drawn out by the hand. Sometimes again they were cast in the manner of dice. The soldiers who cast lots for…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The son of Haran, and nephew of Abraham, followed his uncle from Ur, and afterwards from Haran, to settle in Canaan, Ge 11:31 12:4-6 13:1. Abraham always had a great affection for him, and when they could not continue longer together in Canaan, because they both had large flocks and their shepherds sometimes quarreled, Ge 13:5-7, he gave Lot the choice of his abode. Lot chose the plain of Sodom, which appears then to have been the most fertile parts of the land. Here he continued to dwell till the destruction of Sodom and the adjacent cities. He was a righteous man even in Sodom, 2Pe 2:7; but the calamities consequent upon his choice of this residence-his capture by eastern marauders, the molestation caused by his ungodly and…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Lotan, wrapt up; hidden; covered; myrrh; rosin

and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
מִזְרָ֖חָהmiz.Ra.chah east -ward H4217 Noun common masculine singular absolute · suffix
74× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means the direction of the sunrise, or east. It is used in the Bible to describe the direction of the sun and the east side of something.
Amplified meaning
the direction of the sunrise
Tyndale gloss
east
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מִזְרָח (mizrach) means 'place of sunrise' or simply 'east.' It is derived from the root meaning 'to rise' and refers to the direction of the sunrise. The entries consistently highlight its use to denote the east, both as a cardinal direction and in relation to the rising sun.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מִזְרָח n.[m.] place of sunrise, east

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4217 מִזְרָח place of sunrise, east

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4217 mizrach miz-rawkh'

from 2224; sunrise, i.e. the east:--east (side, -ward),

(sun-)rising (of the sun).

see HEBREW for 02224

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מִזְרָח (miz.rach) — East (Gate).

This name means place of sunrise, east

מִזְרָח (miz.rach) — east.

1) place of sunrise, east

1a) sunrise, east (with 'sun')

1b) the east (without 'sun')

1b1) to or toward the place of sunrise

1b2) to the east, eastward

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular absolute · suffix
HNcmsa/Sd
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

word: "Ward" and "guard" are two different spellings of the same word, and in consequence no clear line can be drawn between them. English Versions of the Bible, however, has used "guard" only in the sense of "a special body of soldiers" (Ge 37:36, etc.), while "ward" is used, not only in this sense (Jer 37:13; contrast 39:9), but also in a variety of others. So a "ward" may mean "any body of men on special duty," as 1Ch 9:23; the King James Version 1Ch 26:16; Ne 12:24,25 (the Revised Version (British and American) "watch"), or the duty itself, as Isa 21:8;

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Ward

A prison (Gen. 40:3, 4); a watch-station (Isa. 21:8); a guard (Neh. 13:30).

and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
לְשֶֽׁלֶמְיָ֑הוּle.she.lem.Ya.hu to Shelemiah H8018 Preposition · noun proper masculine
10× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Shelemiah was a man from the tribe of Levi, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 9:21. The name means repaid by Jehovah, and he was the father of several sons, including Zechariah and Jediael.
Amplified meaning
repaid by Jehovah
Tyndale gloss
Shelemiah
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שֶׁלֶמְיָהוּ (*Shelemyah*) means 'repaid by Jehovah' and refers to several individuals mentioned in the Old Testament, particularly during the Exile and Return periods. It is derived from roots meaning 'thank-offering' and 'Jah' (God). The entries note that Shelemyah was a Levite and a priest, involved in various roles including repairing the wall of Jerusalem and managing the treasury.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שֶׁלֶמְיָה(וּ) n.pr.m.

Jeremiah’s time

Levite

post-ex. names

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8018 שֶׁלֶמְיָה(וּ), שֶׁלֶמְיָה, שֶׁלֶמְיָהוּ

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8018 Shelemyah shel-em-yaw'

or Shelemyahuw {shel-em-yaw'-hoo}; from 8002 and 3050;

thank-offering of Jah; Shelemjah, the name of nine

Israelites:--Shelemiah.

see HEBREW for 08002

see HEBREW for 03050

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שֶׁלֶמְיָהוּ (she.lem.yah) — Shelemiah.

A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.39

§ Shelemiah = "repaid by Jehovah"

1) a son of Bani who put away his foreign wife in the time of Ezra

2) another son of Bani who put away his foreign wife in the time of Ezra

3) father of Hananiah who repaired part of the wall of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah

4) a priest in the time of Nehemiah in charge of the treasury

5) father of Jehucal or Jucal in the time of Zedekiah

6) Levite upon whom the lot for the East Gate fell; in the time of David

6a) also 'Meshelemiah' and 'Shallum'

7) father of Nethaniah and grandfather of Jehudi, who was the messenger sent to Baruch the scribe of Jeremiah

8) son of Abdeel and one the men commanded by king Jehoiakim of Judah to seize the prophet Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch

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

shel-e-mi'-a, she-lem'-ya (shelemyah; Codex Vaticanus Selemia, Codex Alexandrinus (Selemias):

(1) One of the sons of Bani who married foreign wives in the time of Ezra (Ezr 10:39), called "Selemias" in 1 Esdras 9:34.

(2) Father of Hananiah who restored part of the wall of Jerusalem (Ne 3:30) (Codex Vaticanus Telemia, ..., Telemias). (3) A priest who was appointed one of the treasurers to distribute the Levitical tithes by Nehemiah (Ne 13:13).

(4) The father of Jehucal (or Jucal) in the reign of Zedekiah (Jer 37:3; 38:1; in the second passage the name is Shelemyahu).

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Shelemiah

Whom Jehovah repays. (1.) Ezra 10:39.

(2.) The father of Hananiah (Neh. 3:30).

(3.) A priest in the time of Nehemiah (13:13).

(4.) Father of one of those who accused Jeremiah to Zedekiah (Jer. 37:3; 38:1).

(5.) Father of a captain of the ward (Jer. 37:13).

(6.) Jer. 36:14.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(repaid by Jehovah). One of the sons of Bani in the time of Ezra. (Ezra 10:30) (B.C. 458.) The father of Hananiah. (Nehemiah 3:30) A priest in the time of Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 13:13) The father of Jehueal, or Jucal, in the time of Zedekiah. (Jeremiah 37:3) The father of Irijah, the captain of the ward who arrested Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 37:13) (B.C. before 589.) The same as Meshelemiah and Shallum, 8. (1 Chronicles 26:14) Another of the sons of Bani in the time of Ezra. (Ezra 10:41) Ancestor of Jehudi in the time…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

God is my perfection; my happiness; my peace

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
וּזְכַרְיָ֨הוּu.ze.khar.Ya.hu and Zechariah H2148 Conjunction · noun proper masculine
43× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Zechariah means Jehovah remembers, a name given to 29 Israelites, including a prophet and priest who lived during the Exile and Return, as mentioned in Nehemiah 12:35 and Zechariah 1:1.
Amplified meaning
Jehovah remembers
Tyndale gloss
Zechariah
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

זְכַרְיָהוּ (Zkaryah) means 'Jehovah remembers' and refers to various figures in the Old Testament, including a prophet and several individuals from the tribe of Levi. The entries highlight a range of roles, from kings and priests to Levites and returned exiles, with notable mentions of a prophet contemporary with Isaiah. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

זְכַרְיָהוּ, oftener זְכַרְיָה n.pr.m.

king of Isr., son of Jerob. II

father of Hezekiah’s mother

contemporary of Isaiah

a Reubenite

a Benjamite

a Manassite

a son of Jehoshaphat

a captain of Jehosh.

teacher of Uzziah

Levites

priests

returned exiles

base

זְכַרְיָה n.pr.m. prophet

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2148a זְכַרְיָהוּ, oftener זְכַרְיָה H2148b זְכַרְיָה prophet

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2148 Zkaryah zek-ar-yaw'

or Zkaryahuw {zek-ar-yaw'-hoo}; from 2142 and 3050; Jah has

remembered; Zecarjah, the name of twenty-nine

Israelites:--Zachariah, Zechariah.

see HEBREW for 02142

see HEBREW for 03050

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

זְכַרְיָהוּ (ze.khar.yah) — Zechariah.

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at 1Ch.9.21;

son of: Meshelemiah (H4920);

brother of: Jediael (H3043J), Zebadiah (H2069J), Jathniel (H3496), Elam (H5867H), Jehohanan (H3076I) and Eliehoenai (H0454A)

§ Zechariah = "Jehovah remembers"

1) king of Israel, son of Jeroboam II

2) son of Meshelemiah of Shelemiah, a Korhite, and keeper of the north gate of the tabernacle of the congregation

3) one of the sons of Jehiel

4) a Levite of the second order in the temple band in the time of David

5) one of the princes of Judah in the reign of Jehoshaphat

6) son of the high priest Jehoiada, in the reign of Joash king of Judah, who was stoned in the court of the temple

7) a Kohathite Levite in the reign of Josiah

8) the leader of the sons of Pharosh who returned with Ezra

9) son of Bebai

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
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Zechariah

Jehovah is renowned or remembered. (1.) A prophet of Judah, the eleventh of the twelve minor prophets. Like Ezekiel, he was of priestly extraction. He describes himself (1:1) as “the son of Berechiah.” In Ezra 5:1 and 6:14 he is called “the son of Iddo,” who was properly his grandfather. His prophetical career began in the second year of Darius (B.C. 520), about sixteen years after the return of the first company from exile. He was contemporary with Haggai (Ezra 5:1).

His book consists of two distinct parts, (1) chapters 1 to 8, inclusive, and (2) 9 to the end. It begins with a preface (1:1-6), which recalls the nation’s past history, for the purpose of presenting a solemn warning to the present generation. Then follows a series of eight visions (1:7-6:8), succeeding…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The eleventh in order of the twelve minor prophets. He is called in his prophecy the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo, whereas in the book of Ezra, (Ezra 5:1; 6:14) he is said to have been the son of Iddo. It is natural to suppose as the prophet himself mentions his father’s name, whereas the book of Ezra mentions only Iddo, that Berechiah had died early, and that there was now no intervening link between the grandfather and the grandson. Zechariah, like Jeremiah and Ezekiel before him, was priest as well as prophet. He seems to have entered upon his office while yet young, (Zechariah 2:4) and must have been born in Babylon whence he returned with the first caravan of exiles under Zerubbabel and Jeshua. It was in the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, that he first…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

1. Son of Berechiah, and grandson of Iddo the priest; called the son of Iddo in Ezr 5:1 6:14, and his successor in the priesthood, Ne 12:4,16, perhaps because Berechiah was then dead. Zechariah is the eleventh of the minor prophets. He returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel, and began to prophesy while yet young, Zec 2:4, in the second year of Darius son of Hystaspes, B. C. 520, in the eighth month of the holy year, and two months after Haggai. These two prophets, with united zeal, encouraged the people to resume the work of the temple, which had been discontinued for some years, Ezr 5:1.

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

same as Zachariah

and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
בְנ֜וֹve.No son his H1121 Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
4,943× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means a son or descendant, and can also refer to a grandson, nation, or quality. It appears in 1 Chronicles 24, describing a Levite named Beno. The word is used to show family relationships and inheritance.
Amplified meaning
a descendant or offspring
Tyndale gloss
son: child
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

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

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

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)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HNcmsc/Sp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hiz: Used often in the King James Version with reference to a neuter or inanimate thing, or to a lower animal (Ge 1:11, "after his kind"; Le 1:16, "pluck away his crop"; Ac 12:10, "of his own accord"; 1Co 15:38, "his own body"), etc. the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "its."

and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
יוֹעֵ֣ץ׀yo.'Etz a counselor H3289 Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singular
79× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to advise or counsel someone, like giving guidance or planning something. It is used in the Bible to describe people seeking advice or working together to make a plan. The KJV translates it as advise or counsel.
Amplified meaning
one who advises or gives guidance
Tyndale gloss
to advise
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָעַץ (ya`ats) is a Hebrew verb meaning to advise or counsel. It encompasses various forms, including advising, consulting, and deliberating, with nuances in different stems such as Qal, Niphal, and Hithpael. The word can also imply conspiracy in certain contexts. The entries suggest a focus on guidance and decision-making.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָעַץ vb. advise, counsel

Qal advise, counsel

Niph. consult together, exchange counsel

Hithp. conspire against

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3289 יָעַץ advise, counsel

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3289 ya`ats yaw-ats'

a primitive root; to advise; reflexively, to deliberate or

resolve:--advertise, take advise, advise (well), consult,

(give, take) counsel(-lor), determine, devise, guide, purpose.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָעַץ (ya.ats) — to advise.

1) to advise, consult, give counsel, counsel, purpose, devise, plan

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to advise, counsel, give counsel, consult

1a2) counsellor (participle)

1b) (Niphal) to consult together, exchange counsel, deliberate, counsel together

1c) (Hithpael) to conspire

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal — Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singular
HVqrmsa
and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
בְּשֶׂ֗כֶלbe.Se.khel with insight H7922 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
16× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means understanding or intelligence, implying success. It involves prudence and insight, as seen in Proverbs. It can also mean cunning or craft.
Amplified meaning
having understanding and insight
Tyndale gloss
understanding
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שֵׂ֫כֶל (sekel) refers to intelligence and understanding, encompassing concepts like prudence, insight, and wisdom. It can imply success and good sense, but also has a negative connotation of cunning or craftiness. The term appears in contexts that highlight its importance in decision-making and discernment.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שֵׂ֫כֶל, שֶׂ֫כֶל n.m. prudence, insight

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7922 שֵׂ֫כֶל, שֶׂ֫כֶל

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7922 sekel seh'-kel

or sekel {say'-kel}; from 7919; intelligence; by implication,

success:--discretion, knowledge, policy, prudence, sense,

understanding, wisdom, wise.

see HEBREW for 07919

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שֵׂ֫כֶל (se.khel) — understanding.

1) prudence, insight, understanding

1a) prudence, good sense

1b) insight, understanding

1c) cunning, craft (bad sense)

Aramaic equivalent: sokh.le.ta.nu (שׇׂכְלְתָנוּ "insight" H7924)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HR/Ncmsa
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
הִפִּ֙ילוּ֙hi.Pi.lu they cast H5307 Verb · Hiphil · perfect third person common plural
435× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to fall, and it's used in many ways, like falling down, failing, or being defeated. It appears in books like Genesis and Isaiah. God's people often fell away from Him, but He always offered a way back.
Tyndale gloss
to fall: fall
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָפַל (naphal) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to fall,' encompassing a wide range of applications, including falling by accident, experiencing violent death, or going to ruin. It can also refer to prostrating oneself, attacking, or causing someone to fall. The term appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, often indicating physical or metaphorical downfall.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָפַל 433 vb. fall, lie

Qal 366

fall, by accident

Esp. of violent death

fig. = go to ruin, perish, etc.

fig. = experience calamity

fall, of a city

Fall prostrate

fall = prostrate oneself before

fall upon one's neck, in embrace

Fall upon = attack

desert or fall away to, go over to

Fig., of deep sleep

Other idiomatic uses

= lie; = lie prostrate

Hiph.

cause to fall

Of causing death; = overthrow, bring to destruction

Esp. of casting lot

Fig., let drop, cause to fail

cause deep sleep to fall

Other idioms

Hithp. throw, or prostrate oneself

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5307 נָפַל fall, lie .. fall, by accident

. . Esp. of violent death

. fig. = go to ruin, perish, etc.

. fig. = experience calamity

. fall, of a city

. . Fall prostrate

. fall = prostrate oneself before

. fall upon one's neck, in embrace

. . Fall upon = attack

. desert or fall away to, go over to

. Fig., of deep sleep

. Other idiomatic uses

. = lie; = lie prostrate

. . cause to fall

. Of causing death; = overthrow, bring to destruction

. Esp. of casting lot

. Fig., let drop, cause to fail

. cause deep sleep to fall

. Other idioms

. throw, or prostrate oneself

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5307 naphal naw-fal'

a primitive root; to fall, in a great variety of applications

(intransitive or causative, literal or figurative):--be

accepted, cast (down, self, (lots), out), cease, die, divide

(by lot), (let) fail, (cause to, let, make, ready to) fall

(away, down, -en, -ing), fell(-ing), fugitive, have

(inheritance), inferior, be judged (by mistake for 6419), lay

(along), (cause to) lie down, light (down), be (X hast) lost,

lying, overthrow, overwhelm, perish, present(-ed, -ing), (make

to) rot, slay, smite out, X surely, throw down.

see HEBREW for 06419

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָפַל (na.phal) — to fall: fall.

: fall/drop/fail

1) to fall, lie, be cast down, fail

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to fall

1a2) to fall (of violent death)

1a3) to fall prostrate, prostrate oneself before

1a4) to fall upon, attack, desert, fall away to, go away to, fall into the hand of

1a5) to fall short, fail, fall out, turn out, result

1a6) to settle, waste away, be offered, be inferior to

1a7) to lie, lie prostrate

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to cause to fall, fell, throw down, knock out, lay prostrate

1b2) to overthrow

1b3) to make the lot fall, assign by lot, apportion by lot

1b4) to let drop, cause to fail (fig.)

1b5) to cause to fall

1c) (Hithpael)

1c1) to throw or prostrate oneself, throw oneself upon

1c2) to lie prostrate, prostrate oneself

1d) (Pilel) to fall

נָפַל (na.phal) — to fall: deserting.

: deserting

1) to fall, lie, be cast down, fail

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to fall

1a2) to fall (of violent death)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Hiphil-Perf-3cp — Verb · Hiphil · perfect third person common plural
HVhp3cp
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

In general "to throw," with various degrees of violence; usually, with force, but not so necessarily, as e.g. in "cast a net," "cast lots." When applied to molten metal, as in English, first, "to let run. into molds," with reference to their descent by gravity, and, then, "to form," as in Ex 25:12, etc. Usually in the New Testament for ballo, but not always. Thus, in Lu 1:29 "cast in her mind" means "considered" (dielogizeto); "cast reproach" for Greek oneidizon, "reproached" (Mt 27:44); "casting down" for kathaireo, "demolishing" (2Co 10:4); "casting all anxiety upon" (1Pe 5:7), a still stronger term, as in

and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
גּֽוֹרָל֔וֹתgo.ra.Lot lots H1486 Noun common · feminine plural absolute
78× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means a pebble or small stone used for making decisions by casting lots. It symbolizes a portion or destiny assigned by chance, like the drawing of lots to determine an outcome. This concept is central to ancient Israelite decision-making practices.
Amplified meaning
allotted portions
Tyndale gloss
allotted
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גּוֹרָל (goral) refers to a 'lot' or 'portion,' often associated with decision-making through casting pebbles. It encompasses the idea of something assigned or apportioned, including land division and duties. The term can also imply recompense or retribution. The entries indicate that it is derived from a root meaning 'to be rough,' suggesting its connection to the physical stones used in the practice.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גּוֹרָל 77 n.m. & f. lot

lot for dividing land

lot for assigning to service, duty or punishment

thing assigned, apportioned, allotted

portion = recompence, retribution

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1486 גּוֹרָל lot

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1486 gowral go-rawl'

or (shortened) goral {go-ral'}; from an unused root meaning

to be rough (as stone); properly, a pebble, i.e. a lot (small

stones being used for that purpose); figuratively, a portion

or destiny (as if determined by lot):--lot.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גּוֹרָל (go.ral) — allotted.

1) lot

1a) lot-pebbles used for systematically making decisions

2) portion

2a) lot, portion (thing assigned by casting lots)

2b) recompense, retribution

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp — Noun common · feminine plural absolute
HNcfpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See DIVINATION.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Were often cast by the Jews, as well as other ancient nations, with the expectation, when God was appealed to, that he would so control them as to give a right direction in doubtful cases, Ps 22:18 16:11 18:18. They were often used by the divine appointment. The portions of the twelve tribes were thus assigned to them; and hence each tribe’s portion was called "the lot of its inheritance," Nu 26:55,56 Ps 125:3 Ac 8:21. The scapegoat was to be selected, and the other of the priests’ service determined by lot, Le 16:8 1Ch 24:5 25:8. By the same means Achan, Jonathan…

and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
וַיֵּצֵ֥אvai.ye.Tze' and it came out H3318 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
1,067× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to go out or come out, and it's used in many different ways, like leaving a place or starting a new journey, as seen in Genesis and Exodus.
Tyndale gloss
to come out: come
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָצָא (yatsa') is a Hebrew verb meaning to go or come out, with various applications including departure, escape, and emergence. It can refer to both animate and inanimate subjects and emphasizes the idea of origin or source. The verb appears in different forms, such as Qal, Hiphil, and Hophal, indicating actions like leading out or being brought forth.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָצָא 1068 vb. go or come out

Qal

go or come out or forth

from (מִן) a place

go forth from (the presence of) a person

in technical senses

of flight, involving escape

depart

of inanimate things

with especial emphasis on idea of origin, source

of children as going forth from loins (of father)

go forth to a place

go forward, proceed to or toward something

come or go forth, with esp. ref. to purpose or result

of combinations

Hiph.

cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

fig. obj. persons, bring out of (מִן) distress, etc.

bring out animals

inanimate obj.

fig. subj. י׳, bring forth from (מִן)

Hoph. be brought forth

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3318 יָצָא go or come out .. go or come out or forth . from (מִן) a place

. go forth from (the presence of) a person

. in technical senses

. of flight, involving escape

. depart

. of inanimate things

. with especial emphasis on idea of origin, source

. of children as going forth from loins (of father)

. . go forth to a place

. go forward, proceed to or toward something

. come or go forth, with esp. ref. to purpose or result

. of combinations

. . cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

. fig. obj. persons, bring out of (מִן) distress, etc.

. bring out animals

. inanimate obj.

. fig. subj. י׳, bring forth from (מִן)

. be brought forth

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3318 yatsa' yaw-tsaw'

a primitive root; to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great

variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct

and proxim.:--X after, appear, X assuredly, bear out, X

begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come

(abroad, out, thereat, without), + be condemned,

depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact,

fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence,

out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out),

going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out,

lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, X

scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring

out, stand out, X still, X surely, take forth (out), at any

time, X to (and fro), utter.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָצָא (ya.tsa) — to come out: come.

: come/go_out/escape

1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart

1a2) to go forth (to a place)

1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something)

1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result)

1a5) to come out of

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

1b2) to bring out of

1b3) to lead out

1b4) to deliver

1c) (Hophal) to be brought out or forth

יָצָא (ya.tsa) — to come out: send.

: send/take_out/release

1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart

1a2) to go forth (to a place)

1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something)

1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result)

1a5) to come out of

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

1b2) to bring out of

1b3) to lead out

1b4) to deliver

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vqw3ms
and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
גוֹרָל֖וֹgo.ra.Lo lot his H1486 Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
78× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means a pebble or small stone used for making decisions by casting lots. It symbolizes a portion or destiny assigned by chance, like the drawing of lots to determine an outcome. This concept is central to ancient Israelite decision-making practices.
Tyndale gloss
allotted
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גּוֹרָל (goral) refers to a 'lot' or 'portion,' often associated with decision-making through casting pebbles. It encompasses the idea of something assigned or apportioned, including land division and duties. The term can also imply recompense or retribution. The entries indicate that it is derived from a root meaning 'to be rough,' suggesting its connection to the physical stones used in the practice.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גּוֹרָל 77 n.m. & f. lot

lot for dividing land

lot for assigning to service, duty or punishment

thing assigned, apportioned, allotted

portion = recompence, retribution

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1486 גּוֹרָל lot

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1486 gowral go-rawl'

or (shortened) goral {go-ral'}; from an unused root meaning

to be rough (as stone); properly, a pebble, i.e. a lot (small

stones being used for that purpose); figuratively, a portion

or destiny (as if determined by lot):--lot.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גּוֹרָל (go.ral) — allotted.

1) lot

1a) lot-pebbles used for systematically making decisions

2) portion

2a) lot, portion (thing assigned by casting lots)

2b) recompense, retribution

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HNcmsc/Sp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hiz: Used often in the King James Version with reference to a neuter or inanimate thing, or to a lower animal (Ge 1:11, "after his kind"; Le 1:16, "pluck away his crop"; Ac 12:10, "of his own accord"; 1Co 15:38, "his own body"), etc. the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "its."

and it fell the lot east -ward to Shelemiah and Zechariah son his a counselor with insight they cast lots and it came out lot his north -ward
צָפֽוֹנָה׃ סtza.Fo.nah north -ward H6828 Noun common feminine singular absolute · suffix
153× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means 'north' and is used to describe a direction or location. In the Bible, it is often translated as 'north' or 'northern side'.
Amplified meaning
the direction of Zaphon
Tyndale gloss
Zaphon
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

צָפוֹן (tsaphown) means 'north' and is derived from a root meaning 'hidden' or 'dark.' It is used specifically to refer to the northern direction, often associated with gloominess and the unknown. The term also appears in the context of a name, 'Zaphon,' which similarly denotes the north.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

צָפוֹן 153 n.f. north (as the hidden, dark)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6828 צָפוֹן north

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6828 tsaphown tsaw-fone'

or tsaphon {tsaw-fone'}; from 6845; properly, hidden, i.e.

dark; used only of the north as a quarter (gloomy and

unknown):--north(-ern, side, -ward, wind).

see HEBREW for 06845

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

צָפוֹן (tsa.phon) — north.

1) north (of direction), northward

1a) north

1b) northward

צָפוֹן (tsa.phon) — Zaphon.

This name means north

Also named: tsa.phon (צָפוֹן "Zaphon" H6829)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular absolute · suffix
HNcfsa/Sd
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

word: "Ward" and "guard" are two different spellings of the same word, and in consequence no clear line can be drawn between them. English Versions of the Bible, however, has used "guard" only in the sense of "a special body of soldiers" (Ge 37:36, etc.), while "ward" is used, not only in this sense (Jer 37:13; contrast 39:9), but also in a variety of others. So a "ward" may mean "any body of men on special duty," as 1Ch 9:23; the King James Version 1Ch 26:16; Ne 12:24,25 (the Revised Version (British and American) "watch"), or the duty itself, as Isa 21:8;

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Ward

A prison (Gen. 40:3, 4); a watch-station (Isa. 21:8); a guard (Neh. 13:30).

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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