Menu

1 Chronicles 6:28 — Word Study

Depth

WLCוּבְנֵ֧י שְׁמוּאֵ֛ל הַבְּכֹ֥ר יוֹאֵל וַשְׁנִ֖י וַאֲבִיָּֽה׃ ס

BSAThe sonsbên [descendants, offspring]

Word
Listen & take away1 Chronicles 6
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 28 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 (va.'a.vi.Yah) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
1 Chronicles 6:28quick helps
In a sentenceThe verse lists the sons of Samuel, highlighting Joel as the firstborn and Abijah as the second.
Who is speakingThe author of 1 Chronicles, recounting the lineage of Samuel.
Where we areThis verse is part of a genealogical record, detailing the descendants of prominent figures.
The hard wordהַבְּכֹ֥ר
Take awayThe importance of lineage and birth order in familial inheritance.
5 commentators on this verse Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott, AdamClarke & more — read them › clause The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

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 6:28

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 Descendants of Samuelgenerated

27Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son.
28The sons of Samuel: Joel his firstborn and Abijah his second son.
29The descendants of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,
30Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.

1 Chronicles 6:28 details the family of Samuel, emphasizing the significance of his sons. This genealogy is part of a broader narrative that establishes the lineage of key figures in Israel's history, showcasing the importance of family ties and inheritance in the biblical context.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
11 Chronicles 6:33These are the men who served, together with their sons. From the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,
21 Samuel 8:2The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word הַבְּכֹ֥ר, ha.be.Khorgenerated

The word בְּכוֹר (bekor) refers to the firstborn child, often carrying special status and responsibilities within the family. This term is significant in biblical narratives, as it often denotes the primary heir and is linked to various laws and customs surrounding inheritance and family leadership.

In this verse, it identifies Joel as the firstborn of Samuel, indicating his position in the family hierarchy. The emphasis on birth order highlights the cultural importance placed on the firstborn in ancient Israel.


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 clause introduces the subject: וּבְנֵ֧י שְׁמוּאֵ֛ל, and the sons of Samuel, followed by the identification of the two sons with their respective titles. The structure emphasizes the familial connection and the significance of their birth order.

The phrase יוֹאֵל Joel is paired with הַבְּכֹ֥ר the firstborn, establishing his primary status, while וַאֲבִיָּֽה and Abijah follows, indicating his role as the second son.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates וּבְנֵ֧י as υἱοῦ, meaning 'sons', which aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning but may reflect a broader interpretation of familial relationships.

The choice of υἱοῦ emphasizes the lineage aspect, consistent with the Hebrew text's focus on descent and inheritance.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

1 Chronicles 6:28 tells us about the sons of Samuel, naming Joel as the firstborn and Abijah as the second son. This verse highlights the importance of family lineage and the roles of the firstborn in biblical times.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

Who were the sons of Samuel?

The sons of Samuel mentioned in this verse are Joel, his firstborn, and Abijah, his second son.

What does it mean to be the firstborn in biblical times?

The firstborn often held special status and responsibilities, including inheritance rights and leadership roles within the family.

Why is genealogy important in the Bible?

Genealogy establishes the lineage of important figures, showing their heritage and fulfilling God's promises regarding family and nation.

Are there other notable figures named Abijah in the Bible?

Yes, Abijah is also the name of a king of Judah, among other individuals mentioned in the Scriptures.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What significance do you see in the roles assigned to firstborn and second sons in your own family or community?
  2. How can understanding genealogies in the Bible deepen your appreciation for the stories of its characters?
  3. In what ways do you think family lineage impacts identity and responsibility today?
  4. What lessons can be drawn from the lives of Samuel's sons regarding leadership and faithfulness?

Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 6:28 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni, and Abiah. The sons of Samuel - are here named Vashni and Abiah. The first-born is called (1 Samuel 8:2) Joel; and this name is given to him in 1 Chronicles 6:38 of this chapter.

Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Chronicles 6 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

1 Chronicles 6:28 And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni, and Abiah.Ver. 28. The firstborn Vashni.] Alias Joel. The Septuagint render the text thus: And the sons of Samuel were, the firstborn, Joel; and the second (Vashni signifieth, And the second), Abiah.

Read John Trapp on 1 Chronicles 6 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(28) And the sons of Samuel.—Heb., Shemuel The third break in the Kohathite list. We see from 1 Chronicles 6:33-34 that Samuel (Shemuel, name of God) is son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham; hence we might suppose that the clause “Samuel his son” has been accidentally omitted at the end of 1 Chronicles 6:27. But it is quite possible that the writer assumed the connection to be too well known to require specification, or that he has here thrown together three independent genealogical fragments. Comp. with 1 Chronicles 6:27-28 the pedigree of Elkanah, 1 Samuel 1:1 : “Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph.” Here again the names vary, yet not so as to obliterate their identity.…

Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Chronicles 6 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 28. The first-born Vashni, and Abiah.] There is a great mistake in this verse: in 1 Samuel 8:2 we read, Now the name of his (Samuel's) first-born was Joel; and the name of his second Abiah. The word יואל Joel is lost out of the text in this place, and ושני vesheni, which signifies the second, and which refers to Abiah, is made here into a proper name. The Septuagint, Vulgate, and Chaldee, copy this blunder; but the Syriac and Arabic read as in 1 Samuel 8:2. The MSS. have all copied the corrupted Hebrew in this place. Jarchi labours to restore the true reading, and yet preserve the integrity of the text, by paraphrasing thus: "And the second, (ושני vesheni,) in respect of the first, he…

Read AdamClarke on 1 Chronicles 6 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Vashni - The true name of Samuel’s first-born, which was “Joel” (see the margin and references), has here dropped out; and the word properly meaning “and his second (son)” has been taken as the name of the first.

Read Albert Barnes on 1 Chronicles 6 →

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 sons of Samuel: Joel his firstborn and Abijah his second son.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

The sons of Samuel: the firstborn, Joel, and the second, Abijah.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

The sons of Samuel: Joel his firstborn and Abijah his second son.

NETBNew English Translation2006

The sons of Samuel: Joel the firstborn and Abijah the second oldest.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni, and Abiah.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And the sons of Samuel: the first-born, Joel, and the second Abijah.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn, Joel, and the second Abijah.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And the sons of Samuel; the first-born Vashni, and Abiah.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And the sonnes of Shemuel, the eldest Vashni, then Abiah.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And the sons of Samuel: the firstborn Vashni and Abijah.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And sons of Samuel: the first-born Vashni, and the second Abijah.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And sons of Samuel: the firstborn Vashni, and the second Abijah.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

(6:13) And the sons of Samuel: the first-born Vashni, and Abiyah.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

The sons of Samuel were the firstborn, Joel, and Abijah, the second-born.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

The sons of Samuel: the firstborn Vasseni, and Abia.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

The sons of Samuel: Joel (firstborn) and Abijah (second).

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And the sons of Samuel: the oldest Joel, and the second Abiah.

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.

וּandclausenoun phrase · subjectבְנֵ֧יthe.sonsשְׁמוּאֵ֛לof.Samuelnoun phrase · predicatenoun phraseהַ[was].theבְּכֹ֥רfirstbornוַשְׁנִ֖יVashniוַandאֲבִיָּֽהAbijah

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text states, "וּבְנֵ֧י שְׁמוּאֵ֛ל הַבְּכֹ֥ר יוֹאֵל וַשְׁנִ֖י וַאֲבִיָּֽה׃ ס" which translates to, "The sons of Samuel: Joel his firstborn and Abijah his second son." The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text in listing the sons of Samuel, although the specific wording and order may differ due to translation choices. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Dead Sea Scrolls do not provide additional variants for this verse, indicating a strong consistency across these ancient witnesses regarding the names and order of Samuel's sons as found in the Masoretic Text.

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

וּבְנֵ֧י שְׁמוּאֵ֛ל הַבְּכֹ֥ר יוֹאֵל וַשְׁנִ֖י וַאֲבִיָּֽה׃ ס

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וּבְנֵ֧יηξαשְׁמוּאֵ֛לυἱοῦהַבְּכֹ֥רυἱοῦיוֹאֵלλευι

4 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 6:28בֵּןand [the] sand [the] sons בֵּןשְׁמוּאֵלSamuelSamuelשְׁמוּאֵלבְּכוֹרthe firstbothe firstbornבְּכוֹריוֹאֵלJoelJoelיוֹאֵלוַשְׁנִיsecondsecondוַשְׁנִיאֲבִיָּ֫הוּand Abijahand Abijahאֲבִיָּ֫הוּבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהבָּכַרto be/bearto be/bear firsבָּכַריהוהThe LordThe LordיהוהיִשְׁמְרַיIshmeraiIshmeraiיִשְׁמְרַיאָבfatherfatherאָבשָׁמַעto hear: hto hear: hearשָׁמַעאֵלgodgodאֵלעַמּוֹןAmmonAmmonעַמּוֹןרְאוּבֵןReubenReubenרְאוּבֵןרָמָהRamahRamahרָמָהפָּדָהto ransomto ransomפָּדָהאֲבִיָּ֫הוּAbijahAbijahאֲבִיָּ֫הוּעֲזַרְיָ֫הוּAzariahAzariahעֲזַרְיָ֫הוּיָֽרָבְעָםJeroboamJeroboamיָֽרָבְעָםרְחַבְעָםRehoboamRehoboamרְחַבְעָם
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 6:28

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 [the] sons of Samuel the firstborn Joel second and Abijah
וּבְנֵ֧יu.ve.Nei and [the] sons of H1121 Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct
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
descendants, 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 — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct
HC/Ncmpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and [the] sons of Samuel the firstborn Joel second and Abijah
שְׁמוּאֵ֛לshe.mu.'El Samuel H8050 Noun proper masculine
141× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Shemuel was the name of three Israelites, including a judge and prophet of Israel during the time of King Saul and King David. His name means his name is El and he was the son of Elkanah and Hannah.
Tyndale gloss
Shemuel
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שְׁמוּאֵל (Shmuw'el) means 'heard of God' and refers to the name Samuel, associated with three Israelites. The most notable is the prophet Samuel, son of Elkanah and Hannah, who served during the reigns of Saul and David. Other references include individuals from the tribes of Simeon and Issachar, with the name implying a connection to God.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שְׁמוּאֵל 140 n.pr.m. Samuel (= name of Ēl)

great prophet, 11th cent. B.C.

in Simeon

in Issachar

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8050 שְׁמוּאֵל

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8050 Shmuw'el sehm-oo-ale'

from the passive participle of 8085 and 410; heard of God;

Shemuel, the name of three Israelites:--Samuel, Shemuel.

see HEBREW for 08085

see HEBREW for 0410

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שְׁמוּאֵל (she.mu.el) — Samuel.

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.1.20;

son of: Elkanah (H0511H) and Hannah (H2584);

father of: Joel (H3100) and Abijah (H0029)

Also named: Samouēl (Σαμουήλ "Samuel" G4545)

§ Samuel = "his name is El"

1) son of Elkanah by his wife Hannah and judge or prophet of Israel during the days of Saul and David

2) son Ammihud and the prince of the tribe of Simeon who was chosen to divide the land of Canaan between the tribes. Spelled 'Shemuel'

3) son of Tola and grandson of Issachar. Spelled 'Shemuel'

שְׁמוּאֵל (she.mu.el) — Shemuel.

A man living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, only mentioned at Num.34.20;

son of: Ammihud (H5989H)

§ Samuel = "his name is El"

1) son of Elkanah by his wife Hannah and judge or prophet of Israel during the days of Saul and David

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

sam'-u-el (shemu'el; Samouel): The word "Samuel" signifies "name of God," or "his name is El" (God). Other interpretations of the name that have been offered are almost certainly mistaken. The play upon the name in 1Sa 1:20 is not intended of course to be an explanation of its meaning, but is similar to the play upon the name Moses in Ex 2:10 and frequently elsewhere in similar instances. Thus, by the addition of a few letters shemu'el becomes sha'ul me'el, "asked of God," and recalls to the mother of Samuel the circumstances of the divine gift to her of a son. Outside of 1st Samuel the name of the great judge and prophet is found in Jer 15:1; Ps 99:6 and in 1 and 2…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Samuel

Heard of God. The peculiar circumstances connected with his birth are recorded in 1 Sam. 1:20. Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah, who came up to Shiloh to worship before the Lord, earnestly prayed to God that she might become the mother of a son. Her prayer was graciously granted; and after the child was weaned she brought him to Shiloh nd consecrated him to the Lord as a perpetual Nazarite (1:23-2:11). Here his bodily wants and training were attended to by the women who served in the tabernacle, while Eli cared for his religious culture. Thus, probably, twelve years of his life passed away. “The child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men” (2:26; comp. Luke 2:52). It was a time of great and growing degeneracy in Israel (

Smith's Bible Dictionary

was the son of Elkanah and Hannah, and was born at Ramathaim-zophim, among the hills of Ephraim. [RAMAH No. 2] (B.C. 1171.) Before his birth he was dedicated by his mother to the office of a Nazarite and when a young child, 12 years old according to Josephus he was placed in the temple, and ministered unto the Lord before Eli." It was while here that he received his first prophetic call. (1 Samuel 3:1-18) He next appears, probably twenty years afterward, suddenly among the people, warning them against their idolatrous practices. (1 Samuel 7:3,4) Then followed Samuel’s first and, as far as we know, only military achievement, ch. (1 Samuel 7:5-12) but it was apparently this which raised him to the office of "judge." He visited, in…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

God hath heard, 1Sa 1:20, a child of prayer, the celebrated Hebrew prophet and judge, Ac 3:24 13:20. He was a Levite by birth, 1Co 6:20, and the son of Elkanah and Hannah, at Ramah in Mount Ephraim, northwest of Jerusalem. At a very tender age he was carried to Shiloh, and brought up beside the tabernacle under the care of Eli the high priest. Having been conserated to God from his birth, and devoted to Nazariteship, he began to receive divine communications even in his childhood, 1Sa 3:1-21; and after the death of Eli, he became established as the judge of Israel. He was the last and best of the Hebrew judges. We contemplate his character and administration with peculiar…

and [the] sons of Samuel the firstborn Joel second and Abijah
הַבְּכֹ֥רha.be.Khor the firstborn H1060 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
122× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word refers to the firstborn child or animal, often holding a special status or responsibility. It appears in stories like Genesis and Exodus, highlighting the importance of birth order. The KJV translates it as 'eldest' or 'firstborn'.
Tyndale gloss
firstborn
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בְּכוֹר (bekor) means 'first-born' and can refer to both humans and animals. It denotes the eldest son or daughter and can also be used figuratively. The word is derived from a root that emphasizes the concept of being first or chief.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בְּכוֹר 122 n.m. first-born

men and women

animals

figurative

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1060 בְּכוֹר first-born

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1060 bkowr bek-ore'

from 1069; firstborn; hence, chief:--eldest (son),

firstborn(-ling).

see HEBREW for 01069

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בְּכוֹר (be.khor) — firstborn.

1) firstborn, firstling

1a) of men and women

1b) of animals

1c) noun of relation (fig.)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HTd/Ncmsa — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Smith's Bible Dictionary

Under the law, in memory of the exodus (when the first-born of the Egyptians were slain), the eldest son was regarded as devoted to God, and was in very case to be redeemed by an offering not exceeding five shekels, within one month from birth. If he died before the expiration of thirty days, the Jewish doctors held the father excused, but liable to the payment if he outlived that time. (Exodus 13:12-15,16; Leviticus 27:6) The eldest son received a double portion of the father’s inheritance, (21:17) but not of the mother’s. Under the monarchy the eldest son usually, but no always, as appears in the case of Solomon, succeeded his father in the kingdom. (1 Kings 1:30; 2:22) The male first-born of animals was also devoted to God.…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

This phrase is not always to be understood literally; it is sometimes taken for the prime, most excellent, most distinguished of things, Ps 89:27 Ro 8:29 Heb 1:4-6. Thus Jesus Christ is "the firstborn of every creature," Col 1:15, inasmuch as he was the "Only begotten" of the Father before any creature was produced. He is "the firstborn from the dead," Col 1:18, because he is the beginning, and the author of the resurrection of all who die in faith.

After the destroying angel had slain the firstborn of the Egyptians, God ordained that all the Jewish firstborn, both of men and of beasts for service, should be consecrated to…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Of man and beast, reserved to himself by God Ex 13:2,12-16; 22:29,30; 34:19,20; Le 27:26; Nu 3:13; 8:17,18; De 15:19-23; Ne 10:36

→ Redemption of Ex 13:13; 34:20; Le 27:27; Nu 3:40-51; 18:15-17

→ Levites taken instead of firstborn of the families of Israel Nu 3:12,40-45; 8:16-18

and [the] sons of Samuel the firstborn Joel second and Abijah
יוֹאֵלyo.'El Joel H3100 Noun proper masculine
20× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Joel means Jehovah is God, the name of twelve Israelites, including a minor prophet who wrote the book of Joel. He is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 6:24 and his book is one of the minor prophets in the Bible.
Tyndale gloss
Joel
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יוֹאֵל (Yow'el) means 'Jehovah is God' and refers to several individuals in the Old Testament, including the second of the twelve minor prophets. The name is associated with various figures, such as Samuel's eldest son and leaders from the tribes of Simeon, Reuben, and Gad. The entries highlight a range of roles, from prophets to warriors, but do not indicate any significant disagreement among lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יוֹאֵל n.pr.m. (usu. interpr. as י׳ is God)

Samuel’s firstborn

a Simeonite prince

a Reubenite

a Gadite chief

a chief man of Issachar

one of David’s heroes

a chief of Manasseh

a Jew of Ezra’s time

a Benjamite

the prophet, son of Pethuel

Levites

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3100 יוֹאֵל

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3100 Yow'el yo-ale'

from 3068 and 410; Jehovah (is his) God; Joel, the name of

twelve Israelites:--Joel.

see HEBREW for 03068

see HEBREW for 0410

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יוֹאֵל (yo.el) — Joel.

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.8.2;

son of: Samuel (H8050);

brother of: Abijah (H0029);

father of: Heman (H1968I); also translated "second" at 1Ch.6.28;

Also named: vash.ni (וַשְׁנִי "`second`" H2059)

§ Joel = "Jehovah is God"

1) son of Pethuel and the 2nd of the 12 minor prophets with a book by his name; probably prophesied in the time of king Uzziah of Judah

2) eldest son of Samuel the prophet and father of Heman the singer

3) a Simeonite chief

4) a Reubenite

5) a chief of Gad

6) son of Izrahiah and a chief of Issachar

7) brother of Nathan of Zobah and one of David's mighty warriors

8) son of Pedaiah and a chief of the half tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan in the time of David

9) a son of Nebo who returned with Ezra and had a foreign wife

10) a Benjamite, son of Zichri

11) a Levite

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

Joel

Jehovah is his God. (1.) The oldest of Samuel’s two sons appointed by him as judges in Beersheba (1 Sam. 8:2). (See VASHNI.) (2.) A descendant of Reuben (1 Chr. 5:4,8). (3.) One of David’s famous warriors (1 Chr. 11:38). (4.) A Levite of the family of Gershom (1 Chr. 15:7, 11). (5.) 1 Chr. 7:3. (6.) 1 Chr. 27:20. (7.) The second of the twelve minor prophets. He was the son of Pethuel. His personal history is only known from his book.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(to whom Jehovah is God). Eldest son of Samuel the prophet, (1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Chronicles 6:33; 15:17) and father of Heman the singer. (B.C. 1094.) In (1 Chronicles 6:36) Authorized Version, Joel seems to be merely a corruption of Shaul in ver. 24. A Simeonite chief. (1 Chronicles 4:35) A descendant of Reuben. Junius and Tremellius make him the son of Hanoeh, while others trace his descent through Carmi. (1 Chronicles 5:4) (B.C. before 1092.) Chief of the Gadites, who dwelt in the land of Bashan. (1 Chronicles 5:12) (B.C. 782.) The son of Izrahiah, of the tribe of…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

One of the minor prophets, of whom nothing is known beyond the few hints furnished in his brief but valuable prophecy. He lived in the kingdom of Judah, and at a time when the temple and temple-worship still existed, Joe 1:14 2:1,15,32 3:1. Different authors assign to his prophecy different dates, but the prevailing opinion is that he prophesied in the reign of Uzziah, nearly 800 B. C.

The BOOK of JOEL opens with a most graphic and powerful description of the devastation caused by swarms of divers kinds of locusts, accompanied by a terrible drought. The plague of locusts, one of the most dreadful scourges of the East, (see LOCUSTS,) is highly suggestive of an invasion of hostile legions such as have often ravaged Judea; and many have understood, by the locusts of Joel, the Chaldeans, Persians, Greeks, or Romans. The prophet, however…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

he that wills or commands

and [the] sons of Samuel the firstborn Joel second and Abijah
וַשְׁנִ֖יvash.Ni second H2059
1× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Vashni was a strong son of Samuel, a leader of the Israelites, and brother of Abijah, mentioned in 1 Samuel 8:2.
Tyndale gloss
`second`
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

וַשְׁנִי (Vashniy) likely means 'second' and refers to a man from the tribe of Levi, specifically the son of Samuel. He is mentioned in 1 Samuel 8:2 and 1 Chronicles 6:28. The word may also be linked to the concept of weakness, as indicated by its probable derivation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

וַשְׁנִי acc. to MT appar. n.pr.m. son of Samuel, only 1 Ch 6:13

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2059 וַשְׁנִי

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2059 Vashniy vash-nee'

probably from 3461; weak; Vashni, an Israelite:--Vashni.

see HEBREW for 03461

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

וַשְׁנִי (vash.ni) — `second`.

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.8.2;

son of: Samuel (H8050);

brother of: Abijah (H0029);

father of: Heman (H1968I); also translated "second" at 1Ch.6.28;

Another name of yo.el (יוֹאֵל "Joel" H3100G)

§ Vashni = "strong"

a son of Samuel

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HAomsa
HAomsa
and [the] sons of Samuel the firstborn Joel second and Abijah
וַאֲבִיָּֽה׃ סva.'a.vi.Yah and Abijah H29 Conjunction · noun proper masculine
25× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Abijah was the name of several people in the Bible, including a king of Judah and a son of Samuel. The name Abijah means 'Jehovah is my father', showing devotion to God. It is mentioned in books like 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles.
Tyndale gloss
Abijah
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֲבִיָּ֫הוּ (*Abiyah*) means 'father of Jah' and is associated with several figures in the Old Testament. It refers to a king of Judah, the second son of Samuel, and others, including a woman and a man from the tribe of Benjamin. The name is linked to the meaning 'Jehovah is (my) father'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֲבִיָּ֫הוּ n.pr.m. & f. (Yah(u) is (my) father)—so † 2 Ch 13:20, 21 = אֲבִיָּם † 1 K 14:31 15:1, 7, 7, 8 (𝔊 Ἀβιου, Ἀβια); = אֲבִי † 2 K 18:2 (𝔊 Ἀβου, Ἀβουθ); = אֲבִיָּה 1 S 8:2 22 t.—

king of Judah, son & successor of Rehoboam

2nd son of Samuel

son of Jerob.

son of Becher, a Benjamite

head of a priestly house

id.

wife of Hezron

mother of Hezekiah

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H29 אֲבִיָּ֫הוּ

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

29 'Abiyah ab-ee-yaw'

or prolonged Abiyahuw {ab-ee-yaw'-hoo}; from 1 and 3050;

father (i.e. worshipper) of Jah; Abijah, the name of several

Israelite men and two Israelitesses:--Abiah, Abijah.

see HEBREW for 01

see HEBREW for 03050

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֲבִיָּה (a.viy.yah) — Abijah.

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.8.2;

son of: Samuel (H8050);

brother of: Joel (H3100)

§ Abia or Abiah or Abijah = "Jehovah is (my) father"

second son of Samuel

אֲבִיָּה (a.viy.yah) — Abijah.

A man of the Kingdom of Israel, living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ki.14.1;

son of: Jeroboam (H3379);

brother of: Nadab (H5070H)

§ Abia or Abiah or Abijah = "Jehovah is (my) father"

1) king of Judah, son and successor of Rehoboam

2) second son of Samuel

3) son of Jeroboam the first, king of Israel

4) son of Becher, a Benjamite

5) head of a priestly house (one of the 24 Levite groups)

6) head of a priestly house (after the exile)

7) wife of Hezron

8) mother of Hezekiah (cf H021)

אֲבִיָּ֫הוּ, אֲבִיָּה (a.viy.yah) — Abijah.

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

a-bi'-ja ('abhiyah or 'abhiyahu (2Ch 13:20,21), "my father is Yahweh," or "Yahweh is father"): The name of six or more men and two women in the Old Testament.

(1) The seventh son of Becher the son of Benjamin (1Ch 7:8).

(2) The second son of the prophet Samuel (1Sa 8:2; 1Ch 6:28 (6:13)).

(3) The eighth among "the holy captains and captains of God" appointed by lot by David in connection with the priestly courses (1Ch 24:10). Compare "Zacharias of the course of Abijah" (Lu 1:5).

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Abijah

Father (i.e., “possessor or worshipper”) of Jehovah. (1.) 1 Chr. 7:8. (2.) 1 Chr. 2:24.

(3.) The second son of Samuel (1 Sam. 8:2; 1 Chr. 6:28). His conduct, along with that of his brother, as a judge in Beer-sheba, to which office his father had appointed him, led to popular discontent, and ultimately provoked the people to demand a royal form of government.

(4.) A descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, a chief of one of the twenty-four orders into which the priesthood was divided by David (1 Chr. 24:10). The order of Abijah was one of those which did not return from the Captivity (

1. Called, in Lu 1:5, Abia; founder of a family among the posterity of Aaron. When David divided the priests into twenty-four courses, to perform the temple-service, in turn, the eighth class was called after him, 1Ch 24:10. To this class of course Zacharias belonged.

2. Son of Jeroboam, the first king of Israel. He died young, and much beloved and lamented, for in him there was found some good thing towards the Lord, 1Ki 14:1-18

3. Son of Rehoboam, the first king of Judah; called in, 1Ki 22:53, Abijam. He came to the throne A.M. 3046, and reigned only three years. In war with Jeroboam he gained a signal victory, 2Ch…

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.

Everything we make is available for free because of a generous community of supporters.

Donate