1 Chronicles 6:68 — Word Study
WLCוְאֶֽת־ יָקְמְעָם֙ וְאֶת־ מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ וְאֶת־ בֵּ֥ית חוֹר֖וֹן וְאֶת־ מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ׃
BSAand the object markerve.'Et Jokmeamya.ke.me.'Am and the object markerve.'Et pasture lands itsmig.ra.Shei.ha and the object markerve.'Et Bethbeit Horoncho.Ron and the object markerve.'Et pasture lands itsmig.ra.Shei.ha
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְאֶֽת־ | and the object marker | Conjunction, particle |
| יָקְמְעָם֙ | Jokmeam | Noun proper |
| וְאֶת־ | and the object marker | Conjunction, particle |
| מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ | pasture lands its | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| וְאֶת־ | and the object marker | Conjunction, particle |
| בֵּ֥ית | Beth | Noun proper |
| חוֹר֖וֹן | Horon | Noun proper |
| וְאֶת־ | and the object marker | Conjunction, particle |
| מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ׃ | pasture lands its | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Jokmeam, Beth-horon, |
| KJV | And Jokmeam with her suburbs, and Beth-horon with her suburbs, |
| ASV | and Jokmeam with its suburbs, and Beth-horon with its suburbs, |
| YLT | and Jokmeam and its suburbs, and Beth-Horan and its suburbs, |
| WEB | Jokmeam with its pasture lands, Beth Horon with its pasture lands, |
| BBE | And Jokmeam with its outskirts, and Beth-horon with its outskirts, |
Where they part company is in the inclusion of descriptive phrases for Beth-horon in the BSB.
The structure is straightforward, listing the cities first, followed by their descriptions.
2 commentators on this verse
Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — 1 Chronicles 6:68
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 — Cities Given to the Levitesgenerated
1 Chronicles 6:68 is part of a larger passage detailing the cities given to the Levites, who were responsible for the spiritual leadership of the Israelite community. This verse specifically mentions Jokmeam and Beth-horon, indicating their importance as places of refuge and sustenance for the Kohathite Levites, as seen in the broader context of 1 Chronicles 6:67 and 1 Chronicles 6:69.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua 21:22 | Kibzaim, and Beth-horon—four cities, together with their pasturelands. |
| 2 | Joshua 10:11 | As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites. |
| 3 | Joshua 16:5 | This was the territory of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: The border of their inheritance went from Ataroth-addar in the east to Upper Beth-horon |
| 4 | 1 Samuel 13:18 | another toward Beth-horon, and the third down the border road overlooking the Valley of Zeboim facing the wilderness. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יָקְמְעָם, ya.ke.me.'Amgenerated
The name יָקְמְעָם (Jokmeam) is a proper noun referring to a city of refuge in Ephraim, associated with the Kohathite Levites. Its name means "gathered by the people," suggesting a place of community and safety.
The significance of Jokmeam lies in its role as a refuge city, which provided a safe haven for individuals seeking protection. This highlights the importance of community and the provision of safe spaces in ancient Israel.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In the Berean Standard Bible, the verse reads: Jokmeam, Beth-horon [with its suburbs, with its pasture lands, with its outskirts].
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main structure of the verse lists two cities: יָקְמְעָם and בֵּית חוֹרֹן, with additional phrases describing their associated lands. The conjunction וְאֶת־ serves as a connector for the items listed, indicating a series of allocations.
The Hebrew word order emphasizes the cities first, followed by their descriptions, which suggests the importance of the cities themselves before detailing their lands.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates יָקְמְעָם as Ιωκμεάμ and בֵּית חוֹרֹן as Βαιθχόρων. This choice reflects a direct transliteration of the Hebrew names, maintaining their significance in the context of the cities allocated to the Levites.
The LXX does not expand on the descriptions found in the BSB, focusing instead on the cities themselves, which may indicate a different emphasis in the Greek tradition.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
1 Chronicles 6:68 lists Jokmeam and Beth-horon as cities given to the Levites, along with their pasture lands. This verse emphasizes the importance of these cities as places of refuge and sustenance for the Kohathite Levites.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Jokmeam was a city of refuge for the Kohathite Levites, indicating its role in providing safety and community.
Pasture lands indicate the agricultural resources available to the Levites, supporting their livelihood.
This verse is part of a list detailing the cities allocated to the Levites, emphasizing their importance in the Israelite community.
Beth-horon means 'house of hollowness' and refers to two towns in the Ephraim region of Palestine.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean to you that these cities were designated as places of refuge?
- How can we create safe spaces in our communities today?
- What role do you think the Levites played in maintaining these cities?
- How does understanding the geographical context of these cities enhance your reading of the text?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 6:68 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(68) Jokmeam.—Joshua has Kibzaim, a name omitted by the LXX. Vatic. Jokmeam is probably right. The other might easily be a misreading of it, owing to confusion of similar letters. The site is unknown. The four cities of 1 Chronicles 6:67-68 lay in Ephraim. Beth-horon, Gibeon, and Aijalon, the scenes of the great and providentially determined overthrow of the five kings of the Amorites, were appropriately assigned to the sacred tribe of Levi.
Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Chronicles 6 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges68. Jokmeam] In Joshua 21:22 Kibzaim. The two words resemble one another more closely in Hebrew, and are to be taken as various readings of the same name. Nothing is known of a Kibzaim in Ephraim. A Jokmeam is mentioned 1 Kings 4:12. Beth-horon] Joshua 10:10-11; Joshua 16:3; Joshua 16:5; 1Ma 3:24. There were two cities, a lower and an upper Beth-horon, to which at the present day a lower and an upper Beitur, an hour’s journey apart, correspond. Bädeker, p. 18.
Read Cambridge on 1 Chronicles 6 →The verse in English, compared — 8 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
Jokmeam, Beth-horon,
Jokmeam with its pasture lands, Beth Horon with its pasture lands,
Tyndale line
And Jokmeam with her suburbs, and Beth-horon with her suburbs,
and Jokmeam with its suburbs, and Beth-horon with its suburbs,
Iokmeam also and her suburbes, and Bethhoron with her suburbes,
Simplified
And Jokmeam with its outskirts, and Beth-horon with its outskirts,
Jokmeam, Beth Horon,
Strictly literal
and Jokmeam and its suburbs, and Beth-Horan and its suburbs,
T4T (Translation for Translators) is not shown above. It restates the passage rather than the verse, so there is no line of English to set beside the others — which is a fact about that translation, not a fault in it.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text aligns with the Septuagint in naming the cities and their associated lands, confirming the allocation of Jokmeam and Beth-horon along with their pasture lands.
וְאֶֽת־ יָקְמְעָם֙ וְאֶת־ מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ וְאֶת־ בֵּ֥ית חוֹר֖וֹן וְאֶת־ מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ׃
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in 1 Chronicles 6:68
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.
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HC/To — Conjunction · particleHC/To
יָקְמְעָם (Yoqm`am) refers to a location, specifically a city of refuge in Ephraim associated with the Kohathite Levites. The name translates to "gathered by the people." It is linked to other terms in the lexicon, indicating its geographical and cultural significance.
יָקְמְעָם n.pr.loc. in N. Isr.
base
H3361 יָקְמְעָם
3361 Yoqm`am yok-meh-awm'
from 6965 and 5971; (the) people will be raised; Jokmeam, a
place in Palestine:--Jokmeam. Compare 3360, 3362.
see HEBREW for 06965
see HEBREW for 05971
see HEBREW for 03360
see HEBREW for 03362
יׇקְמְעָם (yoq.me.am) — Jokmeam.
Jokmeam = "gathered by the people"
a city of refuge in Ephraim given to the Kohathite Levites
Another name of yoq.ne.am (יׇקְנְעָם "Jokneam" H3362)
יׇקְמְעָם (yoq.me.am) — Jokmeam.
Jokmeam = "gathered by the people"
a city of refuge in Ephraim given to the Kohathite Levites
Another name of qiv.tsa.yim (קִבְצַיִם "Kibzaim" H6911)
HNpl — Noun properHNpl
jok'-me-am (yoqme`am): A town in Mt. Ephraim assigned to the Kohathite Levites (1Ch 6:68), named along with Gezer and Beth-horon. Its place is taken by Kibzaim in Jos 21:22 (in Septuagint here the name is omitted). It is mentioned again in 1Ki 4:12 (the King James Version wrongly "Jokneam"), where it seems to indicate some position to the East of Ephraim. So far no identification is possible.
Jokmeam
Gathering of the people, a city of Ephraim, which was given with its suburbs to the Levites (1 Chr. 6:68). It lay somewhere in the Jordan valley (1 Kings 4:12, R.V.; but in A.V. incorrectly “Jokneam”).
(gathered by the people), a city of Ephraim, given with its suburbs to a Kohathite Levites. (1 Chronicles 6:68) The situation of Jokmeam (in Authorized Version JOKNEAM) is to a certain extent indicated in (1 Kings 4:12) where it is named with places which we know to have been in the Jordan valley at the extreme east boundary of the tribe.
confirmation, or revenge, of the people
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HC/To — Conjunction · particleHC/To
מִגְרָשׁ (migrash) refers to common or open land, often associated with areas where flocks are driven for pasture. It can denote a suburb or the space around a building, and is noted in Ezekiel 27:28. The term is derived from a root meaning to drive out.
מִגְרָשׁ n.m. common, common-land, open land
base
H4054 מִגְרָשׁ
4054 migrash mig-rawsh'
also (in plural) feminine (Ezek. 27:28) migrashah
{mig-raw-shaw'}; from 1644; a suburb (i.e. open country
whither flocks are driven from pasture); hence, the area
around a building, or the margin of the sea:--cast out,
suburb.
see HEBREW for 01644
מִגְרָשׁ (mig.rash) — pasture.
common, common land, open land, suburb
HNcmpc/Sp3fs — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3fs
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HC/To — Conjunction · particleHC/To
בֵּית חוֹרֹן (Beyth Chowrown) means "house of hollowness" and refers to two towns in the Ephraim region of Palestine: Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon. The Upper town is situated on the mountains, while the Lower town is located 800 feet lower. The name may suggest a geographical feature, possibly a wady between the two towns.
בֵּית חוֹרֹן n.pr.loc. two cities in Ephraim, lower & upper B.H. (place of a hole or hollow (?), perh. fr. a wady betw. the two, or near by);—cf. הַחֹרֹנִי adj.gent. only of Sanballat
base
H1032 בֵּית חוֹרֹן
1032 Beyth Chowrown bayth kho-rone'
from 1004 and 2356; house of hollowness; Beth-Choron, the
name of two adjoining places in Palestine:--Beth- horon.
see HEBREW for 01004
see HEBREW for 02356
בֵּית חוֹרֹן (bet cho.ron) — Beth-horon.
§ Beth-horon = "house of hollowness"
two towns in Ephraim
1a) Upper Beth-horon-town on the mountains of Ephraim
1b) Lower Beth-horon-town located 800 feet (245 m) lower than Upper Beth-horon
בֵּית חוֹרֹן (bet cho.ron) — (Upper) Beth-horon.
Beth-horon = "house of hollowness"
Upper Beth-horon-town on the mountains of Ephraim
Combined with el.yon (עֶלְיוֹן ", Upper" H5945)
בֵּית חוֹרֹן (bet cho.ron) — (Lower) Beth-horon.
Beth-horon = "house of hollowness"
Lower Beth-horon-town located 800 feet (245 m) lower than Upper Beth-horon on the mountains of Ephraim
Combined with bet cho.ron (בֵּית חוֹרֹן "Beth-horon" H1032)
HNpl — Noun properHNpl
Beth
Occurs frequently as the appellation for a house, or dwelling-place, in such compounds as the words immediately following:
the most general word for a house or habitation. It has the special meaning of a temple or house of worship Beth is more frequently employed in compound names of places than any other word.
House, forms a part of many compounds names of places, and sometimes means the place or dwelling; and at others the temple. This word becomes Beit in modern Arabic.
בֵּית חוֹרֹן (Beyth Chowrown) means "house of hollowness" and refers to two towns in the Ephraim region of Palestine: Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon. The Upper town is situated on the mountains, while the Lower town is located 800 feet lower. The name may suggest a geographical feature, possibly a wady between the two towns.
בֵּית חוֹרֹן n.pr.loc. two cities in Ephraim, lower & upper B.H. (place of a hole or hollow (?), perh. fr. a wady betw. the two, or near by);—cf. הַחֹרֹנִי adj.gent. only of Sanballat
base
H1032 בֵּית חוֹרֹן
1032 Beyth Chowrown bayth kho-rone'
from 1004 and 2356; house of hollowness; Beth-Choron, the
name of two adjoining places in Palestine:--Beth- horon.
see HEBREW for 01004
see HEBREW for 02356
בֵּית חוֹרֹן (bet cho.ron) — Beth-horon.
§ Beth-horon = "house of hollowness"
two towns in Ephraim
1a) Upper Beth-horon-town on the mountains of Ephraim
1b) Lower Beth-horon-town located 800 feet (245 m) lower than Upper Beth-horon
בֵּית חוֹרֹן (bet cho.ron) — (Upper) Beth-horon.
Beth-horon = "house of hollowness"
Upper Beth-horon-town on the mountains of Ephraim
Combined with el.yon (עֶלְיוֹן ", Upper" H5945)
בֵּית חוֹרֹן (bet cho.ron) — (Lower) Beth-horon.
Beth-horon = "house of hollowness"
Lower Beth-horon-town located 800 feet (245 m) lower than Upper Beth-horon on the mountains of Ephraim
Combined with bet cho.ron (בֵּית חוֹרֹן "Beth-horon" H1032)
HNpl — Noun properHNpl
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HC/To — Conjunction · particleHC/To
מִגְרָשׁ (migrash) refers to common or open land, often associated with areas where flocks are driven for pasture. It can denote a suburb or the space around a building, and is noted in Ezekiel 27:28. The term is derived from a root meaning to drive out.
מִגְרָשׁ n.m. common, common-land, open land
base
H4054 מִגְרָשׁ
4054 migrash mig-rawsh'
also (in plural) feminine (Ezek. 27:28) migrashah
{mig-raw-shaw'}; from 1644; a suburb (i.e. open country
whither flocks are driven from pasture); hence, the area
around a building, or the margin of the sea:--cast out,
suburb.
see HEBREW for 01644
מִגְרָשׁ (mig.rash) — pasture.
common, common land, open land, suburb
HNcmpc/Sp3fs — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3fs