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2 Chronicles 5:4 — Word Study

Depth

WLCוַיָּבֹ֕אוּ כֹּ֖ל זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּשְׂא֥וּ הַלְוִיִּ֖ם אֶת־ הָאָרֽוֹן׃

BSAWhen allkôl [every single one, the entirety of] the elderszâqên [responsible men, leaders] of IsraelYisrâʼêl [Jacob's descendants, God's chosen people] had arrivedbôwʼ [come, gathered] the LevitesLêvîyîy [descendants of Levi, priests] took upnâsâʼ [lifted, raised] the arkʼârôwn [the Sacred Chest]

Word
Listen & take away2 Chronicles 5
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 4 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 (ha.'a.Ron) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
2 Chronicles 5:4quick helps
In a sentenceAll the elders of Israel came together, and the Levites lifted the ark.
Who is speakingThe narrative is from the perspective of the chronicler, detailing the assembly of Israel.
Where we areThis verse describes a significant moment during the dedication of the temple.
The hard wordיָּבֹ֕אוּ
Take awayThe assembly of leaders and the act of lifting the sacred ark are pivotal to Israel's worship.
4 commentators on this verse Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge, Barnes & more — read them › clause verbבּוֹא 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 — 2 Chronicles 5:4

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 Dedication of the Templegenerated

3So all the men of Israel came together to the king at the feast in the seventh month.
4When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark,
5and they brought up the ark and the Tent of Meeting with all its sacred furnishings. The Levitical priests carried them up.
6There, before the ark, King Solomon and the whole congregation of Israel who had assembled with him sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.

2 Chronicles 5:4 describes the gathering of the elders of Israel as they come together for a significant event: the transport of the ark of the covenant by the Levites. This moment marks a key point in Israel's worship and the establishment of the temple, highlighting the unity and leadership of the nation as they honor God. The context emphasizes the importance of the ark, which represents God's presence among His people.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Numbers 4:15When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy objects, or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the Tent of Meeting.
2Joshua 3:6And he said to the priests, “Take the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.
3Joshua 6:6So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the LORD.”
41 Kings 8:3When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark,
51 Chronicles 15:2–12Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before Him forever.”

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 5 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word יָּבֹ֕אוּ, vai.ya.Vo.'ugenerated

The verb בּוֹא (bo) means to come or go in, indicating arrival or gathering. In this context, it signifies the elders' arrival for a momentous occasion, reflecting their role in the leadership and worship of Israel.

The parsing as a sequential imperfect third person masculine plural indicates ongoing action, suggesting that this gathering was a collective effort among the elders, reinforcing their authority and responsibility in the community.


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 finite verbs יָּבֹ֕אוּ and יִּשְׂא֥וּ govern the sentence, with the first verb indicating the elders' arrival and the second describing the Levites' action of lifting the ark. The structure emphasizes the sequence of these actions, highlighting the communal effort in the worship service.

The noun phrases identify the subjects and objects clearly: the elders of Israel as the subject of the first verb and the Levites as the subject of the second verb, with the ark as the object they lifted.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates יָּבֹ֕אוּ as ἦλθον (ēlthon), meaning 'they came'. This choice preserves the action of coming together, emphasizing the gathering aspect of the event.

The use of ἔλαβον (elabon) for יִּשְׂא֥וּ indicates a focus on the act of taking or receiving, which aligns with the Levites' role in lifting the ark, highlighting their responsibility in the worship context.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

2 Chronicles 5:4 describes how all the elders of Israel gathered together, and the Levites lifted the ark. This event is part of the dedication of the temple, where the presence of God is honored through the ark.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that all the elders of Israel came together?

It signifies unity and leadership among the people of Israel, as they collectively participate in an important religious event.

Why is the ark significant?

The ark represents God's presence and covenant with Israel, making its transport a sacred act of worship.

What role do the Levites play in this event?

The Levites, as descendants of Levi, are tasked with the responsibility of carrying the ark, highlighting their special role in the religious life of Israel.

How does this verse connect to the broader narrative of the temple dedication?

This verse is part of the larger account of the temple's dedication, emphasizing the importance of God's presence among His people and the leadership of Israel in worship.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does the gathering of the elders teach us about leadership in our communities today?
  2. How can we honor God's presence in our worship and daily lives?
  3. In what ways can we support those who lead in our spiritual communities?
  4. What significance does the ark hold in our understanding of God's covenant with us?

Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 2 Chronicles 5:4 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark. No JFB commentary on these verses.

Read Robert Jamieson on 2 Chronicles 5 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(4) The Levites.—Kings has the priests; and so Syr. and Arab, here; but LXX. and Vulg., Levites. The latter term, as the tribal name, may of course be used to include the priests or Aaronites, as well as their inferior brethren. 2 Chronicles 5:7 shows that the priests are intended here.

Read Charles John Ellicott on 2 Chronicles 5 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

4. the Levites took up the ark] According to 1 Kings the, priests performed this duty. Cp. 1 Chronicles 15:2; 1 Chronicles 15:12-13. It is clear from these passages that the Chronicler believed that in the days of David and Solomon, as in his own, the Levites were regarded as a class subordinate to the priests, having special duties distinct from those of the true “priests.” It is however more probable that in these early days all Levites were possible priests, Levi being the name of the priestly clan, and not of a lower order of priests.

Read Cambridge on 2 Chronicles 5 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Levites took up the ark - i. e., such of the Levites as were also priests (compare 2 Chronicles 5:7; 1 Kings 8:3).

Read Albert Barnes on 2 Chronicles 5 →

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

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark,

WEBWorld English Bible2000

All the elders of Israel came. The Levites took up the ark.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark,

NETBNew English Translation2006

When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the Levites lifted the ark.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And all the elders of Israel came: and the Levites took up the ark;

RVARevised Version, American1894

And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And all the Elders of Israel came, and the Leuites tooke vp the Arke.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

and all the elders of Israel come in, and the Levites lift up the ark,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

and all [the] elderly of Israel come in, and the Levites lift up the Ark,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

All the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

All the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And when all the ancients of Israel were come, the Levites took up the ark,

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites lifted up the Ark.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

All the responsible men of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark.

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.

וַandclauseverbיָּבֹ֕אוּthey.camenoun phrase · subjectכֹּ֖לallnoun phraseזִקְנֵ֣יthe.eldersיִשְׂרָאֵ֑לof.Israelוַandclauseverbיִּשְׂא֥וּthey.liftednoun phrase · subjectהַtheלְוִיִּ֖םLevitesnoun phrase · objectאֶת(et)noun phraseהָtheאָרֽוֹןark

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 largely agree in their wording for 2 Chronicles 5:4. The Septuagint's translation corresponds closely to the Hebrew, maintaining the essential elements of the narrative.

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

וַיָּבֹ֕אוּ כֹּ֖ל זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּשְׂא֥וּ הַלְוִיִּ֖ם אֶת־ הָאָרֽוֹן׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַיָּבֹ֕אוּἦλθονכֹּ֖לπάντεςזִקְנֵ֣יπρεσβύτεροιיִשְׂרָאֵ֑לισραηλוַיִּשְׂא֥וּἔλαβονהַלְוִיִּ֖םλευῖταιהָאָרֽוֹן׃κιβωτὸν

7 of the 8 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.

2 Chronicles 5:4בּוֹאand they caand they cameבּוֹאכֹּלallallכֹּלזָקֵן[the] elder[the] elders ofזָקֵןיִשְׂרָאֵלIsraelIsraelיִשְׂרָאֵלנָשָׂאand they liand they liftedנָשָׂאלֵוִיthe Levitesthe Levitesלֵוִיאֵתthe object the object markאֵתאֲרוֹןthe arkthe arkאֲרוֹןכָּלַלto perfectto perfectכָּלַלזָקֵןbe oldbe oldזָקֵןשָׂרָהto striveto striveשָׂרָהלֵוִיLeviLeviלֵוִיאוֹתsign: mirasign: miraculouאוֹתאָרָהto pluckto pluckאָרָהאֵבfruitfruitאֵבאָבַדto perishto perishאָבַדעֲבֹדָהserviceserviceעֲבֹדָהשֶׁ֫מֶשׁsunsunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁעֵדָהcongregaticongregationעֵדָהבָּחוּרyouthyouthבָּחוּרשִׁבְעִיםseventyseventyשִׁבְעִיםשֵׁ֫בֶטtribetribeשֵׁ֫בֶטקָדוֹשׁholyholyקָדוֹשׁכְּלִמָּהshameshameכְּלִמָּהמָשָׁלproverbproverbמָשָׁלכֹּהֵןpriestpriestכֹּהֵן
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 2 Chronicles 5:4

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 they came all [the] elders of Israel and they lifted the Levites the object marker the ark
וַיָּבֹ֕אוּvai.ya.Vo.'u and they came H935 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
2,573× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to go or come, and is used in many contexts, such as entering a place or approaching someone, as seen in the book of Genesis. It can also mean to abide or apply, and is translated in various ways in the KJV Bible. This term is related to the name Lebo Hamath.
Amplified meaning
come, gathered
Tyndale gloss
Lebo
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בּוֹא (bo) is a Hebrew verb meaning to come or go in, with a wide range of applications including entering, arriving, and bringing in. It can refer to both physical movement and abstract concepts like events coming to pass. The verb appears in various forms, such as Qal (to come), Hiphil (to cause to come), and Hophal (to be brought). There is no significant disagreement among lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בּוֹא 2569 vb. come in, come, go in, go

Qal

come in

come (approach, arrive)

go, i.e. walk, associate with

go from speaker, but with limit of motion given

Hiph.

cause to come in, bring in (conduct, lead, obj. persons and animals)

cause to come, bring, bring near, etc. (animate obj.)

Hoph.

be brought in (of pers. and things)

be brought

be introduced, put

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H935 בּוֹא come in, come, go in, go .. come in

. come (approach, arrive)

. go, i.e. walk, associate with

. go from speaker, but with limit of motion given

. . cause to come in, bring in (conduct, lead, obj. persons and animals)

. cause to come, bring, bring near, etc. (animate obj.)

. . be brought in (of pers. and things)

. be brought

. be introduced, put

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

935 bow' bo

a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of

applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, +

besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X

certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out,

upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ,

(cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be

fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war),

grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention,

pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken

(in age), X surely, take (in), way.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בּוֹא (bo) — to come (in): come.

: come/go_in

1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to enter, come in

1a2) to come

1a2a) to come with

1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy)

1a2c) to come to pass

1a3) to attain to

1a4) to be enumerated

1a5) to go

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to lead in

1b2) to carry in

1b3) to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon

1b4) to bring to pass

1c) (Hophal)

1c1) to be brought, brought in

1c2) to be introduced, be put

לְב֥וֹא (bo) — Lebo-(Hamath).

This name means to go in, enter

Combined with cha.mat (חֲמָת "Hamath" H2574)

בּוֹא (bo) — to come (in): towards.

: towards/entrance

1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to enter, come in

1a2) to come

1a2a) to come with

1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy)

1a2c) to come to pass

1a3) to attain to

1a4) to be enumerated

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
Hc/Vqw3mp
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and they came all [the] elders of Israel and they lifted the Levites the object marker the ark
כֹּ֖לkol all H3605 Noun common · masculine singular construct
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Amplified meaning
every single one, the entirety of
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all

. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;

hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a

plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any

(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as

many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

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

ol: Used in various combinations, and with different meanings.

(1) All along, "Weeping all along as he went" (Jer 41:6), i.e. throughout the whole way he went, feigning equal concern with the men from Shiloh, etc., for the destruction of the Temple, so as to put them off their guard.

(2) All in all, "That God may be all in all" (1Co 15:28, Greek: panta en pasin, "all things in all (persons and) things"). "The universe, with all it comprises, will wholly answer to God's will and reflect His mind" (Dummelow).

(3) All one, "It is all one" (Job 9:22), "it makes no difference whether I live or die."

(4) At all, "If thy father miss me at all" (1Sa 20:6), "in any way," "in the least."

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and they came all [the] elders of Israel and they lifted the Levites the object marker the ark
זִקְנֵ֣יzik.Nei [the] elders of H2205 Adj
178× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means old or elderly, as in the case of the elderly men who appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18:11. It can also refer to those in positions of authority, like the elders who helped Moses in Exodus 24:1. The term is used to describe respect and leadership.
Amplified meaning
responsible men, leaders
Tyndale gloss
old
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

זָקֵן (zaqen) means 'old' and is used to refer to human beings, often as a noun for 'old man' or 'elder.' It encompasses meanings related to age and authority, indicating both age and leadership roles. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to be old,' and it is consistently associated with the concept of elders in various contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

זָקֵן adj. old

old, of human beings

usu. as subst.

old man (or woman)

elder

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2205 זָקֵן old . old, of human beings

. usu. as subst. . old man (or woman)

. elder

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2205 zaqen zaw-kane'

from 2204; old:--aged, ancient (man), elder(-est), old (man,

men and...women), senator.

see HEBREW for 02204

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

זָקֵן (za.qen) — old: elder.

: elder/leader

1) old

1a) old (of humans)

1b) elder (of those having authority)

זָקֵן (za.qen) — old.

: old

1) old

1a) old (of humans)

1b) elder (of those having authority)

Also means: za.qen (זָקֵן ": elder" H2205)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAampc
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 they came all [the] elders of Israel and they lifted the Levites the object marker the ark
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'El Israel H3478 Noun proper
2,508× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Israel is the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants. Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, had 12 sons who became the tribes of Israel, as told in Genesis 25:26. His story is crucial to the Bible's narrative.
Amplified meaning
Jacob's descendants, God's chosen people
Tyndale gloss
Israel
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra'el) refers to both the second name of Jacob, meaning 'God prevails,' and the name of the Hebrew nation descended from him. It is derived from roots meaning 'to rule' and 'God.' The term encompasses Jacob's descendants and is used historically for the northern kingdom of Israel and the nation as a whole after the Babylonian exile.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יִשְׂרָאֵל 2507 n.pr.m. et gent. Israel (Ēl persisteth, persevereth)

n.pr.m. second name of Jacob

n.pr.gent. name of Hebrew nation

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3478 יִשְׂרָאֵל Israel (Ēl persisteth, persevereth) . n. pr. m. second name of Jacob

. n. pr. gent. name of Hebrew nation

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3478 Yisra'el yis-raw-ale'

from 8280 and 410; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical

name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity:

--Israel.

see HEBREW for 08280

see HEBREW for 0410

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יִשְׂרָאֵל (yis.ra.el) — Israel.

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.26;

son of: Isaac (H3327) and Rebekah (H7259);

brother of: Esau (H6215); married to Rachel (H7354), Leah (H3812), Zilpah (H2153) and Bilhah (H1090A);

father of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); also called Jacob frequently

§ Israel = "God prevails"

1) the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel

2) the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob

2a) the name of the nation until the death of Solomon and the split

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

iz'-ra-el.

See JACOB.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Israel

The name conferred on Jacob after the great prayer-struggle at Peniel (Gen. 32:28), because “as a prince he had power with God and prevailed.” (See JACOB.) This is the common name given to Jacob’s descendants. The whole people of the twelve tribes are called “Israelites,” the “children of Israel” (Josh. 3:17; 7:25; Judg. 8:27; Jer. 3:21), and the “house of Israel” (Ex. 16:31; 40:38).

This name Israel is sometimes used emphatically for the true Israel (Ps. 73:1: Isa. 45:17; 49:3;

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(the prince that prevails with God). The name given, (Genesis 32:28) to Jacob after his wrestling with the angel, (Hosea 12:4) at Peniel. Gesenius interprets Israel "soldier of God." It became the national name of the twelve tribes collectively. They are so called in (Exodus 3:16) and afterward. It is used in a narrower sense, excluding Judah, in (1 Samuel 11:8; 2 Samuel 20:1; 1 Kings 12:16) Thenceforth it was assumed and accepted as the name of the northern kingdom. After the Babylonian captivity, the returned exiles resumed the name Israel as the designation of…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Who prevails with God, a name given to Jacob, after having wrestled with the Angel-Jehovah at Penuel. Ge 32:1,2,28,30 Ho 12:3. See JACOB. By the name Israel is sometimes understood all the posterity of Israel, the seed of Jacob, 1Co 10:18; sometimes all true believers, his spiritual seed, Ro 9:6; and sometimes the kingdom of Israel, or the ten tribes, as distinct from the kingdom of Judah.

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and they came all [the] elders of Israel and they lifted the Levites the object marker the ark
וַיִּשְׂא֥וּvai.yis.'U and they lifted H5375 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
656× 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 lift or raise something, and it's used in many ways, like lifting a burden or raising someone's status. It appears in books like Genesis and Isaiah, often talking about God lifting people up. It's about supporting or carrying something or someone.
Amplified meaning
lifted, raised
Tyndale gloss
to lift: raise
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word נָשָׂא (nasa') means to lift, carry, or take, encompassing a wide range of applications both literal and figurative. It can refer to actions like bearing burdens, taking away, or being exalted. The entries indicate various forms and uses, including the ability to lift oneself up or cause others to bear iniquity. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָשָׂא 656 vb. lift, carry, take

Qal

lift, lift up

Bear, carry

Take, take away

Niph.

be lifted up

refl. lift oneself up = rise up, of י׳, to display power in judgment

be borne, carried

be taken away, carried off

Pi.

lift up = exalt

fig. = desire, long

carry, bear continuously

take, take away

Hithp. lift oneself up

Hiph.

cause one to bear iniquity

appar. cause to bring, have brought

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5375 נָשָׂא lift, carry, take .. lift, lift up

. Bear, carry

. Take, take away

. . be lifted up

. refl. lift oneself up = rise up, of י׳, to display power in judgment

. be borne, carried

. be taken away, carried off

. . lift up = exalt

. fig. = desire, long

. carry, bear continuously

. take, take away

. lift oneself up

. . cause one to bear iniquity

. appar. cause to bring, have brought

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5375 nasa' naw-saw'

or nacah (Psalm 4 : 6 (7)) {naw-saw'}; a primitive root; to

lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and

figurative, absol. and rel. (as follows):--accept, advance,

arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring

(forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease,

exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further,

give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable (+ man), lade,

lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, X needs, obtain,

pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare,

stir up, + swear, take (away, up), X utterly, wear, yield.

see HEBREW for 04

see HEBREW for 06

see HEBREW for 07

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָשָׂא (na.sa) — to lift: raise.

: raise/take_up

1) to lift, bear up, carry, take

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to lift, lift up

1a2) to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure

1a3) to take, take away, carry off, forgive

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be lifted up, be exalted

1b2) to lift oneself up, rise up

1b3) to be borne, be carried

1b4) to be taken away, be carried off, be swept away

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to lift up, exalt, support, aid, assist

1c2) to desire, long (fig.)

1c3) to carry, bear continuously

1c4) to take, take away

1d) (Hithpael) to lift oneself up, exalt oneself

1e) (Hiphil)

1e1) to cause one to bear (iniquity)

1e2) to cause to bring, have brought

נָשָׂא (na.sa) — to lift: bear.

: look/lift(eyes)

1) to lift, bear up, carry, take

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to lift, lift up

1a2) to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure

1a3) to take, take away, carry off, forgive

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be lifted up, be exalted

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
Hc/Vqw3mp
and they came all [the] elders of Israel and they lifted the Levites the object marker the ark
הַלְוִיִּ֖םhal.vi.Yim the Levites H3881 Particle · noun gentilic masculine plural absolute
291× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A Levite is a descendant of Levi, one of Jacob's 12 sons, mentioned in Genesis 29:34. Levi's brothers include Reuben, Simeon, and Judah. His descendants played a key role in Israel's spiritual life.
Amplified meaning
descendants of Levi, priests
Tyndale gloss
Levi
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

לֵוִי (Leviy) refers to a Levite, a member of the tribe of Levi, which is the third son of Jacob and Leah. This term encompasses the descendants of Levi, who were set apart for religious duties. The word is linked to the Hebrew root for 'joining,' reflecting the tribe's special role in service to God. It first appears in Genesis 29:34.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לֵוִי 291 adj.gent. Levite

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3881 לֵוִי Levite

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3881 Leviyiy lay-vee-ee'

or Leviy {lay-vee'}; patronymically from 3878; a Levite or

descendant of Levi:--Leviite.

see HEBREW for 03878

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לֵוִי (le.viy.yi) — Levi.

Someone from the tribe of Levi living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.29.34;

son of: Israel (H3478) and Leah (H3812);

brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Judah (H3063), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783);

half-brother of: Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144);

father of: Gershon (H1648), Kohath (H6955), Merari (H4847) and Jochebed (H3115)

Another name of le.vi (לֵוִי "Levi" H3878)

§ Levite, of Levi "joined to"

1) the descendants of Levi, the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah

1a) the tribe descended from Levi specially set aside by God for His service

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | Ngmpa — Particle · noun gentilic masculine plural absolute
HTd/Ngmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

le'-vits.

See PRIESTS AND LEVITES.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(descendants of Levi). Sometimes the name extends to the whole tribe, the priests included, (Exodus 6:25; Leviticus 25:32; Numbers 35:2; Joshua 21:3,41) etc; sometimes only to those members of the tribe who were not priests, and as distinguished from them. Sometimes again it is added as an epithet of the smaller portion of the tribe, and we read of "the priests the Levites." (Joshua 3:3; Ezekiel 44:15) The history of the tribe and of the functions attached to its several orders is essential to any right apprehension of the history of Israel as a people. It will fall…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

All the descendants of Levi may be comprised under this name, Ex 6:16,25 Jos 3:3, (see LEVI;) but chiefly those who were employed in the lower services in the temple, by which they were distinguished from the priests, who were of the race of Levi by Aaron, and were employed in higher offices, Nu 3:6-10 18:2-7. God chose the Levites for the service of his tabernacle and temple, instead of the firstborn of all Israel, to whom such duties naturally belonged, and who were already sacred to God in memory of the great deliverance in Egypt. Ex 13:1-22 Nu 3:12,13,39-51. In the wilderness, the Levites took charge of the tabernacle…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ (The descendants of Levi)

→ Set apart as ministers of religion Nu 1:47-54; 3:6-16; 16:9; 26:57-62; De 10:8; 1Ch 15:2

→ Substituted in the place of the firstborn children Nu 3:12,41-45; 8:14,16-18; 18:6

→ Religious zeal of Ex 32:26-28; De 33:9,10; Mal 2:4,5

→ Consecration of Nu 8:6-21

→ Sedition among, led by Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On, on account of jealousy toward Moses and Aaron Nu 16; with 4:19,20

and they came all [the] elders of Israel and they lifted the Levites the object marker the ark
אֶת־'et- the object marker H853 Particle
10,946× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the original Hebrew, this word points out the object of a verb or preposition, like 'namely' or 'even'. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus. It's not directly translated in English, but helps clarify the meaning of sentences.
Tyndale gloss
[Obj.]
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

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)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HTo — Particle
HTo
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and they came all [the] elders of Israel and they lifted the Levites the object marker the ark
הָאָרֽוֹן׃ha.'a.Ron the ark H727 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
202× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for a box or chest, like the Ark of the Covenant in Exodus 25:10-22. It can also mean a money chest or a coffin. In the Bible, it appears in stories about the Israelites and their sacred objects.
Amplified meaning
the Sacred Chest
Tyndale gloss
ark
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֲרוֹן, transliterated as arown, means 'chest' or 'ark.' It can refer to various types of containers, including a money chest, the Ark of the Covenant, and even a coffin. The word is built from the root meaning 'gathering' and is used in contexts related to sacred and practical storage.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֲרוֹן, c. art. הָאָרוֹן, הָאָרֹן 203 n.m. chest, ark

chest, for money-offerings

sarcophagus, mummy-case

chest, ark in tabernacle & temple

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H727 אֲרוֹן, c. art. הָאָרוֹן, הָאָרֹן chest, ark

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

727 'arown aw-rone'

or laron {aw-rone'}; from 717 (in the sense of gathering); a

box:--ark, chest, coffin.

see HEBREW for 0717

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֲרוֹן (a.ron) — ark.

1) chest, ark

1a) money chest

1b) Ark of the Covenant

2)(TWOT) coffin

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-cs — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

see ARK OF BULRUSHES; ARK OF THE COVENANT; ARK OF NOAH

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Ark

Noah’s ark, a building of gopher-wood, and covered with pitch, 300 cubits long, 50 cubits broad, and 30 cubits high (Gen. 6:14-16); an oblong floating house of three stories, with a door in the side and a window in the roof. It was 100 years in building (Gen. 5:32; 7:6). It was intended to preserve certain persons and animals from the deluge which God was about to bring over the earth. It contained eight persons (Gen. 7:13; 2 Pet. 2:5), and of all “clean” animals seven pairs, and of “unclean” one pair, and of birds seven pairs of each sort (Gen. 7:2, 3). It was in the form of an oblong square, with flat bottom and…

Nave's Topical Bible

1. NOAH'S

Directions for building of Ge 6:14-16

Noah and family preserved in Ge 6:18; 7:8; Mt 24:38; Heb 11:7; 1Pe 3:20

Animals saved in Ge 6:19,20; 7:1-16

2. Of BULLRUSHES Ex 2:3

3. IN THE TABERNACLE. Called THE ARK

OF THE COVENANT Nu 10:33; De 31:26; Jos 4:7; 1Sa 4:3;

(1) Noah's

Ge 6:14; 7:1; 8:1,16; Mt 24:38; Heb 11:7; 1Pe 3:20

--SEE Deluge, DELUGE, THE

(2) Of Bulrushes

Ex 2:3

(3) Of the Covenant

Ex 25:10,16; 26:33; 30:26; 37:1; Nu 4:5; 10:35; De 10:8; 31:26

Jos 3:15; 4:11; 6:11; 7:6; Jud 20:27; 1Sa 4:3,11,18; 5:1; 6:1

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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