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2 Kings 24:10 — Word Study

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WLCבָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔יא עָל֗וּ עַבְדֵ֛י נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֥ר מֶֽלֶךְ־ בָּבֶ֖ל יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וַתָּבֹ֥א הָעִ֖יר בַּמָּצֽוֹר׃

BSAAt thathûwʼ [specific, appointed] timeʻêth [a moment of significance] the servantsʻebed [or slaves, bondmen] of NebuchadnezzarNᵉbûwkadneʼtstsar [a powerful king of Babylon] kingmelek of BabylonBâbel [a city of confusion, Babel] marched upʻâlâh [or came up, ascended] to JerusalemYᵉrûwshâlaim [the city of peace] and the cityʻîyr [or town, a place of settlement] camebôwʼ under siegemâtsôwr [or was besieged, shut in, a state of being surrounded, a place of entrenchment]

Word
Listen & take away2 Kings 24
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 10 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 (ba.ma.Tzor) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
2 Kings 24:10quick helps
In a sentenceNebuchadnezzar's servants marched to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
Who is speakingThe narrator recounts the actions of Nebuchadnezzar's servants.
Where we areThe context is a significant moment in the siege of Jerusalem.
The hard wordמָצוֹר
Take awayThe city is under siege, marking a critical event in its history.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbעָלָה 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 Kings 24:10

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 Siege of Jerusalemgenerated

9And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his father had done.
10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.
11And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it.
12Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all surrendered to the king of Babylon. So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon took him captive.

2 Kings 24:10 describes a pivotal moment when the servants of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, marched to Jerusalem. This event signifies the beginning of a siege that would lead to the city's downfall. The narrative illustrates the consequences of the actions of the king and the state of Jerusalem during this tumultuous period.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Daniel 1:1–2In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
22 Kings 25:2And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.

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

At that timeDaniel 1:1–2
was besieged2 Kings 25:2

The Key Word עֵת, ba.'Etgenerated

The word עֵת (ʿēth) means 'time' and can refer to specific moments or periods. It is often used to indicate a significant event or occasion. In this verse, it emphasizes the importance of the timing of the siege.

The parsing indicates that it is a noun in the singular form, used here with a preposition, denoting a specific time when the events took place.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses at that time for עֵת.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb is עָל֗וּ, they went up, which governs the entire clause. The structure includes a prepositional phrase indicating the time, followed by the subject and the action of the city coming under siege.

The sentence is structured to emphasize the actions of Nebuchadnezzar's servants and the resulting state of Jerusalem, highlighting the sequential nature of the events.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates עֵת as καιρῷ, indicating a specific time. This choice aligns with the Hebrew meaning but may also suggest a broader understanding of the timing in relation to God's plan.

The Greek term reflects a moment of significance, similar to the Hebrew, reinforcing the importance of the timing of the siege.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

2 Kings 24:10 tells us that at a specific time, the servants of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, marched to Jerusalem, leading to the city being besieged. This event marks a significant moment in the history of Jerusalem and its people.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does the siege of Jerusalem signify?

The siege represents a pivotal moment in Israel's history, showcasing the consequences of disobedience to God and the power of foreign nations.

Who was Nebuchadnezzar?

Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful king of Babylon known for his conquests, including the capture of Jerusalem.

What does the term 'servants of Nebuchadnezzar' imply?

The term refers to the soldiers and officials who carried out the king's orders during the siege.

How does this event connect to other biblical narratives?

This event connects to the broader narrative of the Babylonian exile, which is significant in understanding the history of Israel and God's covenant with His people.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What can we learn about the consequences of disobedience from the siege of Jerusalem?
  2. How does the timing of significant events in our lives affect their outcomes?
  3. In what ways can we see the hand of God at work in historical events?
  4. How does understanding the context of biblical events help us apply their lessons today?

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 2 Kings 24:10 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

At that time,.... When Jehoiachin reigned: when the year was expired; so it is in 2 Chronicles 36:10 or at the revolution of the year; which some take to be autumn, the beginning of the civil year

Read John Gill on 2 Kings 24 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

Read Robert Jamieson on 2 Kings 24 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Either, 1. Because the people had made Jehoiachin king without his consent. Or, 2. Because he had some notice, or at least a suspicion, of his intentions to rebel against him, and to join with Egypt against him, as Zedekiah his successor did. But whatsoever was the second and immediate cause of it, the chief cause was God’ s commandment, or the direction of his providence, as it was said, .

Read Matthew Poole on 2 Kings 24 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

2 Kings 24:10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.Ver. 10. At that time.] About the spring. Much about the same time was Cyrus born for a scourge to Babylon, but for a relief to God’ s poor prisoners of hope there; according as Isaiah had foretold, and the psalmist. See Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 45:1-4. Cic. de Divin. ex Dionys.

Read John Trapp on 2 Kings 24 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(10) At that time.—In the spring of the year (2 Chronicles 36:10). Thenius infers from Jeremiah 13:19 (“the cities of the south land are shut up”), that Nebuchadnezzar drew a cordon across that part of the country, to cut off any succours from Egypt. The servants—i.e., generals. (Comp. 2 Kings 19:6.) Was besieged.—See margin; and 2 Kings 25:2; Jeremiah 52:5.

Read Charles John Ellicott on 2 Kings 24 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

10. the servants of Nebuchadnezzar … came up against [R.V. to] Jerusalem] There is no preposition in the Hebrew, only the accusative of direction. On ‘servants’ see note on 2 Kings 5:13.

Read Cambridge on 2 Kings 24 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Came up against Jerusalem - The cause and circumstances of this siege are equally obscure. Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar detected Jehoiachin in some attempt to open communications with Egypt.

Read Albert Barnes on 2 Kings 24 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

10. Servants of Nebuchadnezzar — His generals, with forces sufficient to besiege the city. As the bands mentioned in 2 Kings 24:2 had failed to take Jerusalem, he now sends more imposing forces.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on 2 Kings 24 →

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

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.

NETBNew English Translation2006

At that time the generals of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched to Jerusalem and besieged the city.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

¶ At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

RVARevised Version, American1894

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

In that time came the seruants of Nebuchad-nezzar king of Babel vp against Ierusalem: so the citie was besieged.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

At that time come up have servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Jerusalem, and the city goeth into siege,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

At that time servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon have come up to Jerusalem, and the city goes into siege,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was put in a state of siege.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

At that time the army of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and besieged the city.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

At that time the servants of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was surrounded with their forts.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and besieged it.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

At that time the armies of Nebuchadnezzar came up to Jerusalem and the town was shut in on every side.

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.

clauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalבָּatnoun phrasethenoun phraseעֵ֣תtimeadjective phraseהַ(the)הִ֔יאthatverbעָל֗וּthey.went.upnoun phrase · subjectעַבְדֵ֛יthe.servantsnoun phraseנְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֥רof.Nebuchadnezzarnoun phraseמֶֽלֶךְthe.kingבָּבֶ֖לof.Babylonadverbialיְרוּשָׁלִָ֑םJerusalemוַandclauseverbתָּבֹ֥אit.camenoun phrase · subjectהָtheעִ֖ירcityprepositional phrase · prepositionalבַּin.(the)noun phrasestateמָּצֽוֹרof.siege

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 this verse, with a word-for-word correspondence in 10 of the 11 words. The slight variations in word order and articles in the Septuagint do not alter the essential meaning.

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

בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔יא עָל֗וּ עַבְדֵ֛י נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֥ר מֶֽלֶךְ־ בָּבֶ֖ל יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וַתָּבֹ֥א הָעִ֖יר בַּמָּצֽוֹר׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
בָּעֵ֣תκαιρῷהַהִ֔יאἐκείνῳעָל֗וּἀνέβηנְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֥רναβουξοδονοσορמֶֽלֶךְ־βασιλεὺςבָּבֶ֖לβαβυλῶνοςיְרוּשָׁלִָ֑םιερουσαλημוַתָּבֹ֥אἦλθενהָעִ֖ירπόλιςבַּמָּצֽוֹר׃περιοξῇ

10 of the 11 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 Kings 24:10עֵתat the timeat the timeעֵתהוּאthatthatהוּאעָלָהthey went uthey went upעָלָהעֶ֫בֶד[the] serva[the] servants עֶ֫בֶדנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּרNebuchadnezNebuchadnezzarנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּרמֶ֫לֶךְ[the] king [the] king ofמֶ֫לֶךְבָּבֶ֫לBabylonBabylonבָּבֶ֫ליְרוּשָׁלִַ֫JerusalemJerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫בּוֹאand it cameand it cameבּוֹאעִירthe citythe cityעִירמָצוֹרin state ofin state of sieמָצוֹרמָלַךְto reignto reignמָלַךְעַדperpetuityperpetuityעַדעָבַדto serveto serveעָבַדבָּלַלto mixto mixבָּלַלעוּרto rouseto rouseעוּרצוּרto confineto confineצוּראֲבַדּוֹןplace of) place of) DestrאֲבַדּוֹןיְרוּשְׁלֵםJerusalemJerusalemיְרוּשְׁלֵםיָרָאto shootto shootיָרָאנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּרNebuchadneNebuchadnezzarנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּרמָחָרtomorrowtomorrowמָחָרטָמֵאuncleanuncleanטָמֵאעֵתtimetimeעֵתעֹלָהburnt offeburnt offeringעֹלָהיְאֹרstreamstreamיְאֹראָמָהmaidservanmaidservantאָמָהשִׁפְחָהmaidservanmaidservantשִׁפְחָהבָּבֶ֫לBabylonBabylonבָּבֶ֫ל
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 Kings 24:10

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.

at the time that they went up [the] servants of Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon Jerusalem and it came the city in state of siege
בָּעֵ֣תba.'Et at the time H6256 Preposition · noun common both singular absolute
296× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Eth means time, especially now or when, and can refer to an event, experience, or occasion. It is often used to describe a specific moment or period.
Amplified meaning
a moment of significance
Tyndale gloss
time
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עֵת (eth) means 'time,' covering various aspects such as the time of an event, a usual time, or an appointed time. It can also refer to experiences or occurrences. The entries suggest it can denote both specific and uncertain times, but they do not indicate any significant disagreement among lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עֵת 297 n.f. time

time of an event

= usual time

proper, suitable time

appointed time

as uncertain

= experience, fortunes

occurrence, occasion

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6256 עֵת time . time of an event

. . = usual time

. proper, suitable time

. appointed time

. as uncertain

. = experience, fortunes

. occurrence, occasion

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6256 `eth ayth

from 5703; time, especially (adverb with preposition) now,

when, etc.:--+ after, (al-)ways, X certain, + continually, +

evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-,

noon-)tide, ((meal-)), what) time, when.

see HEBREW for 05703

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עֵת (et) — time.

1) time

1a) time (of an event)

1b) time (usual)

1c) experiences, fortunes

1d) occurrence, occasion

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-cs — Preposition · noun common both singular absolute
HRd/Ncbsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

tim: The basis of the Hebrew measurement of time was the day and the lunar month, as with the Semites generally. The division of the day into hours was late, probably not common until after the exile, although the sun-dial of Ahaz (2Ki 20:9; Isa 38:8) would scent to indicate some division of the day into periods of some sort, as we know the night was divided, The word used for "hour" is Aramaic she`a' (sha`ta'), and does not occur in the Old Testament until the Book of Daniel (4:33; 5:5), and even there it stands for an indefinite period for which "time" would answer as well.

1. The Day:

The term "day" (yom) was in use from the earliest times, as is indicated in the story of the Creation (Ge 1). It there doubtless denotes an indefinite period, but is marked off by "evening and…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Besides the ordinary uses of this word, the Bible sometimes employs it to denote a year, as in Da 4:16; or a prophetic year, consisting of three hundred and sixty natural year, a day being taken for a year. Thus in Da 7:25 12:7, the phrase "a time, times, and the dividing of a time" is supposed to mean three and a half prophetic years, or 1,260 natural years. This period is elsewhere paralleled by the expression, "forty-two months," each month including thirty years, Re 11:2-3 12:6,14 13:5.

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Beginning of Ge 1:1,14

→ Epochs of

Before the flood Jos 24:2

→ The exodus Ex 19:1; 40:17; 1Ki 6:1

→ Daniel' s reckoning of time, and times, and half times Da 7:25; 12:7

→ Indicated by a sun-dial 2Ki 20:9-11; Isa 38:8

→ Division of, into watches Ex 14:24; 1Sa 11:11; Mt 14:25; Mr 6:48

Torrey's New Topical Textbook

- The duration of the world

Job 22:16; Re 10:6

- The measure of the continuance of anything

Jud 18:31

- An appointed season

Ne 2:6; Ec 3:1,17

- COMPUTED BY

. Years

Ge 15:13; 2Sa 21:1; Da 9:2

. Months

Nu 10:10; 1Ch 27:1; Job 3:6

. Weeks

at the time that they went up [the] servants of Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon Jerusalem and it came the city in state of siege
הַהִ֔יאha.Hi' that H1931 Particle · pronoun
1,879× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word is a pronoun meaning 'he', 'she', or 'it', used to refer to a person or thing. It is used in the Bible to emphasize a subject or make it clear who is being talked about.
Amplified meaning
specific, appointed
Tyndale gloss
he/she/it
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it

an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

It resumes the subj. with emph.

Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

As an emph. predicate, of God

In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

. It resumes the subj. with emph.

. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

. As an emph. predicate, of God

. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1931 huw' hoo

of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a

primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or

it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also

(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;

sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally

(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),

it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,

this, those, which (is), who.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.

pron 3p s

1) he, she, it

1a) himself (with emphasis)

1b) resuming subj with emphasis

1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)

1d) (anticipating subj)

1e) (emphasising predicate)

1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron

2) that (with article)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | Pron — Particle · pronoun
HTd/Pp3fs
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
at the time that they went up [the] servants of Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon Jerusalem and it came the city in state of siege
עָל֗וּa.lah they went up H5927 Verb · Qal · perfect third person common plural
890× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To ascend means to go up or rise, like the smoke from an altar going up to God, as described in many Bible passages, including Leviticus and Psalms.
Amplified meaning
or came up, ascended
Tyndale gloss
to ascend: rise
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עָלָה (alah) means 'to ascend' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including going up, climbing, and rising in various contexts such as personal, natural, and spiritual. It can refer to actions involving people, animals, vegetation, and even thoughts, and includes nuances of being exalted or offering sacrifices. The word is built from a primitive root and appears in various grammatical forms, indicating different aspects of ascent or elevation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָלָה 890 vb. go up, ascend, climb

Qal

of persons, go up, ascend, in local relations

go up, in personal relations

of animals, go or come up

of vegetation, spring up, grow, shoot forth

of natural phenom., go up, rise

of inanimate things, instead of passive construction

of thoughts

come up before God, arrogance

go up, extend, of boundary

excel

Niph.

be brought up

be taken up

pass., be taken up, away

reflex., take oneself away from, get up from

reflex.: take oneself away

be exalted, of God

Hiph.

bring up persons

in personal relations

bring up animals

cause to ascend

mentally

offer a present; bring up tithe to

exalt

cause to ascend (in flame), offer sacrifice

Hoph.

be carried away

be taken up into, inserted in

be offered

Hithp. lift oneself

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5927 עָלָה go up, ascend, climb .. of persons, go up, ascend, in local relations

. go up, in personal relations

. of animals, go or come up

. of vegetation, spring up, grow, shoot forth

. of natural phenom., go up, rise

. of inanimate things, instead of passive construction

. of thoughts

. come up before God, arrogance

. go up, extend, of boundary

. excel

. . . be brought up

. be taken up

. . pass., be taken up, away

. reflex., take oneself away from, get up from

. reflex.: take oneself away

. be exalted, of God

. . bring up persons

. in personal relations

. bring up animals

. cause to ascend

. mentally

. offer a present; bring up tithe to

. exalt

. cause to ascend (in flame), offer sacrifice

. . be carried away

. be taken up into, inserted in

. be offered

. lift oneself

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5927 `alah aw-law'

a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or

actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary

and secondary, literal and figurative (as follow):--arise

(up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up),

bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, + shew, climb

(up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart,

exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up);

grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light,

(make) up, X mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, + perfect,

prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise

(up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring

(up), stir up, take away (up), work.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָלָה (a.lah) — to ascend: rise.

: rise/go

1) to go up, ascend, climb

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go up, ascend

1a2) to meet, visit, follow, depart, withdraw, retreat

1a3) to go up, come up (of animals)

1a4) to spring up, grow, shoot forth (of vegetation)

1a5) to go up, go up over, rise (of natural phenomenon)

1a6) to come up (before God)

1a7) to go up, go up over, extend (of boundary)

1a8) to excel, be superior to

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be taken up, be brought up, be taken away

1b2) to take oneself away

1b3) to be exalted

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to bring up, cause to ascend or climb, cause to go up

1c2) to bring up, bring against, take away

1c3) to bring up, draw up, train

1c4) to cause to ascend

1c5) to rouse, stir up (mentally)

1c6) to offer, bring up (of gifts)

1c7) to exalt

1c8) to cause to ascend, offer

1d) (Hophal)

1d1) to be carried away, be led up

1d2) to be taken up into, be inserted in

1d3) to be offered

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common plural
HVqp3cp
at the time that they went up [the] servants of Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon Jerusalem and it came the city in state of siege
עַבְדֵ֛י'av.Dei [the] servants of H5650 Noun common · masculine plural construct
801× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a servant or slave, often in the context of serving God or a human master. It can also describe a prophet or Levite. The KJV translates it as bondage, bondman, or servant.
Amplified meaning
or slaves, bondmen
Tyndale gloss
servant/slave
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עֶ֫בֶד (*ebed*) means 'slave' or 'servant' and encompasses various roles, including household servants, subjects, and worshippers of God. It can also refer to Israel as a collective servant of God and is used in polite address among equals. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to work' or 'to serve'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עֶ֫בֶד 799 n.m. slave, servant

slave, servant of household

Subjects, of chief

Servants, worshippers of God

Servant of י׳, in a special sense

Israel as a people is servant of י׳

In polite address of equals or superiors the Hebrews used עַבְדְּךָ thy servant = 1 pers. sing., I

Phrases

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5650 עֶ֫בֶד slave, servant . slave, servant of household

. Subjects, of chief

. Servants, worshippers of God

. Servant of י׳, in a special sense

. Israel as a people is servant of י׳

. In polite address of equals or superiors the Hebrews used עַבְדְּךָ thy servant = 1 pers. sing., I

. Phrases

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5650 `ebed eh'-bed

from 5647; a servant:--X bondage, bondman, (bond-)servant,

(man-)servant.

see HEBREW for 05647

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עֶ֫בֶד (e.ved) — servant/slave.

1) slave, servant

1a) slave, servant, man-servant

1b) subjects

1c) servants, worshippers (of God)

1d) servant (in special sense as prophets, Levites etc)

1e) servant (of Israel)

1f) servant (as form of address between equals)

Aramaic equivalent: a.vad (עֲבַד "servant/slave" H5649)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural construct
HNcmpc
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…

at the time that they went up [the] servants of Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon Jerusalem and it came the city in state of siege
נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֥רne.vu.khad.ne.Tzar Nebuchadnezzar H5019 Noun proper masculine
60× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful king of Babylon who captured Jerusalem and took Judah captive, as seen in 2 Kings 24:1. He was the father of Belshazzar and is mentioned in the Bible as a great king. His name means may Nebo protect the crown.
Amplified meaning
a powerful king of Babylon
Tyndale gloss
Nebuchadnezzar
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר (Nebuchadnezzar) is a proper name of a Babylonian king, derived from a Babylonian phrase meaning 'may Nebo protect the crown.' The entries indicate various spellings and references to his role during the Divided Monarchy, particularly noted for capturing Jerusalem. Notably, there is a mention of a possible incorrect spelling in some sources.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר and (incorrectly) נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר n.pr.m. Nebuchadrezzar, Nebuchadnezzar (Bab. Nabû-kudurri-uṣur = (prob.) Nebo, protect the boundary!)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5019 נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר and (incorrectly) נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר Nebuchadrezzar, Nebuchadnezzar (Bab. Nabû-kudurri-uṣur = (prob.) Nebo, protect the boundary)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5019 Nbuwkadne'tstsar neb-oo-kad-nets-tsar'

or Nbukadneotstsar (2 Kings 24:1, 10)

{neb-oo-kad-nets-tsar'}; or Nbuwkadnetstsar (Esther 2:6;

Daniel 1:18) {neb-oo-kad-nets-tsar'}; or Nbuwkadreotstsar

{neb-oo-kad-rets-tsar'}; or Nbuwkadreltstsowr (Ezra 2:1;

Jeremiah 49:28) {neb-oo-kad-rets-tsore'}; or foreign

derivation; Nebukadnetstsar (or -retstsar, or -retstsor), king

of Babylon:--Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadrezzar.

see HEBREW for 010

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר, נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר (ne.vu.khad.nets.tsar) — Nebuchadnezzar.

A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Ki.24.1;

father of: Belshazzar (H1112)

Also named: ne.vu.khad.nets.tsar (נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר, נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר "Nebuchadnezzar" H5020)

§ Nebuchadnezzar or Nebuchadrezzar = "may Nebo protect the crown"

the great king of Babylon who captured Jerusalem and carried Judah captive

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Nebuchadnezzar

In the Babylonian orthography Nabu-kudur-uzur, which means “Nebo, protect the crown!” or the “frontiers.” In an inscription he styles himself “Nebo’s favourite.” He was the son and successor of Nabopolassar, who delivered Babylon from its dependence on Assyria and laid Nineveh in ruins. He was the greatest and most powerful of all the Babylonian kings. He married the daughter of Cyaxares, and thus the Median and Babylonian dynasties were united.

Necho II., the king of Egypt, gained a victory over the Assyrians at Carchemish. (See JOSIAH; MEGIDDO.) This secured to Egypt the possession of the Syrian provinces of Assyria, including Palestine. The remaining provinces of the Assyrian empire were divided between Babylonia and Media. But Nabopolassar was ambitious of reconquering from Necho the western provinces of Syria, and for this purpose he sent his son with a…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Called in Jeremiah Nebuchadnezzar, the son and successor of Nabopolassar, succeeded to the kingdom of Chaldea about 600 B. C. He had been some time before associated in the kingdom, and sent to recover Carchemish, which had been wrested from the empire by Necho king of Egypt. Having been successful, he marched against the governor of Phoenicia, and Jehoiakim king of Judah, tributary of Necho king of Egypt. He took Jehoiakim, and put him in chains to carry him captive to Babylon; but afterwards he left him in Judea, on condition of his paying a large annual tribute. He took away several persons from Jerusalem; among others, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all of the royal family, whom the king of Babylon caused to be carefully educated in the language and learning of the Chaldeans, that they might be employed at court, 2Ki…

→ Also called NEBUCHADREZZAR

→ King of Babylon Jer 21:2

→ Empire of

→ See BABYLON

→ His administration Da 1; 2; 3; 4

→ Conquests

Of Jerusalem 2Ki 24; 25; 1Ch 6:15; 2Ch 36:5-21; Ezr 1:7; Jer 39

→ Of Egypt 2Ki 24:7; Jer 46:2

→ Of Tyre Eze 29:18

→ An instrument of God's judgments Jer 27:8

→ Prophecies concerning Jer 21:7,10; 22:25; 25:9; 27:6-9; 32:28; 43:10; 46:13; 49:30-33;

at the time that they went up [the] servants of Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon Jerusalem and it came the city in state of siege
מֶֽלֶךְ־Me.lekh- [the] king of H4428 Noun common · masculine singular construct
2,526× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a king or royal person, like King David or King Saul. It can also describe something related to a king, like the King's Valley in Genesis. The Bible often uses this word to talk about the rulers of Israel.
Tyndale gloss
King's
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word מֶ֫לֶךְ (*melek*) means 'king.' It is derived from a root that suggests royalty. The term appears in various contexts, including references to specific kings and locations, such as the 'King's Highway' in Numbers 20:17 and the 'King's Valley' in Genesis 14:17. The lexicons note its Aramaic equivalent and mention its use in the context of individuals like Hammelech in Jeremiah.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מֶ֫לֶךְ 2513 n.m. king

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4428 מֶ֫לֶךְ king

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4428 melek meh'-lek

from 4427; a king:--king, royal.

see HEBREW for 04427

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — king.

1) king

Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430)

הַמֶּלֶךְ (me.lekh) — `the king`.

'the king' or a name, Hammelech in KJV of Jer.36.26; 38.6- a man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.26;

father of: Jerahmeel (H3396I) and Malchijah (H4441H); also translated "the king";

§ A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.26;

father of: Jerahmeel (H3396I) and Malchijah (H4441H); also translated "the king";

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.

King's (Highway) (Num.20.17)

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.

Another name of she.lach (שֶׁ֫לַח "Shelah" H7975A)

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — Milcom.

Another name of mo.lekh (מֹ֫לֶךְ "Molech" H4432)

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.

King's (Valley) (Gen.14.17)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
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…

at the time that they went up [the] servants of Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon Jerusalem and it came the city in state of siege
בָּבֶ֖לba.Vel Babylon H894 Noun proper
262× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Babel refers to Babylon, a city and empire in the Bible, meaning confusion or mixing. It appears in Genesis 11:9 and is associated with the tower of Babel. The city was situated on the Euphrates River.
Amplified meaning
a city of confusion, Babel
Tyndale gloss
Babylon
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בָּבֶ֫ל (Babel) refers to Babylon, an ancient city and capital of Babylonia, associated with the idea of confusion. It is derived from a root meaning 'confusion' and is mentioned in various contexts throughout the Old Testament. The lexicons agree on its meaning and significance, with no noted disagreements.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בָּבֶ֫ל 262 n.pr.loc. Babel, Babylon

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H894 בָּבֶ֫ל Babel, Babylon

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

894 Babel baw-bel'

from 1101; confusion; Babel (i.e. Babylon), including

Babylonia and the Babylonian empire:--Babel, Babylon.

see HEBREW for 01101

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶל (ba.vel) — Babylon.

§ Babel or Babylon = "confusion (by mixing)"

Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper
HNpl
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Babylon

The Greek form of BABEL; Semitic form Babilu, meaning “The Gate of God.” In the Assyrian tablets it means “The city of the dispersion of the tribes.” The monumental list of its kings reaches back to B.C. 2300, and includes Khammurabi, or Amraphel (q.v.), the contemporary of Abraham. It stood on the Euphrates, about 200 miles above its junction with the Tigris, which flowed through its midst and divided it into two almost equal parts. The Elamites invaded Chaldea (i.e., Lower Mesopotamia, or Shinar, and Upper Mesopotamia, or Accad, now combined into one) and held it in subjection. At length Khammu-rabi delivered it from the foreign yoke, and founded the new empire of Chaldea (q.v.), making Babylon the capital of the united kingdom. This city gradually grew in extent and grandeur, but in process of time it became subject to Assyria. On the fall of Nineveh (B.C. 606) it threw off…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

in the Apocalypse, is the symbolical name by which Rome is denoted. (Revelation 14:8; 17:18) The power of Rome was regarded by the later Jews as was that of Babylon by their forefathers. Comp. (Jeremiah 51:7) with Reve 14:8 The occurrence of this name in (1 Peter 5:13) has given rise to a variety of conjectures, many giving it the same meaning as in the Apocalypse; others refer it to Babylon in Asia, and others still to Babylon in Egypt. The most natural supposition of all is that by Babylon is intended the old Babylon of Assyria, which was largely inhabited by Jews at the time in question.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

1. A celebrated city situated on the Euphrates, the original foundation of which is described under the word Babel. Wit this coincide many ancient traditions, while some speak of Semiramis as the founder, and others of Nebuchadnezzar. These accounts may all be reconciled, by supposing that Semiramis rebuilt the ancient city, and the Nebuchadnezzar. These accounts may all be reconciled, by supposing that Semiramis rebuilt the ancient city, and that Nebuchadnezzar afterwards greatly enlarged and adorned it.

Babylon lay in a vast and fertile plain watered by the Euphrates, with flowed through the city. Its walls are described as 60 miles in circumference, 300 feet high, and 75 feet wide, Jer 51:44- 58. A deep trench ran parallel with the walls. In each of the four sides were 25 brazen gates, from which roads crossed to the opposite…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

same as Babel

at the time that they went up [the] servants of Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon Jerusalem and it came the city in state of siege
יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑םye.ru.sha.Lim Jerusalem H3389 Noun proper
643× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Jerusalem is the capital city of Palestine, also known as the city of peace. It was the chief city of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
Amplified meaning
the city of peace
Tyndale gloss
Jerusalem
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫͏ם (Yruwshalaim) refers to Jerusalem, the capital city of Palestine. The name is thought to derive from terms meaning 'founded peaceful' and is linked to its two main hills. It is described as the chief city of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫͏ם, יְרוּשָׁלַ֫יִם 644 n.pr.loc. Jerusalem

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3389 יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫͏ם, יְרוּשָׁלַ֫יִם Jerusalem

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3389 Yruwshalaim yer-oo-shaw-lah'-im

rarely Yruwshalayim {yer-oo- shaw-lah'-yim}; a dual (in

allusion to its two main hills (the true pointing, at least of

the former reading, seems to be that of 3390)); probably from

(the passive participle of) 3384 and 7999; founded peaceful;

Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of

Palestine:--Jerusalem.

see HEBREW for 03390

see HEBREW for 03384

see HEBREW for 07999

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם (ye.ru.sha.laim) — Jerusalem.

§ Jerusalem = "teaching of peace"

the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split

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

je-roo'-sa-lem:

I. THE NAME

1. In Cuneiform

2. In Hebrew

3. In Greek and Latin

4. The Meaning of Jerusalem

5. Other Names

II. GEOLOGY, CLIMATE AND SPRINGS

1. Geology

2. Climate and Rainfall

3. The Natural Springs

III. THE NATURAL SITE

1. The Mountains Around

2. The Valleys

3. The Hills

IV. GENERAL TOPOGRAPHY OF JERUSALEM

1. Description of Josephus

2. Summary of the Names of the Five Hills

3. The Akra

4. The Lower City

5. City of David and Zion

V. EXCAVATIONS AND ANTIQUITIES

1. Robinson

2. Wilson, and the Palestine Exploration Fund (1865)

3. Warren and Conder

4. Maudslay

5. Schick

6. Clermont-Ganneau

7. Bliss and Dickie

8. Jerusalem Archaeological Societies

VI. THE CITY'S WALLS AND GATES

1. The Existing Walls

2. Wilson's Theory

3. The Existing Gates

4. Buried Remains of Earlier Walls

5. The Great Dam of the Tyropoeon

6. Ruins of Ancient Gates

7. Josephus' Description of the Walls

8. First Wall

9. Second Wall

10. Third Wall

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Jerusalem

Called also Salem, Ariel, Jebus, the “city of God,” the “holy city;” by the modern Arabs el-Khuds, meaning “the holy;” once “the city of Judah” (2 Chr. 25:28). This name is in the original in the dual form, and means “possession of peace,” or “foundation of peace.” The dual form probably refers to the two mountains on which it was built, viz., Zion and Moriah; or, as some suppose, to the two parts of the city, the “upper” and the “lower city.” Jerusalem is a “mountain city enthroned on a mountain fastness” (comp. Ps. 68:15, 16; 87:1; 125:2; 76:1, 2; 122:3). It stands on the edge of one of the highest table-lands in Palestine, and is surrounded on the south-eastern, the southern, and the western sides by deep and precipitous ravines.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(the habitation of peace), Jerusalem stands in latitude 31 degrees 46’ 35" north and longitude 35 degrees 18’ 30" east of Greenwich. It is 32 miles distant from the sea and 18 from the Jordan, 20 from Hebron and 36 from Samaria. "In several respects," says Dean Stanley, "its situation is singular among the cities of Palestine. Its elevation is remarkable; occasioned not from its being on the summit of one of the numerous hills of Judea, like most of the towns and villages, but because it is on the edge of one of the highest table-lands of the country. Hebron indeed is higher still by some hundred feet, and from the south, accordingly (even from Bethlehem), the approach to Jerusalem is by a slight descent. But from any other side the ascent is perpetual; and to the traveller approaching the city from the east or west it must always have presented the appearance beyond any other capital…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The chief city of the Holy Land, and to the Christian the most illustrious in the world. It is situated in 31 degrees 46’43" N. lat., and 35 degrees 13’ E. long. on elevated ground south of the center of the country, about thirty-seven miles from the Mediterranean, and about twenty-four from the Jordan. Its site was early hallowed by God’s trial of Abraham’s faith, Ge 22:1-24 2Ch 3:1. It was on the border of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah, mostly within the limits of the former, but reckoned as belonging to the latter, because conquered by it, Jos 15:8 18:16,28 Jud 1:18. The most ancient name of the city was Salem, Ge…

at the time that they went up [the] servants of Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon Jerusalem and it came the city in state of siege
וַתָּבֹ֥אva.ta.Vo' and it came H935 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person feminine singular
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.
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-3fs — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person feminine singular
Hc/Vqw3fs
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
at the time that they went up [the] servants of Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon Jerusalem and it came the city in state of siege
הָעִ֖ירha.'Ir the city H5892 Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
1,090× 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 a city or town, often a place with a wall or a watchman. It is used to describe a settlement or encampment, like the city of Ai, which is mentioned in the book of Joshua. The word is used to identify specific locations in the Bible.
Amplified meaning
or town, a place of settlement
Tyndale gloss
excitement
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עִיר (*'iyr*) has meanings related to both excitement and city. It can denote excitement, particularly of terror or rage, as well as refer to a city or town, indicating a place that is guarded or inhabited. The entries suggest a broad application, from fortified cities to simple encampments. There is a specific mention of a man named Ir in 1 Chronicles 4:12.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עִיר n.[m.] excitement;—of terror; of rage

base

עִיר 1092 n.f. city, town

city, town, abode of men

of fortress in a city

appar. fortified place, of any size

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5892a עִיר excitement;—of terror; of rage H5892b עִיר city, town . city, town, abode of men

. of fortress in a city

. appar. fortified place, of any size

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5892 `iyr eer

or (in the plural) par {awr}; or ayar (Judges 10:4)

{aw-yar'}; from 5782 a city (a place guarded by waking or a

watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or

post):--Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.

see HEBREW for 05782

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עִיר (ir) — excitement.

1) excitement, anguish

1a) of terror

עִיר (ir) — city.

1) city, town (a place of waking, guarded)

1a) city, town (a place of waking, guarded)

1a) city, town

עִיר (ir) — City (of On).

Combined with on (אֹן "On" H0204)

This name means city, town

Another name of on (אֹן "On" H0204)

עִיר (ir) — Ir-.

#A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.4.12;

son of: Tehinnah (H8468)

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

sit'-i (`ir, qiryah; polis):

I. THE CANAANITE CITY

1. Origin

2. Extent

3. Villages

4. Sites

5. External Appearance

6. General

II. THE CITY OF THE JEWISH OCCUPATION

1. Tower or Stronghold

2. High Place

3. Broad Place

4. Streets

5. General Characteristics

III. STORE CITIES

IV. LEVITICAL CITIES

LITERATURE

I. The Canaanite City.

1. Origin:

The development of the Canaanite city has been traced by Macalister in his report on the excavation at Gezer (Palestine Exploration Fund Statement, 1904, 108 ff). It originated on the slopes of a bare rocky spur, in which the Neolithic Troglodytes quarried their habitations out of the solid rock, the stones therefrom being used to form a casing to the earthen ramparts, with which the site was afterwards surrounded and which served as a protection against the intrusion of enemies. Later Semitic intruders occupied the site, stone houses were built, and high stone defense…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

City

The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain (Gen. 4:17). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12). Next, we have a record of the cities of the Canaanites, Sidon, Gaza, Sodom, etc. (10:12, 19; 11:3, 9; 36:31-39). The earliest description of a city is that of Sodom (19:1-22). Damascus is said to be the oldest existing city in the world. Before the time of Abraham there were cities in Egypt (Num. 13:22). The Israelites in Egypt were employed in building the “treasure cities” of Pithom and Raamses (Ex. 1:11); but it does not seem that they had any cities of their own in Goshen (Gen.…

at the time that they went up [the] servants of Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon Jerusalem and it came the city in state of siege
בַּמָּצֽוֹר׃ba.ma.Tzor in state of siege H4692 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
25× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a siege or a place of entrenchment, like a fortress or stronghold. It's used in the Bible to describe a city under attack, such as in 2 Kings 17:5. It can also mean a defense or bulwark.
Amplified meaning
or was besieged, shut in, a state of being surrounded, a place of entrenchment
Tyndale gloss
siege
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָצוֹר (matsowr) refers to a siege or an enclosure used during a siege, such as a rampart or fortification. It can denote both the physical structures associated with besieging and the abstract concept of distress. The word is built from a root meaning to hem in, indicating confinement or defense.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מָצוֹר n.[m.] siege-enclosure, siege, entrenchment

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4692 מָצוֹר siege-enclosure, siege, entrenchment

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4692 matsowr maw-tsore'

or matsuwr {maw-tsoor'}; from 6696; something hemming in,

i.e. (objectively) a mound (of besiegers), (abstractly) a

siege, (figuratively) distress; or (subjectively) a

fastness:--besieged, bulwark, defence, fenced, fortress,

siege, strong (hold), tower.

see HEBREW for 06696

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָצוֹר (ma.tsor) — siege.

1) siege-enclosure, siege, entrenchment, siege works

1a) siege

1b) enclosure, siege-works, rampart

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HRd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sej (matsor (De 28:52,53; 1Ki 15:27; 2Ki 25:2; Isa 29:3; Eze 4:2); "to be besieged," "to suffer siege," ba-matsor bo' (De 20:19; 2Ki 24:10; 25:2)):

1. In Early Hebrew History

2. In the Monarchy

3. Preliminaries to Siege

4. Siege Operations: Attack

(1) Investment of City

(2) Line of Circumvallation

(3) Mound, or Earthworks

(4) Battering-Rams

(5) Storming of Walls and Rushing of Breach

5. Siege Operations: Defense

6. Raising of Siege

7. Horrors of Siege and Capture

8. Siege in the New Testament

LITERATURE

Nave's Topical Bible

→ An offer of peace must be made to the city before beginning a De 20:10-12

→ Conducted by erecting embankments parallel to the walls of the besieged city De 20:19,20; Isa 29:3; 37:33

→ Battering-rams used in

See BATTERING-RAMS

→ Distress of the inhabitants during a 2Ki 6:24-29; 25:3; Isa 9:20; 36:12; Jer 19:9

→ Cannibalism during a 2Ki 6:28,29

→ INSTANCES OF

Jericho Jos 6

Rabbah 2Sa 11:1

Abel 2Sa 20:15

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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