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2 Kings 8:17 — Word Study

Depth

WLCבֶּן־ שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים וּשְׁתַּ֛יִם שָׁנָ֖ה הָיָ֣ה בְמָלְכ֑וֹ וּשְׁמֹנֶ֣ה שָׁנִ֔ים מָלַ֖ךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃

BSA[Jehoram] washâyâh [a son of thirty-two years, thirty and two years old] thirty-twoshᵉlôwshîym years oldbên [at the start of his reign, when he began to rule] when he became kingmâlak [to reign, to rule as a king] and he reignedmâlak [as a ruler, in a kingly office] in JerusalemYᵉrûwshâlaim [the city of peace, the capital city] eightshᵉmôneh [a special number, a complete cycle] yearsshâneh

Word
Listen & take away2 Kings 8
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 17 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 (bi.ru.sha.Lim) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
2 Kings 8:17quick helps
In a sentenceJehoram became king at thirty-two and ruled for eight years.
Who is speakingThe narrator, recounting Jehoram's age and reign.
Where we areThis verse details the age and reign of Jehoram in the context of Judah's kings.
The hard wordמָלַךְ
Take awayJehoram's reign lasted eight years in Jerusalem.
7 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbהָיָה 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 8:17

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 Reign of Jehoramgenerated

16In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat succeeded his father as king of Judah.
17Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
18And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.
19Yet for the sake of His servant David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.

2 Kings 8:17 provides a brief overview of Jehoram's ascension to the throne and his reign in Jerusalem. This context follows the narrative of the kings of Judah and Israel, showing the continuity of leadership and the challenges faced by the kingdom during this period. The preceding verses highlight the transition of power from Joram of Israel to Jehoram of Judah, emphasizing the political landscape of the time.


Cross References


The Key Word מָלַךְ, ma.Lakhgenerated

The verb מָלַךְ (malak) means 'to reign' or 'to rule as a king.' It is a Qal verb, indicating a straightforward action of ruling. This word is often used in the context of monarchy and governance, as seen throughout the Old Testament.

In this verse, it indicates Jehoram's role as a king, emphasizing his authority and the responsibilities that come with ruling. The usage here connects to the broader themes of leadership and divine sovereignty in the biblical narrative.


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 הָיָה (he was) and מָלַךְ (he reigned) govern the sentence, with the subject וֹ (he) referring to Jehoram. The structure emphasizes the age at which he began his reign and the duration of his kingship.

The Hebrew syntax places the age and the duration of reign in a straightforward manner, highlighting the key information about Jehoram's kingship without additional subordination.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates מָלַךְ as ἐβασίλευσεν (ebasileusen), which means 'he reigned.' This choice reflects a direct correspondence to the Hebrew meaning, maintaining the focus on Jehoram's authority as king.

The use of ἐβασίλευσεν aligns well with the context of kingship in the Greek tradition, emphasizing his role as a ruler.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

2 Kings 8:17 tells us that Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eight years. This verse highlights his age at the start of his reign and the length of time he held the throne.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

How old was Jehoram when he became king?

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king.

How long did Jehoram reign?

Jehoram reigned for eight years in Jerusalem.

What does the name Jehoram mean?

The name Jehoram means 'Yahweh is exalted.'

What is significant about Jehoram's reign?

Jehoram's reign is significant as it reflects the continuity of leadership in Judah and the challenges faced during a tumultuous period in Israel's history.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What qualities do you think are important for a leader based on Jehoram's reign?
  2. How does Jehoram's age at ascension compare to other leaders in the Bible?
  3. What can we learn from the length of Jehoram's reign?
  4. How does understanding the context of Jehoram's reign help us understand the history of Judah?

Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 2 Kings 8:17 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign,.... The second time, in the lifetime of his father: and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem; which ended in the twelfth year of Joram king of Israel, 2 Kings 8:25.

Read John Gill on 2 Kings 8 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. No JFB commentary on this verse.

Read Robert Jamieson on 2 Kings 8 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Part with his father, and part by himself alone.

Read Matthew Poole on 2 Kings 8 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

2 Kings 8:17 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.Ver. 17. And he reigned eight years.] Six years he reigned with his father, and eight years after him. See Ussher’ s Annals of the World.

Read John Trapp on 2 Kings 8 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(17) Thirty and two years old . . . in Jerusalem.—Comp. the similar notices in 2 Kings 12 and the succeeding chapters. How different are these short annalistic summaries, the work of the Judæan compiler, from the rich and flowing narratives about Elijah and Elisha!

Read Charles John Ellicott on 2 Kings 8 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 17. He reigned eight years in Jerusalem.] Beginning with the fifth year of Joram, king of Israel. He reigned three years with Jehoshaphat his father, and five years alone; i.e., from A.M. 3112 to 3119, according to Archbishop Usher.

Read AdamClarke on 2 Kings 8 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

17. when he began to reign] The narrative of the Chronicler (2 Chronicles 21:2-4) tells how at the commencement of his reign Jehoram slew his seven brothers as well as some of the princes of Israel. Thus he proved himself of a like character with Athaliah, whom he married.

Read Cambridge on 2 Kings 8 →

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

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign. He reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.

NETBNew English Translation2006

He was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

He was two and thirtie yere olde, when he began to reigne: and hee reigned eight yeere in Ierusalem.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

a son of thirty and two years was he in his reigning, and eight years he hath reigned in Jerusalem.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

he was a son of thirty-two years in his reigning, and he has reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Thirty and two years old was he when he became king, and eight years did he reign in Jerusalem.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

He was two and thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

He was thirty-two when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

He was thirty-two years old when he became king; and he was ruling in Jerusalem for eight years.

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.

clausenoun phrase · objectבֶּןa.sonnoun phrasenumeral phraseשְׁלֹשִׁ֥יםof.thirtyוּandשְׁתַּ֛יִםtwoשָׁנָ֖הyear[s]verbהָיָ֣הhe.wasprepositional phrase · prepositionalבְwhenclauseverbמָלְכ֑hesubjectוֹbecame.kingוּandclausenoun phrase · adverbialשְׁמֹנֶ֣הeightשָׁנִ֔יםyearsverbמָלַ֖ךְhe.reignedprepositional phrase · prepositionalבִּinירוּשָׁלִָֽםJerusalem

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


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

The Masoretic Text states that Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and that he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years. The Septuagint agrees with this account, matching the content word-for-word, although the order and articles may differ due to its Greek structure. There are no significant differences between these two witnesses regarding this verse.

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

בֶּן־ שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים וּשְׁתַּ֛יִם שָׁנָ֖ה הָיָ֣ה בְמָלְכ֑וֹ וּשְׁמֹנֶ֣ה שָׁנִ֔ים מָלַ֖ךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
בֶּן־υἱὸςשְׁלֹשִׁ֥יםτριάκονταוּשְׁתַּ֛יִםδύοשָׁנָ֖הἐτῶνהָיָ֣הἦνבְמָלְכ֑וֹἐνוּשְׁמֹנֶ֣הὀκτὼשָׁנִ֔יםἔτηמָלַ֖ךְἐβασίλευσενבִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ιερουσαλημ

10 of the 10 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 8:17בֵּןa son ofa son ofבֵּןשְׁלֹשִׁיםthirtythirtyשְׁלֹשִׁיםשְׁנַ֫יִםand twoand twoשְׁנַ֫יִםשָׁנָהyear[s]year[s]שָׁנָההָיָהhe washe wasהָיָהמָלַךְwhen becamewhen became kinמָלַךְשְׁמֹנֶהand eightand eightשְׁמֹנֶהשָׁנָהyearsyearsשָׁנָהמָלַךְhe reignedhe reignedמָלַךְיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫in Jerusalein Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫שָׁנָהto changeto changeשָׁנָהבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהשָׁמֵןrichrichשָׁמֵןשָׁלֹשׁthreethreeשָׁלֹשׁשָׁלִthirdthirdשָׁלִשֵׁנִיsecondsecondשֵׁנִיהָוָאto fallto fallהָוָאיְרוּשְׁלֵםJerusalemJerusalemיְרוּשְׁלֵםיָרָאto shootto shootיָרָאשָׁנָהyearyearשָׁנָהמָלַךְto reignto reignמָלַךְמֵאָהhundredhundredמֵאָהעָשָׂרtentenעָשָׂרעֶשְׂרִיםtwentytwentyעֶשְׂרִיםתַּחַתunderneathunderneath: undתַּחַתעַמּוֹןAmmonAmmonעַמּוֹןרְאוּבֵןReubenReubenרְאוּבֵןאַ֫יִלramramאַ֫יִל
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 8:17

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.

a son of thirty and two year[s] he was when became king he and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem
בֶּן־ben- a son of H1121 Noun common · masculine singular construct
4,943× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means a son or descendant, and can also refer to a grandson, nation, or quality. It appears in 1 Chronicles 24, describing a Levite named Beno. The word is used to show family relationships and inheritance.
Amplified meaning
at the start of his reign, when he began to rule
Tyndale gloss
son: child
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'male child' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including descendants, young animals, and even figurative uses like sparks or arrows. It can refer to members of a tribe or class and is used in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, such as in 1 Chronicles 24:26. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to build' and implies a connection to family or lineage.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בֵּן 4870 n.m. son

son, male child, born of a woman

children (male and female)

youth, young men

the young of animals

of plant shoots

fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows

member of a guild, order or class

of animals son of (the) herd

ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.

n. relat. of age

base

בְּנוֹ 1 Ch 24:26, 27 as n.pr.m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son, cf. VB & Be Öt.

done

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1121a בֵּן son . son, male child, born of a woman

. children (male and female)

. youth, young men

. the young of animals

. of plant shoots

. fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows

. . member of a guild, order or class

. of animals son of (the) herd

. ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.

. n. relat. of age

H1121b בְּנוֹ as n. pr. m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1121 ben bane

from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the

widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship,

including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition,

etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-)

(Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to,

(+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born,

bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X

came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of

first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, +

kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+)

people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, +

spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous

one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.

see HEBREW for 01129

see HEBREW for 01

see HEBREW for 0251

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בֵּן (ben) — son: child.

: child/son

בְּנוֹ (be.no) — Beno.

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.26;

son of: Jaaziah (H3269);

brother of: Shoham (H7719), Zaccur (H2139I) and Ibri (H5681)

§ Beno = "his son"

the sons of Jaaziah and the sons of Merari by Jaahziah (his son)

בֵּן (ben) — son: descendant/people.

: descendant, people, tribe, nation

A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)

§ : child/son

בֵּן (ben) — son: young animal.

: calf/lamb/young(ANIMAL)

A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)

§ : descendant

בֵּן (ben) — son: type of.

: rebel/son(Belial)

A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)

§ : people/men/nation/tribe

בֵּן (ben) — son.

: [inheriting]son/heir

A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)

בֵּן (ben) — son: warrior.

: warrior/son(strong)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — 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…

a son of thirty and two year[s] he was when became king he and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem
שְׁלֹשִׁ֥יםshe.lo.Shim thirty H7970 Noun common · masculine plural absolute
173× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Thirty is the meaning of this Hebrew word, which can also be used as an ordinal to describe something as thirtieth. It is used to count quantities in the Bible.
Tyndale gloss
thirty
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שְׁלֹשִׁים (*shlowshiym*) means 'thirty' and can also refer to 'thirtieth' as an ordinal number. It is an indeclinable noun and is derived from the root word for 'three.' The entries indicate that it is used in various contexts, but there are no significant disagreements among the lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שְׁלֹשִׁים (very seldom שְׁלוֹשִׁים, שְׁלֹשִׁם) 174 n.indecl. thirty

bef. n. sg.

as ordin.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7970 שְׁלֹשִׁים (very seldom שְׁלוֹשִׁים, שְׁלֹשִׁם) n. indecl. thirty . bef. n. sg.

. as ordin.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7970 shlowshiym shel-o-sheem'

or shloshiym {shel-o-sheem'}; multiple of 7969; thirty; or

(ordinal) thirtieth:--thirty, thirtieth. Compare 7991.

see HEBREW for 07969

see HEBREW for 07991

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שְׁלֹשִׁים (she.lo.shim) — thirty.

thirty, thirtieth

Aramaic equivalent: te.la.tin (תְּלָתִין "thirty" H8533)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Noun common · masculine plural absolute
HNcmpa
a son of thirty and two year[s] he was when became king he and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem
וּשְׁתַּ֛יִםu.she.Ta.yim and two H8147 Conjunction · noun common feminine dual absolute
769× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for the number two appears in Genesis and Exodus, describing pairs and dualities. It can also mean double or twice. In the Bible, it is often used to describe things that come in twos, like two witnesses or two tablets.
Tyndale gloss
two
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שְׁנַ֫יִם (shnayim) means 'two' and serves as both a cardinal and ordinal number. It can denote 'both,' 'double,' or 'twice,' and is used in various combinations with other numbers. The word is derived as a dual form of שָׁנָה (shanah), which relates to the concept of pairs.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם 768 n.m. et f. du. two

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8147 שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם two

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8147 shnayim shen-ah'-yim

dual of 8145; feminine shttayim {shet-tah'-yim}; two; also

(as ordinal) twofold:--both, couple, double, second, twain, +

twelfth, + twelve, + twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.

see HEBREW for 08145

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שְׁנַ֫יִם (she.na.yim) — two.

1) two

1a) two (the cardinal number)

1a1) two, both, double, twice

1b) second (the ordinal number)

1c) in combination with other numbers

1d) both (a dual number)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HC/Ncfda — Conjunction · noun common feminine dual absolute
HC/Ncfda
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

too.

See NUMBER.

a son of thirty and two year[s] he was when became king he and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem
שָׁנָ֖הsha.Nah year[s] H8141 Noun common · feminine singular absolute
877× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word also means a year, like when Abraham was 100 years old in Genesis 21. It is used to describe a period of time, age, or a lifetime.
Tyndale gloss
year
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁנָה (shaneh) means 'year' and is derived from the root meaning to change or revolve. It encompasses various aspects of time, including divisions of time, measures of age, and even a lifetime. The Aramaic equivalent is שְׁנָה (she.nah), also meaning 'year'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁנָה 877 n.f. year (etym. v. √[v.ek.aa])

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8141 שָׁנָה year (etym. v. √[8138a])

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8141 shaneh shaw-neh'

(in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year

(as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old,

year(X -ly).

see HEBREW for 08138

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁנָה (sha.neh) — year.

1) year

1a) as division of time

1b) as measure of time

1c) as indication of age

1d) a lifetime (of years of life)

Aramaic equivalent: she.nah (שְׁנָה "year" H8140)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absolute
HNcfsa
a son of thirty and two year[s] he was when became king he and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem
הָיָ֣הha.Yah he was H1961 Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
3,562× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Amplified meaning
a son of thirty-two years, thirty and two years old
Tyndale gloss
to be
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

Fall out, happen

occur, take place, come about, come to pass

esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

Come into being, become

abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

sq. prep.

become

sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

sq. pred. adj.

become like

sq. pred. לְ pers.

sq. לְ pred.

oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

with עַל and לְ

sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

exist, be in existence

abide, remain, continue

with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

as copula, joining subj. & pred.

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen

. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

. sq. prep.

. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

. sq. pred. adj.

. become like

. sq. pred. + לְ pers.

. sq. לְ pred.

. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.

. with עַל and לְ

. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence

. abide, remain, continue

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1961 hayah haw-yaw

a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,

come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or

auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,

committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,

fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit

(one-)self, require, X use.

see HEBREW for 01933

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.

1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) ---

1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass

1a1b) to come about, come to pass

1a2) to come into being, become

1a2a) to arise, appear, come

1a2b) to become

1a2b1) to become

1a2b2) to become like

1a2b3) to be instituted, be established

1a3) to be

1a3a) to exist, be in existence

1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)

1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)

1a3d) to accompany, be with

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about

1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
HVqp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ha: The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; transliterated in this Encyclopedia as "h." It came also to be used for the number 5. For name, etc., see ALPHABET.

a son of thirty and two year[s] he was when became king he and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem
בְמָלְכ֑וֹve.ma.le.Kho when became king he H4427 Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common · suffix
348× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To advise or counsel is the meaning of this Hebrew word, which can also mean to reign or rule as a king. It is used in the Bible to describe the actions of leaders, like King Solomon, who sought wisdom to rule God's people. This word is found in the book of 1 Kings.
Amplified meaning
to reign, to rule as a king
Tyndale gloss
to reign
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָלַךְ (malak) is a Hebrew verb meaning to reign, become king or queen, or to counsel. It encompasses various forms, including Qal (to reign), Hiphil (to make someone king), and Niphal (to consider). The word appears in contexts related to royalty and governance, with a notable reference in Daniel 9:1 for its use in the passive form.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מָלַךְ 346 vb. denom. be, or become king, or queen, reign

Qal 296 be (become) king, reign

Hiph. make king, or queen, cause to reign

Hoph. Dn 9:1.

base

[מָלַךְ] vb. counsel, advise;—only Niph. Impf. i.e. I considered carefully, Ne 5:7.

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4427a מָלַךְ vb. denom. be, or become king, or queen, reign H4427b מָלַךְ counsel, advise—only Niph. Impf.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4427 malak maw-lak'

a primitive root; to reign; inceptively, to ascend the

throne; causatively, to induct into royalty; hence (by

implication) to take counsel:--consult, X indeed, be (make,

set a, set up) king, be (make) queen, (begin to, make to)

reign(-ing), rule, X surely.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָלַךְ (ma.lakh) — to reign.

1) to be or become king or queen, reign

1a) (Qal) to be or become king or queen, reign

1b) (Hiphil) to make one king or queen, cause to reign

1c) (Hophal) to be made king or queen

מָלַךְ (ma.lakh) — to advise.

1) to counsel, advise

1a) (Niphal) to consider

Aramaic equivalent: me.lakh (מְלֵךְ "counsel" H4431)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a | Suff — Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common · suffix
HR/Vqcc/Sp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ha: The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; transliterated in this Encyclopedia as "h." It came also to be used for the number 5. For name, etc., see ALPHABET.

a son of thirty and two year[s] he was when became king he and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem
וּשְׁמֹנֶ֣הu.she.mo.Neh and eight H8083 Conjunction · noun common both singular absolute
109× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for the number eight, which was considered a special number in biblical times. It is used to describe quantities, such as eight days or eight years, and also appears in ordinal forms, like eighth or eighth day.
Amplified meaning
a special number, a complete cycle
Tyndale gloss
eight
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שְׁמֹנֶה (shmoneh) means 'eight' and can also denote 'eighth' as an ordinal number. It is derived from the idea of plumpness, suggesting a surplus beyond seven, which is considered a perfect number. The term appears in various contexts, including combinations with other numbers.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שְׁמֹנֶה, (less oft. שְׁמוֹנֶה), שְׁמֹנָה 109 n.m. et f. eight

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8083 שְׁמֹנֶה, (less oft. שְׁמוֹנֶה), שְׁמֹנָה eight

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8083 shmoneh shem-o-neh'

or shmowneh {shem-o-neh'}; feminine shmonah {shem-o-naw'}; or

shmownah {shem-o-naw'}; apparently from 8082 through the idea

of plumpness; a cardinal number, eight (as if a surplus above

the "perfect" seven); also (as ordinal)

eighth:--eight((-een, -eenth)), eighth.

see HEBREW for 08082

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שְׁמֹנֶה (she.mo.neh) — eight.

1) eight, eighth

1a) eight (as cardinal number)

1b) eighth (as ordinal number)

1c) in combination with other numbers

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Adj — Conjunction · noun common both singular absolute
HC/Ncbsa
a son of thirty and two year[s] he was when became king he and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem
שָׁנִ֔יםsha.nah years H8141 Noun common · masculine plural absolute
877× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word also means a year, like when Abraham was 100 years old in Genesis 21. It is used to describe a period of time, age, or a lifetime.
Tyndale gloss
year
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁנָה (shaneh) means 'year' and is derived from the root meaning to change or revolve. It encompasses various aspects of time, including divisions of time, measures of age, and even a lifetime. The Aramaic equivalent is שְׁנָה (she.nah), also meaning 'year'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁנָה 877 n.f. year (etym. v. √[v.ek.aa])

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8141 שָׁנָה year (etym. v. √[8138a])

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8141 shaneh shaw-neh'

(in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year

(as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old,

year(X -ly).

see HEBREW for 08138

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁנָה (sha.neh) — year.

1) year

1a) as division of time

1b) as measure of time

1c) as indication of age

1d) a lifetime (of years of life)

Aramaic equivalent: she.nah (שְׁנָה "year" H8140)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNcmpa — Noun common · masculine plural absolute
HNcmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Torrey's New Topical Textbook

- The sun and moon appointed to mark out

Ge 1:14

- Early computation of time by

Ge 5:3

- DIVIDED INTO

. Seasons

Ge 8:22

. Months

Ge 7:11; 1Ch 27:1

. Weeks

Da 9:27; Lu 18:12

. Days

Ge 25:7; Es 9:27

- Length of, during the patriarchal age

Ge 7:11; 8:13; 7:24; 8:3

- Commencement of, changed after the exodus

Ex 12:2

a son of thirty and two year[s] he was when became king he and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem
מָלַ֖ךְma.Lakh he reigned H4427 Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
348× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To advise or counsel is the meaning of this Hebrew word, which can also mean to reign or rule as a king. It is used in the Bible to describe the actions of leaders, like King Solomon, who sought wisdom to rule God's people. This word is found in the book of 1 Kings.
Amplified meaning
as a ruler, in a kingly office
Tyndale gloss
to reign
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָלַךְ (malak) is a Hebrew verb meaning to reign, become king or queen, or to counsel. It encompasses various forms, including Qal (to reign), Hiphil (to make someone king), and Niphal (to consider). The word appears in contexts related to royalty and governance, with a notable reference in Daniel 9:1 for its use in the passive form.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מָלַךְ 346 vb. denom. be, or become king, or queen, reign

Qal 296 be (become) king, reign

Hiph. make king, or queen, cause to reign

Hoph. Dn 9:1.

base

[מָלַךְ] vb. counsel, advise;—only Niph. Impf. i.e. I considered carefully, Ne 5:7.

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4427a מָלַךְ vb. denom. be, or become king, or queen, reign H4427b מָלַךְ counsel, advise—only Niph. Impf.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4427 malak maw-lak'

a primitive root; to reign; inceptively, to ascend the

throne; causatively, to induct into royalty; hence (by

implication) to take counsel:--consult, X indeed, be (make,

set a, set up) king, be (make) queen, (begin to, make to)

reign(-ing), rule, X surely.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָלַךְ (ma.lakh) — to reign.

1) to be or become king or queen, reign

1a) (Qal) to be or become king or queen, reign

1b) (Hiphil) to make one king or queen, cause to reign

1c) (Hophal) to be made king or queen

מָלַךְ (ma.lakh) — to advise.

1) to counsel, advise

1a) (Niphal) to consider

Aramaic equivalent: me.lakh (מְלֵךְ "counsel" H4431)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
HVqp3ms
a son of thirty and two year[s] he was when became king he and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem
בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃bi.ru.sha.Lim in Jerusalem H3389 Preposition · 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, the capital city
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
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun proper
HR/Npl
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…

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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