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Exodus 1:13 — Word Study

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WLCוַיַּעֲבִ֧דוּ מִצְרַ֛יִם אֶת־ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃

BSAThey workedʻâbad the Israelitesbên [with cruelty, by forcing them into harsh labor] ruthlesslyperek [with severity, rigor, and brutality]

Word
Listen & take awayExodus 1
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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 (be.Fa.rekh) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Exodus 1:13quick helps
In a sentenceThe Egyptians forced the Israelites into hard labor, treating them with cruelty.
Who is speakingThe narrative describes the actions of the Egyptians against the Israelites.
Where we areThis verse is part of the account of Israel's oppression in Egypt.
The hard wordבְּפָֽרֶךְ
Take awayThe Israelites were subjected to severe and harsh treatment.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectמִצְרַיִם verbעָבַד 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 — Exodus 1:13

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 Oppression of the Israelitesgenerated

12But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.
13They worked the Israelites ruthlessly
14and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.
15Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,

Exodus 1:13 describes how the Egyptians ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites, compelling them to work under harsh conditions. This oppression was part of a broader narrative of the Israelites' suffering in Egypt, which ultimately leads to their deliverance. The context highlights the severity of their labor and the cruelty of their oppressors, setting the stage for God's intervention.


Cross References


The Key Word עָבַד, vai.ya.'a.Vi.dugenerated

The verb עָבַד (abad) is a Hiphil form, indicating that the subject (the Egyptians) caused the action (to labor) to happen to the object (the Israelites). This verb encompasses a range of meanings from serving to enslaving, reflecting the harsh reality faced by the Israelites in Egypt.

In this context, עָבַד implies forced labor, emphasizing the Egyptians' role in oppressing the Israelites. The use of this verb underlines the severity of their situation, as they were not merely working but were compelled to serve under brutal conditions.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

Translations agree on the oppressive nature of the Egyptians' treatment of the Israelites.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb וַיַּעֲבִ֧דוּ (vai.ya.'a.Vi.du) governs the clause, indicating the action taken by the Egyptians. This verb is followed by the object בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (be.Nei Yisra'el), specifying who was compelled to labor.

The structure of the sentence places emphasis on the action of the Egyptians, with the object of their oppression clearly identified. The prepositional phrase בְּפָֽרֶךְ (be.Fa.rekh) adds detail about the nature of the labor, indicating it was done with harshness.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates וַיַּעֲבִ֧דוּ as κατεδυνάστευον (katedynasteuon), which suggests a sense of domination or oppression. This choice highlights the severity of the Egyptians' treatment of the Israelites.

The use of κατεδυνάστευον indicates a broader interpretation of the Hebrew verb, emphasizing not just labor but also the harsh control exercised over the Israelites.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Exodus 1:13 tells us that the Egyptians forced the Israelites to work very hard, treating them cruelly. This verse highlights the harsh conditions the Israelites faced while in Egypt, setting the stage for their eventual deliverance.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that the Egyptians worked the Israelites ruthlessly?

It means that the Egyptians forced the Israelites into hard labor with cruelty and severity, treating them harshly.

Why were the Israelites forced to work in such harsh conditions?

The Egyptians feared the growing population of the Israelites and sought to control them through oppression and forced labor.

What can we learn from the Israelites' experience in Egypt?

The experience of the Israelites teaches us about resilience in the face of oppression and the importance of hope for deliverance.

How does this verse connect to the broader narrative of Exodus?

This verse sets the stage for the Israelites' suffering in Egypt, which ultimately leads to God's intervention and their liberation.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. How can we recognize and respond to oppression in our own lives or communities?
  2. What lessons can we learn from the resilience of the Israelites during their oppression?
  3. In what ways can we support those who are facing harsh treatment or unfair labor conditions today?
  4. How does understanding the suffering of the Israelites help us appreciate the significance of their eventual deliverance?

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Exodus 1:13 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.

Read John Gill on Exodus 1 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. No JFB commentary on these verses.

Read Robert Jamieson on Exodus 1 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Or, cruelty, or, tyranny; with hard words and cruel usage, without mercy or mitigation. This God permitted for wise and just reasons. 1. As a punishment of their idolatry, into which divers of them fell there. ,7,8 23:8 2. To wean them from the land of Egypt, which otherwise was a plentiful and desirable land, and to quicken their desires after Canaan. 3. To prepare the way for God’ s glorious works, and Israel’ s deliverance.

Read Matthew Poole on Exodus 1 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Exodus 1:13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:Ver. 13. To serve with rigour.] Heb. ( áôøê), With fierceness: so thinking to cow out their spirits, and to exanimate them. So deals the Turk with the Christians. Quidam cam ferocia voce latina conferunt.

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

(13) With rigour.—Forced labour in Egypt was of a very severe character. Those condemned to it worked from morning to night under the rod of a task-master, which was freely applied to their legs or backs, if they rested their weary limbs for a moment. (See Records of the Past, vol. viii. p. 149; Chabas, Mélanges Egyptolo-giques, vol. ii. p. 121). The heat of the sun was great; the burthens which the labourers had to carry were heavy, and the toil was incessant. Death often resulted from the, excessive work. According to Herodotus, a single monarch, Neco, destroyed in this way 120,000 of his subjects (Herod, ii. 158).

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

Verse 13. To serve with rigour] בפרך bepharech, with cruelty, great oppression; being ferocious with them. The word fierce is supposed by some to be derived from the Hebrew, as well as the Latin ferox, from which we more immediately bring our English term. This kind of cruelty to slaves, and ferociousness, unfeelingness, and hard-heartedness, were particularly forbidden to the children of Israel. See Leviticus 25:43, Leviticus 25:46, where the same word is used: Thou shalt not rule over him with RIGOUR, but shalt fear thy God.

Read AdamClarke on Exodus 1 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

8–14. The first measure taken to check the increase of the Israelites: they are set to do forced labour on public works in Egypt.

Read Cambridge on Exodus 1 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

13, 14. The nature of their toil is here more fully described. Hard bondage — Rather, hard labour in clay and bricks, and all (kind of) service in the field.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Exodus 1 →

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

They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

WEBWorld English Bible2000

The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

NETBNew English Translation2006

and they made the Israelites serve rigorously.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor:

RVARevised Version, American1894

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Wherefore the Egyptians by crueltie caused the children of Israel to serue.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with harshness;

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

and the Egyptians cause the sons of Israel to serve with rigour,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

and the Egyptians cause the sons of Israel to serve with rigor,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to labor with rigor:

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

The Egyptians made the Israelites work rigorously.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And the Egyptians hated the children of Israel, and afflicted them and mocked them:

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

The Egyptians worked the Israelites brutally,

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And they gave the children of Israel even harder work to do:

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.

וַandclauseverbיַּעֲבִ֧דוּthey.compelled.to.laborsubjectמִצְרַ֛יִםEgyptnoun phrase · objectאֶת(et)noun phraseבְּנֵ֥יthe.peopleיִשְׂרָאֵ֖לof.Israelprepositional phrase · prepositionalבְּwithפָֽרֶךְharshness

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


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

The Masoretic Text is supported by the Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees word for word. The Dead Sea Scrolls show partial matches, indicating some words were supplied by an editor due to damage, but the core message remains intact.

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

וַיַּעֲבִ֧דוּ מִצְרַ֛יִם אֶת־ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַיַּעֲבִ֧דוּκατεδυνάστευονמִצְרַ֛יִםαἰγύπτιοιבְּנֵ֥יυἱοὺςיִשְׂרָאֵ֖לισραηλבְּפָֽרֶךְ׃βίᾳ

5 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Samaritan Pentateuchthe Torah as the Samaritan community kept it

ויעבדו מצרים את בני ישׂראל בפרך

Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 2Q2a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

ויעבדו מצרים את [בני] [ישראל] [בפרך]

3 words on the leather — 3 supplied entire by an editor.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q1a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[ויעבדו] [מצרים] [את] [בני] ישראל בפרך

2 words on the leather — 4 supplied entire by an editor.

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.

Exodus 1:13עָבַדand they coand they compelעָבַדמִצְרִיEgyptEgyptמִצְרִיאֵתthe object the object markאֵתבֵּן[the] peopl[the] people ofבֵּןיִשְׂרָאֵלIsraelIsraelיִשְׂרָאֵלפֶּ֫רֶךְwith harshnwith harshnessפֶּ֫רֶךְמִצְרַ֫יִם(Sea of) E(Sea of) Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםאוֹתsign: mirasign: miraculouאוֹתבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהשָׂרָהto striveto striveשָׂרָהבַּ֫עַלBaalBaalבַּ֫עַלעֲבֹדָהserviceserviceעֲבֹדָההָגָרHagarHagarהָגָרחֲניִתspearspearחֲניִתמִגְרָשׁpasturepastureמִגְרָשׁעַמּוֹןAmmonAmmonעַמּוֹןרְאוּבֵןReubenReubenרְאוּבֵןשֵׁ֫בֶטtribetribeשֵׁ֫בֶטקָדוֹשׁholyholyקָדוֹשׁרָדָהto ruleto ruleרָדָהלֹאnotnotלֹא
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 Exodus 1:13

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and they compelled to labor Egypt the object marker [the] people of Israel with harshness
וַיַּעֲבִ֧דוּvai.ya.'a.Vi.du and they compelled to labor H5647 Verb · Hiphil · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
288× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To serve or work is the meaning of this verb, which can also imply slavery or bondage, as seen in the story of the Israelites in Egypt. It is used to describe various types of work or service, including serving God or other people. The word has different forms and meanings in different contexts.
Tyndale gloss
to serve
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עָבַד (abad) is a Hebrew verb meaning to work or serve, encompassing a range of activities from laboring for others to serving God, including Levitical service. It can also refer to the cultivation of land or the act of enslaving. The word appears in various forms, indicating different nuances of service and labor.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָבַד 290 vb. work, serve

Qal

labour, work, do work

work for another, serve him by labour

serve as subjects

serve God

serve י׳ with Levitical service

Niph.

be tilled, of land

dub. cultivated field

Pu. worked

Hiph.

compel to labour as slaves

make to serve as subjects

cause to serve God

Hoph. be led or enticed to serve

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5647 עָבַד work, serve .. labour, work, do work

. work for another, serve him by labour

. serve as subjects

. serve God

. serve י׳ with Levitical service

. . be tilled, of land

. dub. cultivated field

. worked

. . compel to labour as slaves

. make to serve as subjects

. cause to serve God

. be led or enticed to serve

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5647 `abad aw-bad'

a primitive root; to work (in any sense); by implication, to

serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.:--X be, keep in

bondage, be bondmen, bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear,

execute, + husbandman, keep, labour(-ing man, bring to pass,

(cause to, make to) serve(-ing, self), (be, become)

servant(-s), do (use) service, till(-er), transgress (from

margin), (set a) work, be wrought, worshipper,

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָבַד (a.vad) — to serve.

: serve[someone]

1) to work, serve

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to labour, work, do work

1a2) to work for another, serve another by labour

1a3) to serve as subjects

1a4) to serve (God)

1a5) to serve (with Levitical service)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be worked, be tilled (of land)

1b2) to make oneself a servant

1c) (Pual) to be worked

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to compel to labour or work, cause to labour, cause to serve

1d2) to cause to serve as subjects

1e) (Hophal) to be led or enticed to serve

עָבַד (a.vad) — to serve: minister.

: minister/serve[God/tabernacle/temple]/worship

1) to work, serve

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to labour, work, do work

1a2) to work for another, serve another by labour

1a3) to serve as subjects

1a4) to serve (God)

1a5) to serve (with Levitical service)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be worked, be tilled (of land)

1b2) to make oneself a servant

1c) (Pual) to be worked

1d) (Hiphil)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Hiphil-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Hiphil · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
Hc/Vhw3mp
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

la'-ber (yeghia`, `amal; kopos): The word (noun and verb) denoting hard work or "toil" (thus in the Revised Version (British and American) of De 26:7; Jos 7:3; Re 2:2) represents several Hebrew and Greek words, chiefly those above. Occasionally, as in Hab 3:17 (ma`aseh), it stands for "fruit of labor." Sometimes, in conjunction with "travail," it refers to childbirth (Ge 35:16,17, yaladh; compare 1Th 2:9; 2Th 3:8). Examples of the word in the ordinary sense are: of yeghia`,

and they compelled to labor Egypt the object marker [the] people of Israel with harshness
מִצְרַ֛יִםmitz.Ra.yim Egypt H4713 Noun proper
70× 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 an Egyptian, someone from the country of Egypt. It appears in the Old Testament, describing people from this northeastern African nation. Egyptians are mentioned in books like Genesis and Exodus.
Tyndale gloss
Egyptian
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מִצְרִי (mitsriy) is an adjective meaning 'Egyptian,' derived from the noun for Egypt, מִצְרַ֫יִם (mitsrajim). It refers to an inhabitant or citizen of Egypt. The entries consistently define it in relation to Egypt without significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מִצְרִי adj. gent. Egyptian

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4713 מִצְרִי adj. gent. Egyptian

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4713 Mitsriy mits-ree'

from 4714; a Mitsrite, or inhabitant of

Mitsrajim:--Egyptian, of Egypt.

see HEBREW for 04714

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מִצְרִי (mits.ri) — Egyptian.

Group of mits.ra.yim (מִצְרַ֫יִם "Egypt" H4714G)

§ Egyptian, of Egypt "double straits"

Egyptian-an inhabitant or citizen of Egypt

an Egyptian

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

e'-jipt:

I. THE COUNTRY

1. The Basis of the Land 2. The Nile Valley 3. Earliest Human Remains 4. Climate 5. Conditions of Life 6. The Nile 7. The Fauna 8. The Flora 9. The Prehistoric Races

II. THE HISTORY

1. 1st and 2nd Ages: Prehistoric 2. 3d Age: Ist and IInd Dynasties 3. 4th Age: IIIrd through VIth Dynasties 4. 5th Age: VIIth through XIVth Dynasties 5. 6th Age: XVth through XXIVth Dynasties 6. 7th Age: XXVth Dynasty to Roman Times 7. 8th Age: Arabic 8. Early Foreign Connections

III. THE OLD TESTAMENT CONNECTIONS

1. Semitic Connections 2. Abramic Times 3. Circumcision 4. Joseph 5. Descent into Egypt 6. The Oppression 7. The Historic Position 8. The Plagues 9. Date of the Exodus 10. Route of the Exodus 11. Numbers of the Exodus 12. Israel in Canaan 13. Hadad 14. Pharaoh's Daughter 15. Shishak 16. Zerakh 17. The Ethiopians 18. Tahpanhes 19. Hophra 20. The Jews of Syene 21. The New Jerusalem…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Egypt

The land of the Nile and the pyramids, the oldest kingdom of which we have any record, holds a place of great significance in Scripture.

The Egyptians belonged to the white race, and their original home is still a matter of dispute. Many scholars believe that it was in Southern Arabia, and recent excavations have shown that the valley of the Nile was originally inhabited by a low-class population, perhaps belonging to the Nigritian stock, before the Egyptians of history entered it. The ancient Egyptian language, of which the latest form is Coptic, is distantly connected with the Semitic family of speech.

Egypt consists geographically of two halves, the northern being the Delta, and the southern Upper Egypt, between Cairo and the First Cataract. In the Old Testament, Northern or Lower Egypt is called Mazor, “the fortified land” (Isa.…

A celebrated country in the north of Africa, at the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. The Hebrews called it Mizraim, Ge 10:6, and hence it is now called by the Arabs, Mizr. The Greeks and Romans called it Aegyptus, whence Egypt; but the origin of this name is unknown.

The habitable land of Egypt is for the most part a great valley, through which the river Nile pours its waters, extending in a straight line from north to south, and skirted on the east and west by ranges of mountains, which approach and recede from the river more or less in different parts. Where this valley terminates, towards the north, the Nile divides itself, about forty or fifty miles from the seacoast, into several arms, which inclose the so-called Delta. The ancients numbered seven arms and mouths; the eastern was that of Pelusium, now that of Tineh; and the…

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

אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

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

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

853 'eth ayth

apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of

entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more

definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or

namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).

see HEBREW for 0226

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֵת (et) — [Obj.].

sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative

Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HTo — Particle
HTo
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and they compelled to labor Egypt the object marker [the] people of Israel with harshness
בְּנֵ֥יbe.Nei [the] people of H1121 Noun common · masculine plural construct
4,943× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means a son or descendant, and can also refer to a grandson, nation, or quality. It appears in 1 Chronicles 24, describing a Levite named Beno. The word is used to show family relationships and inheritance.
Amplified meaning
with cruelty, by forcing them into harsh labor
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-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…

and they compelled to labor Egypt the object marker [the] people of Israel with harshness
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לYis.ra.'El Israel H3478 Noun proper
2,508× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Israel is the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants. Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, had 12 sons who became the tribes of Israel, as told in Genesis 25:26. His story is crucial to the Bible's narrative.
Tyndale gloss
Israel
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

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

n.pr.m. second name of Jacob

n.pr.gent. name of Hebrew nation

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

. n. pr. gent. name of Hebrew nation

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3478 Yisra'el yis-raw-ale'

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

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

--Israel.

see HEBREW for 08280

see HEBREW for 0410

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יִשְׂרָאֵל (yis.ra.el) — Israel.

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

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

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

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

§ Israel = "God prevails"

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

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

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

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

iz'-ra-el.

See JACOB.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Israel

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

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

Smith's Bible Dictionary

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

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

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

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and they compelled to labor Egypt the object marker [the] people of Israel with harshness
בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃be.Fa.rekh with harshness H6531 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
6× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means severity or harshness, like cruelty or rigor. It describes something or someone that is strict or unyielding. In the Bible, it is used to convey a sense of intensity or sternness.
Amplified meaning
with severity, rigor, and brutality
Tyndale gloss
severity
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

פֶּ֫רֶךְ (perek) refers to harshness or severity, often associated with cruelty or rigor. It is derived from an unused root meaning to break apart or fracture. The term is consistently defined across entries, emphasizing its connotations of severity in various contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

פֶּ֫רֶךְ n.[m.] harshness, severity

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6531 פֶּ֫רֶךְ harshness, severity

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6531 perek peh'-rek

from an unused root meaning to break apart; fracture, i.e.

severity:--cruelty, rigour.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

פֶּ֫רֶךְ (pe.rekh) — severity.

harshness, severity, cruelty

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HR/Ncmsa
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
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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