Exodus 1:3 — Word Study
WLCיִשָּׂשכָ֥ר זְבוּלֻ֖ן וּבְנְיָמִֽן׃
BSAIssacharYissâˢkâr [the recompensed one] ZebulunZᵉbûwlûwn [exalted, honored] and BenjaminBinyâmîyn [son of the right hand, favored]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| יִשָּׂשכָ֥ר | Issachar | Noun proper masculine |
| זְבוּלֻ֖ן | Zebulun | Noun proper masculine |
| וּבְנְיָמִֽן׃ | and Benjamin | Conjunction, noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; |
| KJV | Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, |
| ASV | Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, |
| YLT | Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, |
| WEB | Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, |
| BBE | Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; |
Where they part company is in the spelling of Benjamin — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence is a simple list of names, typical of genealogical records.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Exodus 1:3
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 Descendants of Jacobgenerated
Exodus 1:3 lists the names of Jacob's sons, specifically Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin. This genealogy is important for understanding the tribes of Israel and their origins, as well as the historical context of Israel's presence in Egypt. The names reflect the characteristics and roles of these tribes within the nation of Israel, as seen in other passages like Genesis 35:23.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 35:23 | The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. |
| 2 | Exodus 28:20 | and in the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Mount these stones in gold filigree settings. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יִשָּׂשכָר, yi.so.sh.Khargenerated
יִשָּׂשכָר (Yissaskar) refers to the ninth son of Jacob and Leah, and the progenitor of the tribe named after him. The name means 'there is recompense' and indicates a connection to the tribe's future blessings and roles within Israel.
The parsing as a masculine proper noun indicates its significance as a personal name and a tribal identity. The name is associated with a territory in Canaan, emphasizing the importance of lineage and inheritance in the Israelite context.
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 structure of the verse is straightforward, presenting a noun phrase followed by a predicate. The finite verb is implied in the context of the genealogical list, which is common in Hebrew genealogies.
The names are presented in a simple list format, typical of genealogical records, allowing for easy identification of each son and their significance within the lineage of Jacob.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates יִשָּׂשכָר as ισσαξαρ, זְבוּלֻן as ζαβουλων, and בִּנְיָמִן as βενιαμιν. This choice reflects a direct translation of the Hebrew names without significant alteration, maintaining their original meanings.
The consistency in naming suggests the translators aimed to preserve the identity and significance of these tribes for their Greek-speaking audience.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Exodus 1:3 lists three of Jacob's sons: Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin. Each name has a meaning that reflects the character and future of the tribes descended from them. This genealogy is important for understanding the history of Israel.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Issachar means 'there is recompense' and refers to the ninth son of Jacob and Leah.
Zebulun was a son of Jacob and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Benjamin means 'son of the right hand' and refers to Jacob's youngest son.
These names represent the tribes of Israel and their roles in the history of the nation.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What do the meanings of these names tell us about the tribes of Israel?
- How can understanding these genealogies help us appreciate the history of Israel?
- In what ways do the characteristics of these tribes manifest in their later histories?
- How do the names of the tribes connect to the promises made to Jacob?
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Exodus 1:3 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleIssachar, Zebulun,.... The other two sons of Jacob, by Leah: Benjamin; the youngest of all Jacob's sons is placed here, being his son by his beloved wife Rachel.
Read John Gill on Exodus 1 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryReuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Exodus 1 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleWho, though the youngest of all, is placed before Dan, Naphtali, &c., because these were the sons of the handmaidens.
Read Matthew Poole on Exodus 1 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(3-4) Reuben . . . —The sons of the legitimate wives are placed first, then those of the concubines. Leah has precedence over Rachel; Bilhah over Zilpah. The children of each wife and concubine are given in order of seniority. The omission of Joseph from the list is explained in the last clause of Exo 1:5.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Exodus 1 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1–7. Growth of the descendants of Jacob in Egypt, after Joseph’s death, into a great people.
Read Cambridge on Exodus 1 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleOF ISRAEL, Exodus 1:1-6. 1-5. These are the names — The heads of the tribes are recounted, and the statement of Gen 46:27 is repeated, that seventy souls went down into Egypt; the writer, from the
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
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
Tyndale line
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Beniamin,
Strictly literal
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
From the Latin
Issachar, Zabulon, and Benjamin,
Simplified
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text is supported by the Septuagint, which matches all three names. The Samaritan Pentateuch differs in the spelling of Benjamin, using בנימים. The Dead Sea Scrolls show various degrees of preservation and restoration but align closely with the Masoretic Text.
יִשָּׂשכָ֥ר זְבוּלֻ֖ן וּבְנְיָמִֽן׃
3 of the 3 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.
וישׂשׂכר וזבולן ובנימים
1 word differs from the Masoretic Text: בנימים (Benjamin)
ויששכר וזבולן [ובנימן]
1 word on the leather — 1 partly restored, 1 supplied entire by an editor.
ויששכר [וזבולן] [ובנימן]
1 word on the leather — 2 supplied entire by an editor.
יששכר זבולון יוסף ובנימין
3 words on the leather — 1 partly restored.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Exodus 1:3
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.
יִשָּׂשכָר (Yissaskar) refers to Issachar, the ninth son of Jacob and Leah, and the progenitor of the tribe named after him. The name means 'there is recompense' and is associated with a territory in Canaan. Additionally, there is a Korahite Levite named Issachar, mentioned in the context of temple duties.
יִשָּׂשכָר 43 n.pr.m. Issachar
base
H3485 יִשָּׂשכָר Issachar
3485 Yissaskar yis-saw-kawr'
(strictly yis-saws-kawr'); from 5375 and 7939; he will bring
a reward; Jissaskar, a son of Jacob:--Issachar.
see HEBREW for 05375
see HEBREW for 07939
יִשָּׂשכָר (yis.sa.s.khar) — Issachar.
A man of the tribe of Issachar living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.30.18;
son of: Israel (H3478) and Leah (H3812);
brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783);
half-brother of: Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144);
father of: Tola (H8439), Puah (H6312), Jashub (H3437H) and Shimron (H8110B)
Also named: Isachar (Ἰσαχάρ "Issachar" G2466)
§ Issachar = "there is recompense"
1) the 9th son of Jacob and the 5th by Leah his first wife and the progenitor of a tribe by his name
2) a Korahite Levite and the 7th son of Obed-edom and doorkeeper to the temple
3) the tribe descended from Issachar the son of Jacob
4) the territory allocated to the descendants of Issachar when they entered the land of Canaan
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
is'-a-kar (yissa(se)khar; Septuagint, Swete Issachar; Tischendorf, Issachar, so also in the New Testament, Tregelles, and Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek):
(1) The 9th son of Jacob, the 5th borne to him by Leah (Ge 30:17 f).
1. The Name:
His birth is in this passage connected with the strange story of Reuben and his mandrakes, and the name given him is apparently conceived as derived from 'ish sakhar, "a hired workman." There is a play upon the name in this sense in Ge 49:15, "He bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant under taskwork." Wellhausen (Textder Buch. Sam., 95) thinks that the second element of the name may denote a deity; and Sokar, an Egyptian god, has been suggested. The name in that case would mean "worshipper of Sokar." Practically nothing is…
Issachar
Hired (Gen. 30:18). “God hath given me,” said Leah, “my hire (Heb. sekhari)...and she called his name Issachar.” He was Jacob’s ninth son, and was born in Padan-aram (comp. 28:2). He had four sons at the going down into Egypt (46:13; Num. 26:23, 25).
Issachar, Tribe of, during the journey through the wilderness, along with Judah and Zebulun (Num. 2:5), marched on the east of the tabernacle. This tribe contained 54,400 fighting men when the census was taken at Sinai. After the entrance into the Promised Land, this tribe was one of the six which stood on Gerizim during the ceremony of the blessing and cursing (Deut. 27:12). The allotment of Issachar is…
(reward). I. The ninth son of Jacob and the fifth of Leah. (Genesis 30:17,18) (B.C. 1753-45) At the descent into Egypt four sons are ascribed to him, who founded the four chief families of the tribes. (Genesis 46:13; Numbers 26:23,25; 1 Chronicles 7:1) The number of the fighting men of Issachar, when taken in the census at Sinai, was 54,400. During the journey they seem to have steadily increased. The allotment of Issachar lay above that of Manasseh. (Joshua 19:17-23) In the words of Josephus, "it extended in length from Carmel to the Jordan, in breadth to Mount Tabor." This territory was, as it still is, among the…
Recompense, so named by Leah his mother, Ge 30:18, the ninth son of Jacob, born B. C. 1749. The character of his posterity was foretold by Jacob and by Moses, Ge 49:14,15 De 33:18,19.
The TRIBE OF ISSACHAR numbered fifty-four thousand men in the desert, and on entering Canaan was the third in population, Nu 1:28 26:25. Their portion, having the Jordan on the east, Manasseh on the west, Zebulun north, and Ephraim south, included a considerable part of the fine plain Esdraelon, the most fertile in the country. They were industrious agriculturists, and are mentioned with honor for their brave and wise patriotism, Jud 5:15…
זְבוּלֻן (Zebulun) refers to the sixth son of Jacob and Leah, as well as his tribe and territory. The name is linked to the concept of habitation and is first mentioned in Genesis 30:20. The entries consistently identify Zebulun as a significant figure in the genealogies of Israel.
זְבוּלֻן, זְלֻבוּן n.pr.m. Zebulun
sixth son of Jacob and Leah
the tribe of Zebulun
territory of the tribe
base
H2074 זְבוּלֻן, זְלֻבוּן Zebulun
2074 Zbuwluwn zeb-oo-loon'
or Zbuluwn {zeb-oo-loon'}; or Zbuwlun {zeb-oo-loon'}; from
2082; habitation; Zebulon, a son of Jacob; also his territory
and tribe:--Zebulun.
see HEBREW for 02082
זְבוּלֻן (ze.vu.lun) — Zebulun.
A man of the tribe of Zebulun living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.30.20;
son of: Israel (H3478) and Leah (H3812);
brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Issachar (H3485) and Dinah (H1783);
half-brother of: Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144);
father of: Sered (H5624), Elon (H0356H) and Jahleel (H3177)
§ Zebulun = "exalted"
1) the 10th of the sons of Jacob, 6th and last of Leah; progenitor of Zebulun
2) the tribe descended from Zebulun
3) the land allocated to the tribe of Zebulun
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
zeb'-u-lun (zebhulun, also written zebuwlun and zebuluwn; the first form occurs only in Jud 1:30; the other two are frequent, and are used interchangeably; Zaboulon): In Ge 30:20 Leah exclaims, "God hath endowed me with a good dowry," which suggests a derivation of Zebulun from zabhadh, "to bestow," the (d) being replaced by (l). Again she says, "Now will my husband dwell with me (or "honor me"): and she called his name Zebulun"; the derivation being from zabhal, "to exalt" or "honor" (OHL, under the word).
Zebulun was the 10th son of Jacob, the 6th borne to him by Leah in Paddan-aram. Nothing is known of this patriarch's life, save in so far as it coincides with that of his brethren. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan says that he first of the five brethren was presented to Pharaoh by…
Zebulun
Dwelling, the sixth and youngest son of Jacob and Leah (Gen. 30:20). Little is known of his personal history. He had three sons (46:14).
(a habitation), the tenth of the sons of Jacob, according to the order in which their births are enumerated, the sixth and last of Leah. (Genesis 30:20; 35:23; 46:14; 1 Chronicles 2:1) His birth is mentioned in (Genesis 30:19,20) Of the individual Zebulun nothing is recorded. The list of Genesis46 ascribes to him three sons, founders of the chief families of the tribe (comp.) (Numbers 26:26) at the time of the migration to Egypt. The tribe is not recorded to have taken part, for evil or good, in any of the events of the wandering or the conquest. The statement of Josephus is probably in the main correct, that it reached on the one side to the Lake of Gennesareth and on the…
1. Or ZABULON, Re 7:8, the sixth son of Jacob and Leah, born in Mesopotamia, Ge 30:20. Moses gives us few particulars respecting him. His tribe was respectable for numbers, Nu 1:30 26:26; and its portion in the Holy Land accorded with the prediction of Jacob, Ge 49:13, extending from the Mediterranean sea at Carmel to the sea of Gemnesaret, between Issachar on the south, and Naphtali and Asher on the north and north-west, Jos 19:10. His posterity are often mentioned in connection with Issachar, his nearest brother, De 33:18. They were entangled with the Phoenicians…
The Hebrew word בִּנְיָמִין (i.e., *Binyamiyn*) means 'son of the right hand.' It refers primarily to Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, as well as to the tribe descended from him. The entries also mention a son of Bilhan and several individuals from the time of Ezra. Notably, the name is associated with various contexts in the Old Testament.
בִּנְיָמִין n.pr.m. 166 (son of (the) right hand)—
youngest son of Jacob, so called by him, but Rachel, the mother, who died at Benjamin's birth, called בֶּן־אוֹנִ֑י (q.v.)
son of Bilhan and great-grandson of Benjamin
a Jew of Ezra's time
base
H1144 בִּנְיָמִין . youngest son of Jacob, so called by him, but Rachel, the mother, who died at Benjamin's birth, called בֶּן־אוֹנִ֑י (q.v.)
. son of Bilhan and great-grandson of Benjamin
. a Jew of Ezra's time
1144 Binyamiyn bin-yaw-mene'
from 1121 and 3225; son of (the) right hand; Binjamin,
youngest son of Jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and
its territory:--Benjamin.
see HEBREW for 01121
see HEBREW for 03225
בִּנְיָמִין (bin.ya.min) — Benjamin.
A man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.35.18;
son of: Israel (H3478) and Rachel (H7354);
brother of: Joseph (H3130);
half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783);
father of: Bela (H1106A), Becher (H1071), Ashbel (H0788), Gera (H1617), Naaman (H5283), Ehi (H0278), Rosh (H7220), Muppim (H4649), Huppim (H2650H), Ard (H0714), Ahiram (H0297) and Jediael (H3043); also called Jamin at 1Sa.9.1,4; 22.7; 1x
§ Benjamin = "son of the right hand"
1) Jacob's and Rachel's youngest son, Joseph's full brother
2) son of Bilhan, great-grandson of Benjamin
3) a Benjamite, one of the sons of Harim, in the time of Ezra who had taken a strange wife
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun proper masculineHC/Npm
ben'-ja-min (binyamin, or binyamin; Beniaein, Beniamin):
1. The Patriarch:
The youngest of Jacob's sons. His mother Rachel died in giving him birth. As she felt death approaching she called him Benoni, "son of my sorrow." Fearing, probably, that this might bode evil for the child--for names have always preserved a peculiar significance in the East--Jacob called him Benjamin, "son of the fight hand" (Ge 35:17 ff). He alone of Jacob's sons was born in Palestine, between Bethel and Ephrath. Later in the chapter, in the general enumeration of the children born in Paddan-ar am, the writer fails to except Benjamin (Ge 35:24). Joseph was his full brother. In the history where Benjamin appears as an object of solicitude to his father and brothers, we must not forget that he was already a…
Benjamin
Son of my right hand. (1.) The younger son of Jacob by Rachel (Gen. 35:18). His birth took place at Ephrath, on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, at a short distance from the latter place. His mother died in giving him birth, and with her last breath named him Ben-oni, son of my pain, a name which was changed by his father into Benjamin. His posterity are called Benjamites (Gen. 49:27; Deut. 33:12; Josh. 18:21).
The tribe of Benjamin at the Exodus was the smallest but one (Num. 1:36, 37; Ps. 68:27). During the march its place was along with Manasseh…
(son of the right hand, fortunate). The youngest of the children of Jacob. His birth took place on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, near the latter, B.C. 1729. His mother, Rachel, died in the act of giving him birth, naming him with her last breath Ben-oni (son of my sorrow). This was by Jacob changed into Benjamin. (Genesis 35:16,18) Until the journeys of Jacob’s sons and Jacob himself into Egypt we hear nothing of Benjamin. Nothing personal is known of him. Henceforward the history of Benjamin is the history of the tribe. A man of the tribe of Benjamin, son of bilhan, and the head of a family of warriors. (1 Chronicles 7:10) One of the "sons of Harim," an Israelite in the time of Ezra who had married a foreign wife. (Ezra…
The youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, Ge 35:16-18. Rachel died immediately after he was born, and with her last breath named him Ben-oni, the son of my sorrow; but Jacob called him Benjamin, son of my right hand. He was a great comfort to his father, who saw in him the beloved wife he had buried, and Joseph whose loss he mourned. He could hardly be persuaded to let him go with his brethren to Egypt, Ge 42:38. The tribe of Benjamin was small at first and was almost exterminated in the days of the Judges, Jud 20:1-48, but afterwards greatly increased, 2Ch 14:8 17:17. It was valiant, Ge 49:27, and "beloved of the Lord,"…