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Exodus 16:17 — Word Study

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WLCוַיַּעֲשׂוּ־ כֵ֖ן בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַֽיִּלְקְט֔וּ הַמַּרְבֶּ֖ה וְהַמַּמְעִֽיט׃

BSASo the Israelitesbên [children of Israel, descendants of Jacob] didʻâsâh thiskên [as instructed, in obedience] Some gatheredlâqaṭ [collected, picked up] morerâbâh [a greater quantity, an abundance] and some lessmâʻaṭ [a smaller amount, a diminished portion]

Word
Listen & take awayExodus 16
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 (ve.ha.mam.'It) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Exodus 16:17quick helps
In a sentenceThe Israelites followed God's command by gathering manna, each according to their need.
Who is speakingThe narrator, describing the actions of the Israelites.
Where we areIn the wilderness, during the Israelites' journey after leaving Egypt.
The hard wordעָשָׂה
Take awayThe gathering was done in obedience to God's instructions.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbעָשָׂה 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 16:17

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 Gathering of Mannagenerated

16This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. You may take an omer for each person in your tent.’”
17So the Israelites did this. Some gathered more, and some less.
18When they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall. Each one gathered as much as he needed to eat.
19Then Moses said to them, “No one may keep any of it until morning.”

Exodus 16:17 describes how the Israelites obeyed God's command to gather manna in the wilderness. This gathering was essential for their sustenance, showing their reliance on God's provision. The context emphasizes the importance of obedience to God's instructions as they journeyed through the desert.


Cross References


The Key Word עָשָׂה, vai.ya.'a.su-generated

The verb עָשָׂה (asah) means to do or make, covering a wide range of actions from creating to performing tasks. In this verse, it indicates the Israelites' active obedience in gathering manna as instructed.

This verb is in the sequential imperfect tense, indicating ongoing action. The Israelites did not simply act once; they continuously followed God's command, demonstrating their commitment to His instructions.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which states, 'So the Israelites did this.' The KJV and ASV also reflect this meaning, using similar phrasing.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb וַיַּעֲשׂוּ governs the sentence, indicating the action of the Israelites. It is followed by a clause that describes what they did, and another clause that details the manner of their gathering.

The structure emphasizes the actions of the Israelites, with the verb leading the sentence and the subsequent clauses providing context and detail about their gathering.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates וַיַּעֲשׂוּ as ἐποίησαν, meaning 'they made' or 'they did.' This choice reflects a direct correspondence to the Hebrew meaning, maintaining the focus on the Israelites' actions.

The translation choice shows a consistent understanding of the Israelites' obedience in gathering manna, aligning closely with the Hebrew text.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Exodus 16:17 tells us that the Israelites followed God's command by gathering manna. Some gathered more, while others gathered less, showing their different needs and responses to God's provision.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that some gathered more and some less?

It indicates that the Israelites had different needs and abilities, yet they all gathered according to what they required.

Why did the Israelites gather manna?

They gathered manna as instructed by God to sustain themselves during their journey in the wilderness.

How does this verse show obedience?

The Israelites acted according to God's command, demonstrating their willingness to follow His instructions.

What can we learn from the Israelites' gathering?

We can learn the importance of obedience to God's commands and reliance on His provision.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. How can I demonstrate obedience to God's instructions in my own life?
  2. In what ways do I rely on God's provision for my needs?
  3. What does this passage teach about the importance of community in gathering resources?
  4. How can I encourage others to trust in God's provision like the Israelites did?

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Exodus 16:17 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

And the children of Israel did so,.... They went out of the camp in the morning when it was fallen, and gathered it; which is expressive of believers going out of the camp, leaving the world, and all

Read John Gill on Exodus 16 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. No JFB commentary on this verse.

Read Robert Jamieson on Exodus 16 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Either, 1. According as their families were more or less numerous. Or rather, 2. As the gatherers were more or less strong and active in gathering it.

Read Matthew Poole on Exodus 16 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Exodus 16:17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.Ver. 17. Some more, some less.] Secundum proportionem arithmeticam, sed non secundum propertionem geometricam. As a man had more or less mouths in his family to feed.

Read John Trapp on Exodus 16 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 17. Some more, some less.] According to their respective families, an omer for a man; and according to the number of infirm persons whose wants they undertook to supply.

Read AdamClarke on Exodus 16 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

17. some more, some less] according to the number in their family.

Read Cambridge on Exodus 16 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Some more, some less - It is evidently implied that the people were in part at least disobedient and failed in this first trial.

Read Albert Barnes on Exodus 16 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

16-21. An omer for every man — The amount of the omer at this time is one of the unsettled questions, which may be found fully discussed in Smith’s Dictionary, Art. Weights and Measures.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Exodus 16 →

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

So the Israelites did this. Some gathered more, and some less.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

The children of Israel did so, and some gathered more, some less.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

So the Israelites did this. Some gathered more, and some less.

NETBNew English Translation2006

The Israelites did so, and they gathered – some more, some less.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some lesse.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some much, some little.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And the sons of Israel do so, and they gather, he who is [gathering] much, and he who is [gathering] little;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And the sons of Israel do so, and they gather, he who is [gathering] much, and he who is [gathering] little;

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And the children of Israel did so; and they gathered, some much, some little.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

The people of Israel did so. Some gathered more, some gathered less.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And the children of Israel did so: and they gathered, one more, another less.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

So the Israelites did as they were told. Some collected more, while others collected less.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And the children of Israel did so, and some took more and some less.

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.

וַandclauseverbיַּעֲשׂוּthey.didadverbialכֵ֖ןsonoun phrase · subjectבְּנֵ֣יthe.peopleיִשְׂרָאֵ֑לof.Israelוַֽandclauseclauseverbיִּלְקְט֔וּthey.gathered.[it]clausenoun phrase · subjectnoun phraseהַthe.[oneמַּרְבֶּ֖הwho].made.muchוְandnoun phraseהַthe.[oneמַּמְעִֽיטwho].made.little

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


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

The Masoretic Text and the Samaritan Pentateuch agree word for word in this verse, confirming the accuracy of the text. The Septuagint also matches the Hebrew closely, indicating a strong consistency across these ancient witnesses.

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

וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־ כֵ֖ן בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַֽיִּלְקְט֔וּ הַמַּרְבֶּ֖ה וְהַמַּמְעִֽיט׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־ἐποίησανכֵ֖ןοὕτωςבְּנֵ֣יυἱοὶיִשְׂרָאֵ֑לισραηλוַֽיִּלְקְט֔וּσυνέλεχανהַמַּרְבֶּ֖הוְהַמַּמְעִֽיט׃

7 of the 7 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

ויעשׂו כן בני ישׂראל וילקטו המרבה והממעיט

Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.

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 16:17עָשָׂהand they diand they didעָשָׂהכֵּןsosoכֵּןבֵּן[the] peopl[the] people ofבֵּןיִשְׂרָאֵלIsraelIsraelיִשְׂרָאֵללָקַטand they gaand they gatherלָקַטרָבָהthe [one whthe [one who] mרָבָהמָעַטand the [onand the [one whמָעַטכּוּןto establito establish: pכּוּןבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהשָׂרָהto striveto striveשָׂרָהרָבַבto multiplto multiply tenרָבַבמְלָאכָהworkworkמְלָאכָהתּוֹעֵבַהabominatioabominationתּוֹעֵבַהכֹּהthusthusכֹּהאָדוֹןLordLordאָדוֹןעַמּוֹןAmmonAmmonעַמּוֹןרְאוּבֵןReubenReubenרְאוּבֵןשֵׁ֫בֶטtribetribeשֵׁ֫בֶטקָדוֹשׁholyholyקָדוֹשׁשִׁבֹּ֫לֶתShibbolethShibbolethשִׁבֹּ֫לֶתקָצִירharvestharvestקָצִירפָּרָהbe fruitfube fruitfulפָּרָהמָעַטto diministo diminishמָעַטמִקְנָהpurchasepurchaseמִקְנָהרָבָהto multiplto multiplyרָבָה
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 16:17

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.

and they did so [the] people of Israel and they gathered [it] the [one who] made much and the [one who] made little
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־vai.ya.'a.su- and they did H6213 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
2,629× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to make or do something, and is used over 2,600 times in the Bible. It is first used in Genesis 1:7 to describe God's creation of the world and is also used in Exodus 31:5 to describe the work of skilled craftsmen.
Tyndale gloss
to make
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עָשָׂה (asah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to do or make, encompassing a wide range of actions such as producing, preparing, and observing. It can refer to both concrete and abstract activities, including making offerings and attending to tasks. The verb also has forms indicating passive meanings, such as being made or offered. Notably, the Piel form refers to pressing or squeezing.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָשָׂה 2622 vb. do, make

Qal 2524

do (1560 t.)

deal with

oft. in phr. do kindness with

abs. act, act with effect

make (670 t.)

produce, yield

prepare, esp. of dressing and cooking food

make offering

attend to, put in order

observe, celebrate, religious festival

acquire property of various kinds

appoint priests

bring about of י׳’s effecting a deliverance

use

spend, pass, days of life

Niph.

97be done

be made, of concr. things

be produced from vine

be prepared, of food

be offered

be observed, passover

be used

Pu. I was made

base

[עָשָׂה] vb. Pi. press, squeeze

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6213a עָשָׂה do, make .. . do (1560 + t.)

. deal with

. oft. in phr. do kindness with

. abs. act, act with effect

. . make (670 + t.)

. produce, yield

. prepare, esp. of dressing and cooking food

. make offering

. attend to, put in order

. observe, celebrate, religious festival

. acquire property of various kinds

. appoint priests

. bring about of י׳’s effecting a deliverance

. use

. spend, pass, days of life

. . be done

. . be made, of concr. things

. be produced from vine

. be prepared, of food

. be offered

. be observed, passover

. be used

. I was made

H6213b עָשָׂה Pi. press, squeeze

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6213 `asah aw-saw'

a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and

widest application (as follows):--accomplish, advance,

appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth,

bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal

(with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in)

execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, (fight-)ing man, +

finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go

about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ((a feast)), X

indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain,

make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare,

bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure,

provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin,

spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be

(warr-)ior, work(-man), yield, use.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָשָׂה (a.sah) — to make: do.

: do/perform

1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to do, work, make, produce

1a1a) to do

1a1b) to work

1a1c) to deal (with)

1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect

1a2) to make

1a2a) to make

1a2b) to produce

1a2c) to prepare

1a2d) to make (an offering)

1a2e) to attend to, put in order

1a2f) to observe, celebrate

1a2g) to acquire (property)

1a2h) to appoint, ordain, institute

1a2i) to bring about

1a2j) to use

1a2k) to spend, pass

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be done

1b2) to be made

1b3) to be produced

1b4) to be offered

1b5) to be observed

1b6) to be used

1c) (Pual) to be made

עָשָׂה (a.sah) — to press.

(Piel) to press, squeeze

עָשָׂה (a.sah) — to make.

: make(OBJECT)

1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to do, work, make, produce

1a1a) to do

1a1b) to work

1a1c) to deal (with)

1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect

1a2) to make

1a2a) to make

1a2b) to produce

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
Hc/Vqw3mp
and they did so [the] people of Israel and they gathered [it] the [one who] made much and the [one who] made little
כֵ֖ןkhen so H3651 Adverb
771× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means 'so' or 'thus', often used to show agreement or confirmation, like in the book of Genesis. It can also mean 'rightly' or 'justly', as in doing something the correct way. It appears in various forms throughout the Old Testament.
Amplified meaning
as instructed, in obedience
Tyndale gloss
right
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word כֵּן (*ken*) is built from the root meaning 'set upright.' It functions as an adjective meaning 'right,' 'veritable,' or 'honest,' and as an adverb meaning 'so,' 'therefore,' or 'thus.' It appears in various contexts, often indicating manner or relation, and is used in phrases like 'forasmuch as.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֵּן adj. right, veritable, honest

right

veritable, true

pl. concr. honest (men)

base

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

base

כֵּן adv. so

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3651a כֵּן adj. right, veritable, honest H3651b כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as H3651c כֵּן so

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3651 ken kane

from 3559; properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as

adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction)

rightly or so (in various applications to manner, time and

relation; often with other particles):--+ after that

(this, -ward, -wards), as ... as, + (for-)asmuch as yet, + be

(for which) cause, + following, howbeit, in (the) like

(manner, -wise), X the more, right, (even) so, state,

straightway, such (thing), surely, + there (where)-fore, this,

thus, true, well, X you.

see HEBREW for 03559

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֵּן (ken) — right.

adv

adj

1) right, just, honest, true, veritable

1a) right, just, honest

1b) correct

1c) true, veritable

[כִּי עַל] כֵּן ([ki al] ken) — as.

adv

forasmuch as, since

כֵּן (ken) — so.

adv

1) so, therefore, thus

1a) thus, so

1b) just so

1c) therefore

1d) so...as (paired with adv)

1e) then

1f) forasmuch as (in phrase)

1g) (with prep)

1g1) therefore, this being so (specific)

1g2) hitherto

1g3) therefore, on this ground (general)

1g4) afterwards

1g5) in such case

Aramaic equivalent: ken (כֵּן "thus" H3652)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adv — Adverb
HD
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

so (co', although the Hebrew might be pointed cewe'; Assyrian Sib'u; Septuagint Segor, Soa; Manetho, Seuechos; Latin Sevechus; Herodotus (ii. 137 ff), Sabakon): In all probability the "Sabaeo" of Herodotus, the Shabaka, who founded the Ethiopian dynasty, the XXVth of Egyptian kings. His date is given as 715-707 BC (Flinders Petrie, History of Egypt, III, 281 ff), but we may suppose that before his accession to the throne he was entitled to be designated king, as being actually regent. To this So, Hoshea, king of Israel, made an appeal for assistance to enable him to throw off the yoke of the Assyrian Shalmaneser IV (2Ki 17:3). But Hoshea's submission to So brought him no advantage, for Shalmaneser came up throughout all the land and laid siege to Samaria. Not long after the fall of Samaria, So ventured upon an eastern campaign, and…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

So

(Nubian, Sabako), an Ethiopian king who brought Egypt under his sway. He was bribed by Hoshea to help him against the Assyrian monarch Shalmaneser (2 Kings 17:4). This was a return to the policy that had been successful in the reign of Jeroboam I.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

"So, king of Egypt," is once mentioned in the Bible -- (2 Kings 17:4) So has been identified by different writers with the first and second kings of the Ethiopian twenty-fifth dynasty, called by Manetho, Sabakon (Shebek) and Sebichos (Shebetek).

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

King of Egypt, made an alliance with Hoshea king of Israel, and promised him assistance; but was unable to prevent Shalmaneser king of Assyria from taking Samaria and subverting the kingdom, B. C. 721, 2Ki 17:4. See PHARAOH.

So is believed to have been the Servetus or Sabaco II of secular history, the second king of the Ethiopian or twenty-fifth dynasty, and the predecessor of Trihakah. A singular fact has been brought to light by the recent explorations at Nineveh, corroborating the Scripture record the more forcibly, because unexpected and direct. The Bible shows that Egypt and Assyria, though remote, were often in conflict during the height of the Assyrian ruins power, and that So was at war with Shalmaneser. After war comes the treaty of peace; and as the Bible prepares us to suppose such treaties were made, the Assyrian ruins…

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and they did so [the] people of Israel and they gathered [it] the [one who] made much and the [one who] made little
בְּנֵ֣יbe.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
children of Israel, descendants of Jacob
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 did so [the] people of Israel and they gathered [it] the [one who] made much and the [one who] made little
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'El Israel H3478 Noun proper
2,508× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Israel is the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants. Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, had 12 sons who became the tribes of Israel, as told in Genesis 25:26. His story is crucial to the Bible's narrative.
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 did so [the] people of Israel and they gathered [it] the [one who] made much and the [one who] made little
וַֽיִּלְקְט֔וּvai.yil.ke.Tu and they gathered [it] H3950 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
37× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to gather or pick up, like gleaning leftover crops in a field. It is used in various forms to describe collecting or gathering things.
Amplified meaning
collected, picked up
Tyndale gloss
to gather
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

לָקַט (laqat) means to pick up or gather, specifically referring to the act of gleaning. It has various forms, including Qal (to gather), Piel (to collect or gather up), and Pual (to be picked up). The entries highlight its use in contexts of gathering, both in agriculture and in collecting money.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[לָקַט] vb. pick or gather up, specif. glean

Qal

pick up, gather

specif. glean

Pi.

gather, gather up

fig. collect (money)

specif. glean

Pu. ye shall be picked up

Hithp. and there collected themselves worthless men unto Jephthah

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3950 לָקַט pick or gather up, specif. glean

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3950 laqat law-kat'

a primitive root; properly, to pick up, i.e. (generally) to

gather; specifically, to glean:--gather (up), glean.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לָקַט (la.qat) — to gather.

1) to pick up, gather, glean, gather up

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to pick up, gather

1a2) to glean

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to gather, gather up

1b2) to collect (money)

1b3) to glean

1c) (Pual) to be picked up

1d) (Hithpael) to collect oneself

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
Hc/Vqw3mp
and they did so [the] people of Israel and they gathered [it] the [one who] made much and the [one who] made little
הַמַּרְבֶּ֖הha.mar.Beh the [one who] made much H7235 Particle · verb hiphil participle (active) masculine singular
227× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to increase or grow, like a plant shooting up. It is used in the Bible to describe something getting bigger or more abundant. The KJV translates it as abundance or bring up.
Amplified meaning
a greater quantity, an abundance
Tyndale gloss
to multiply
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רָבָה (rabah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to increase or multiply, encompassing ideas of becoming great, numerous, or abundant. It has various forms, including Qal (to become many), Piel (to make large), and Hiphil (to make much). The word also appears in a context related to shooting in Genesis 21:20. There is a noted Aramaic equivalent, רְבָה.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[רָבָה] 225 vb. be, or become, much, many, great

Qal 59

become many, numerous

be great

grow great (Aramaism)

Pi. 4 make large, increase

Hiph. 162

make much or many

make great, obj. pers.

base

[רָבָה] vb. shoot;—only Qal Gn 21:20

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7235a רָבָה be, or become, much, many, great .. become many, numerous

. . be great

. grow great (Aramaism)

. make large, increase

. . make much or many

. make great, obj. pers.

H7235b רָבָה shoot

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7235 rabah raw-baw'

a primitive root; to increase (in whatever respect):--(bring

in) abundance (X -antly), + archer (by mistake for 7232), be

in authority, bring up, X continue, enlarge, excel,

exceeding(-ly), be full of, (be, make) great(-er, -ly,

X -ness), grow up, heap, increase, be long, (be, give, have,

make, use) many (a time), (any, be, give, give the, have) more

(in number), (ask, be, be so, gather, over, take, yield) much

(greater, more), (make to) multiply, nourish, plenty(-eous), X

process (of time), sore, store, thoroughly, very.

see HEBREW for 07232

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רָבָה (ra.vah) — to multiply.

1) be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to become many, become numerous, multiply (of people, animals, things)

1a2) to be or grow great

1b) (Piel) to make large, enlarge, increase, become many

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to make much, make many, have many

1c1a) to multiply, increase

1c1b) to make much to do, do much in respect of, transgress greatly

1c1c) to increase greatly or exceedingly

1c2) to make great, enlarge, do much

Aramaic equivalent: re.vah (רְבָה "to grow great" H7236)

רָבָה (ra.vah) — to shoot.

(Qal) to shoot

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | V-Hiphil — Particle · verb hiphil participle (active) masculine singular
HTd/Vhrmsa
and they did so [the] people of Israel and they gathered [it] the [one who] made much and the [one who] made little
וְהַמַּמְעִֽיט׃ve.ha.mam.'It and the [one who] made little H4591 Conjunction · particle · verb hiphil participle (active) masculine singular
22× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to make something smaller or less. It can describe reducing a quantity or making something less effective. The KJV translates it as diminish or make few.
Amplified meaning
a smaller amount, a diminished portion
Tyndale gloss
to diminish
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word מָעַט (ma`at) means to diminish or become small. It can refer to being few in number or making something smaller or fewer. The entries indicate its use in various forms, including Qal, Piel, and Hiphil, covering both intransitive and causative meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[מָעַט] vb. be or become small, diminished, few

Qal be too small for a lamb

Pi. become few

Hiph. make small or few, diminish

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4591 מָעַט be or become small, diminished, few .be too small for a lamb

. become few

. make small or few, diminish

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4591 ma`at maw-at'

a primitive root; properly, to pare off, i.e. lessen;

intransitively, to be (or causatively, to make) small or few

(or figuratively, ineffective):--suffer to decrease,

diminish, (be, X borrow a, give, make) few (in number, -ness),

gather least (little), be (seem) little, (X give the) less, be

minished, bring to nothing.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָעַט (ma.at) — to diminish.

1) to be or become small, be few, be diminished

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to diminish

1a2) to be too small

1b) (Piel) to become few

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to make small, make few, diminish

1c2) to give less

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Art | V-Hiphil — Conjunction · particle · verb hiphil participle (active) masculine singular
HC/Td/Vhrmsa
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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