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Ezekiel 34:7 — Word Study

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WLCלָכֵ֣ן רֹעִ֔ים שִׁמְע֖וּ אֶת־ דְּבַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃

BSAThereforekên [so, thus, in this manner] you shepherdsrâʻâh [keepers of the flock, rulers over them] hearshâmaʻ [listen, obey, give attention to] the worddâbâr [message, thing, affair] of the LORDYᵉhôvâh [Yehovah, the Lord God]

Word
Listen & take awayEzekiel 34
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 7 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 (Yah.weh) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Ezekiel 34:7quick helps
In a sentenceThe LORD calls out to the shepherds, urging them to listen to His message.
Who is speakingThe LORD, addressing the shepherds.
Where we areIn a prophetic warning about the care of God's people.
The hard wordשִׁמְע֖וּ
Take awayThe shepherds must heed the LORD's word.
6 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbרָעָה 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 — Ezekiel 34:7

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 — A Call to the Shepherdsgenerated

6My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. They were scattered over the face of all the earth, with no one to search for them or seek them out.’
7Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
8‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead,
9therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD!’

Ezekiel 34:7 presents a direct appeal from the LORD to the shepherds, emphasizing their responsibility to listen and respond to His word. This verse occurs within a broader context where God critiques the leaders of Israel for failing to care for His people, as seen in the surrounding verses, particularly Ezekiel 34:6 and Ezekiel 34:8.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Ezekiel 34:9therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD!’
2Psalm 82:1–7God presides in the divine assembly; He renders judgment among the gods:
3Isaiah 1:10Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
4Jeremiah 13:13–18then you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this land—the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the people of Jerusalem.
5Jeremiah 22:2–3saying, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David—you and your officials and your people who enter these gates.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word שִׁמְע֖וּ, shim.'Ugenerated

The Hebrew word שָׁמַע (*shama`*) is a verb that means 'to hear.' It encompasses the ideas of listening, obeying, and giving attention. This word is often used in contexts where God commands His people to listen to His instructions, as seen in the Torah.

As an imperative, it calls the shepherds to action, emphasizing the necessity of not just hearing but also responding to the LORD's message. The parsing indicates it is in the Qal stem, which conveys a simple action, reinforcing the straightforward command to listen.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

In this study, the verse is read in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the word hear.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The structure of the verse is straightforward, with the finite verb שִׁמְע֖וּ (hear) leading the command. This verb governs the sentence, with the subject רֹעִ֔ים (shepherds) following it, indicating who is being addressed.

The word order places emphasis on the action of hearing, suggesting urgency in the command. The direct object marker אֶת־ (et-) precedes דְּבַ֥ר (the word), clarifying that it is the LORD's message that the shepherds are to hear.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates שִׁמְע֖וּ as ἀκούσατε (listen), which carries a similar imperative meaning. This choice maintains the urgency of the command while also suggesting a deeper engagement than mere hearing.

The use of ἀκούσατε indicates that the translators understood the importance of the shepherds actively listening and responding to the divine message.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Ezekiel 34:7 tells the shepherds to listen to the word of the LORD. This verse is part of a message where God addresses the leaders of Israel, urging them to pay attention to His instructions and care for His flock.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean for the shepherds to 'hear' the word of the LORD?

To 'hear' implies that the shepherds must listen attentively and obey the commands given by the LORD, taking their responsibility seriously.

Why is the term 'shepherds' used here?

The term 'shepherds' refers to leaders and caretakers of the people, highlighting their role in guiding and protecting the flock of Israel.

What is the significance of the LORD's message to the shepherds?

The message underscores the accountability of the leaders to God, emphasizing that they must act in the best interest of the people they lead.

How does this verse relate to the surrounding context?

This verse is part of a larger prophetic warning where God addresses the failures of the shepherds, urging them to recognize their neglect and to listen to His guidance.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does it mean for me to listen to God's word in my own life?
  2. How can I ensure that I am acting as a good shepherd to those I lead or care for?
  3. In what ways do I need to be more attentive to God's instructions?
  4. How can I encourage others to listen to the word of the LORD?

Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Ezekiel 34:7 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. Or, "ye governors", as the Targum, both civil and ecclesiastical; ye kings, princes, and magistrates; ye prophets and teachers of the people, who

Read John Gill on Ezekiel 34 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; No JFB commentary on these verses.

Read Robert Jamieson on Ezekiel 34 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Ye shepherds; the rulers, king of Israel, princes priest and priests, and pretended prophets, hear ye. God speaks in the style and manner of one greatly incensed.

Read Matthew Poole on Ezekiel 34 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Ezekiel 34:7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;Ver. 7. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord.] And oh that this word might ever sound aloud in the ears of all shepherds as the voice of heaven’ s trumpet!

Read John Trapp on Ezekiel 34 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 7. Therefore, ye shepherds, (ye bad and wicked shepherds,) hear the word of the Lord] In the preceding character of the good shepherd the reader will find, by reversing the particulars, the character of a bad shepherd; and therefore I may be excused from entering into farther detail.

Read AdamClarke on Ezekiel 34 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

1-10. The shepherds of the people, instead of feeding the flock, were feeding upon the flock, eating the fat (LXX., milk), and living in ease and luxury, while “my sheep” (Ezekiel 34:5, LXX.) were

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Ezekiel 34 →

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

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

WEBWorld English Bible2000

“‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear Yahweh’s word:

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

NETBNew English Translation2006

“‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

¶ Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah:

RVARevised Version, American1894

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Therefore ye shepherds, heare the woorde of the Lord.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah:

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Therefore, shepherds, hear a word of Jehovah:

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Therefore, shepherds, hear a word of YHWH:

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord,

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh:

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

So, you shepherds, listen to what the Lord has to say:

BBEBible in Basic English1949

For this cause, O keepers of the flock, give ear to the word of the Lord:

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.

conjunction phraseprepositional phraseלָthereforeכֵ֣ןclauseclauseרֹעִ֔יםO.shepherdsclauseverbשִׁמְע֖וּhearnoun phrase · objectאֶת(et)noun phraseדְּבַ֥רthe.wordיְהוָֽהof.Yahweh

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


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

The Masoretic Text reads לָכֵ֣ן רֹעִ֔ים שִׁמְע֖וּ אֶת־ דְּבַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃, which aligns closely with the Septuagint, where five of the six words match. This correspondence highlights the consistency of the message across these ancient texts.

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

לָכֵ֣ן רֹעִ֔ים שִׁמְע֖וּ אֶת־ דְּבַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
לָכֵ֣ןτοῦτοרֹעִ֔יםποιμένεςשִׁמְע֖וּἀκούσατεדְּבַ֥רλόγονיְהוָֽה׃κυρίου

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.

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.

Ezekiel 34:7כֵּןthereforethereforeכֵּןבֵּית־עֵ֫קֶדO shepherdsO shepherdsבֵּית־עֵ֫קֶדשָׁמַעhearhearשָׁמַעאֵתthe object the object markאֵתדָּבָר[the] word [the] word ofדָּבָריהוהYahwehYahwehיהוהכּוּןto establito establish: pכּוּןאוֹתsign: mirasign: miraculouאוֹתדָבַרto speak: to speak: speakדָבַרהָיָהto beto beהָיָהכֹּהthusthusכֹּהאָדוֹןLordLordאָדוֹןרָבַץto stretchto stretchרָבַץעֵ֫דֶרflockflockעֵ֫דֶרקוֹלvoice: souvoice: soundקוֹלקָשַׁבto listento listenקָשַׁבמִגְרָשׁpasturepastureמִגְרָשׁיֶ֫תֶרremainderremainderיֶ֫תֶרסֵ֫פֶרscroll: doscroll: documenסֵ֫פֶרנְאֻםutteranceutteranceנְאֻםצָבָאarmyarmyצָבָא
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 Ezekiel 34:7

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.

therefore O shepherds hear the object marker [the] word of Yahweh
לָכֵ֣ןla.Khen therefore H3651 Preposition · 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
so, thus, in this manner
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
Prep | Adv — Preposition · adverb
HR/D
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
therefore O shepherds hear the object marker [the] word of Yahweh
רֹעִ֔יםro.'Im O shepherds H7462 Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine plural
177× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to care for or tend to someone or something, like a shepherd with his flock. It can also mean to rule over or associate with someone as a friend, and is sometimes used to describe a close relationship.
Amplified meaning
keepers of the flock, rulers over them
Tyndale gloss
House of Shepherds
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word רָעָה (*ra'ah*) is built from a primitive root meaning to tend or pasture a flock. It covers a range of meanings including to graze, rule, associate with, and befriend. The term appears in contexts related to shepherding and companionship, with a specific mention of the 'binding-house of shepherds' in 2 Kings 10:12.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בֵּית־עֵ֫קֶד הָרֹעִים perh. n.pr.loc. (binding-house of the shepherds) 2 K 10:12

base

רָעָה 167 vb. pasture, tend, graze

Qal

trans.

intrans.

Niph. poss.

Hiph. v.

base

[רָעָה] vb. prob. associate with

Qal cherish faithfulness

Hithp. do not make companionship with a bad-tempered man

base

[רָעָה] vb. denom. Pi. be a special friend;—Ju 14:20

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7462a בֵּית־עֵ֫קֶד הָרֹעִים binding-house of shepherds H7462b רָעָה pasture, tend, graze H7462c רָעָה prob. associate with H7462d רָעָה vb. denom. Pi. be a special friend

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7462 ra`ah raw-aw'

a primitive root; to tend a flock; i.e. pasture it;

intransitively, to graze (literally or figuratively);

generally to rule; by extension, to associate with (as a

friend):--X break, companion, keep company with, devour, eat

up, evil entreat, feed, use as a friend, make friendship with,

herdman, keep (sheep)(-er), pastor, + shearing house,

shepherd, wander, waste.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בֵּית־עֵ֫קֶד הָרֹעִים (bet-e.qed ha.ro.im) — House of Shepherds.

Ra'ah = "pasturing"

perh. "binding-house of the shepherds"

רָעָה (ra.ah) — to pasture.

1) to pasture, tend, graze, feed

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to tend, pasture

1a1a) to shepherd

1a1b) of ruler, teacher (fig)

1a1c) of people as flock (fig)

1a1d) shepherd, herdsman (subst)

1a2) to feed, graze

1a2a) of cows, sheep etc (literal)

1a2b) of idolater, Israel as flock (fig)

1b) (Hiphil) shepherd, shepherdess

Also means: ro.i (רֹעִי "to shepherd" H7473)

רָעָה (ra.ah) — to accompany.

1) to associate with, be a friend of (meaning probable)

1a) (Qal) to associate with

1b) (Hithpael) to be companions

רָעָה (ra.ah) — to befriend.

(Piel) to be a special friend

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal — Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine plural
HVqrmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Torrey's New Topical Textbook

- Early mention of

Ge 4:2

- Usually carried a scrip or bag

1Sa 17:40

- Carried a staff or rod

Le 27:32; Ps 23:4

- Dwelt in tents while tending their flocks

So 1:8; Isa 38:12

- Members of the family both male and female acted as

Ge 29:6; 1Sa 16:11; 17:15

- Had hired keepers under them

1Sa 17:20

- The unfaithfulness of hireling, alluded to

Joh 10:12

Thompson Chain Reference topics

general references to

Ge 4:2; 13:5; 29:9; 37:2; 46:32; Ex 2:17; 3:1; 1Sa 16:11; 17:20

1Ch 4:39; Am 3:12; Mt 25:32; Lu 2:8

therefore O shepherds hear the object marker [the] word of Yahweh
שִׁמְע֖וּshim.'U hear H8085 Verb · Qal · imperative second person masculine plural
1,160× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To hear and listen is what this Hebrew word means, often implying attention and obedience. In Exodus and Deuteronomy, it is used when God speaks to the people, and they must listen and obey.
Amplified meaning
listen, obey, give attention to
Tyndale gloss
to hear: hear
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׁמַע (shama`) means 'to hear' and encompasses a range of meanings including listening, obeying, and proclaiming. It is built from a primitive root and can imply attention and understanding. The entries highlight various grammatical forms, such as Qal, Niphal, Piel, and Hiphil, indicating different nuances of hearing and obeying. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁמַע 1152 vb. hear

Qal 1052

subj. pers. hum.

י׳ (God) subj.

Niph. 42 be heard, of voice, sound

be heard of

be regarded, obeyed

= (favourable) hearing was granted to their voice.

Pi. he caused the people to hear

Hiph. 63

of man

י׳ subj.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8085 שָׁמַע hear

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8085 shama` shaw-mah'

a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with

implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to

tell, etc.):--X attentively, call (gather) together, X

carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content,

declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make

to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be)

obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish,

regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell,

understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁמַע (sha.ma) — to hear: hear.

: hear

v

1) to hear, listen to, obey

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to hear (perceive by ear)

1a2) to hear of or concerning

1a3) to hear (have power to hear)

1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to

1a5) to understand (language)

1a6) to hear (of judicial cases)

1a7) to listen, give heed

1a7a) to consent, agree

1a7b) to grant request

1a8) to listen to, yield to

1a9) to obey, be obedient

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be heard (of voice or sound)

1b2) to be heard of

1b3) to be regarded, be obeyed

1c) (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound

1d2) to sound aloud (musical term)

1d3) to make proclamation, summon

1d4) to cause to be heard

n m

2) sound

שָׁמַע (sha.ma) — to hear: obey.

: obey

v

1) to hear, listen to, obey

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to hear (perceive by ear)

1a2) to hear of or concerning

1a3) to hear (have power to hear)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Impv-2mp — Verb · Qal · imperative second person masculine plural
HVqv2mp
therefore O shepherds hear the object marker [the] word of Yahweh
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
therefore O shepherds hear the object marker [the] word of Yahweh
דְּבַ֥רde.Var [the] word of H1697 Noun common · masculine singular construct
1,442× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A word or thing, like a matter or affair, as seen in the book of Chronicles where it refers to the events and words of kings. It can also mean a cause or reason for something.
Amplified meaning
message, thing, affair
Tyndale gloss
Chronicles
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

דָּבָר (dabar) means 'word' or 'speech' and encompasses a range of meanings including discourse, saying, and matter. It can refer to anything spoken or a topic of discussion, extending to concepts like business or affairs. The entries consistently highlight its use in various contexts, but do not indicate any significant disagreement among lexicographers.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

דָּבָר 1439 n.m. speech, word

sg. speech, discourse, saying, word, as the sum of that which is spoken

sg. saying, utterance, sentence, as a section of a discourse

sg. a word, words

sg. matter, affair, thing about which one speaks

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1697 דָּבָר speech, word . sg. speech, discourse, saying, word, as the sum of that which is spoken

. sg. saying, utterance, sentence, as a section of a discourse

. sg. a word, words

. sg. matter, affair, thing about which one speaks

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1697 dabar daw-baw'

from 1696; a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or

thing; adverbially, a cause:--act, advice, affair, answer, X

any such (thing), because of, book, business, care, case,

cause, certain rate, + chronicles, commandment, X

commune(-ication), + concern(-ing), + confer, counsel, +

dearth, decree, deed, X disease, due, duty, effect, +

eloquent, errand, (evil favoured-)ness, + glory, + harm, hurt,

+ iniquity, + judgment, language, + lying, manner, matter,

message, (no) thing, oracle, X ought, X parts, + pertaining, +

please, portion, + power, promise, provision, purpose,

question, rate, reason, report, request, X (as hast) said,

sake, saying, sentence, + sign, + so, some (uncleanness),

somewhat to say, + song, speech, X spoken, talk, task, + that,

X there done, thing (concerning), thought, + thus, tidings,

what(-soever), + wherewith, which, word, work.

see HEBREW for 01696

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

דָּבָר (da.var) — word.

: word/speech/command

1) speech, word, speaking, thing

1a) speech

1b) saying, utterance

1c) word, words

1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)

דָּבָר (da.var) — word: speaking.

: speaking

1) speech, word, speaking, thing

1a) speech

1b) saying, utterance

1c) word, words

1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)

דָּבָר (da.var) — word: thing.

: thing/matter

1) speech, word, speaking, thing

1a) speech

1b) saying, utterance

1c) word, words

1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)

דָּבָר (da.var) — word: promised.

: promised/duty

1) speech, word, speaking, thing

1a) speech

1b) saying, utterance

1c) word, words

1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)

דָּבָר (da.var) — word: deed.

: deed

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

therefore O shepherds hear the object marker [the] word of Yahweh
יְהוָֽה׃Yah.weh Yahweh H3068 Noun proper
6,528× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Yehovah is another name for God, often translated as 'the Lord'. It is a national name for God in the Jewish faith. This name is used throughout the Old Testament.
Amplified meaning
Yehovah, the Lord God
Tyndale gloss
The Lord
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) is the proper name of the God of Israel, often rendered as Jehovah or the Lord. It signifies the self-existent or eternal nature of God. The name is closely associated with the revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:12-15 and is used in conjunction with other terms to denote sacred places. Some scholars suggest it derives from a root meaning 'to bring into being.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)

יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb

יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D

the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy

יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3068 יהוה i.e. יַהְוֶה n. pr. dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw'

from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish

national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.

see HEBREW for 01961

see HEBREW for 03050

see HEBREW for 03069

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — LORD.

Jehovah = "the existing One"

1) the proper name of the one true God

1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of a.do.na (אֲדֹנָי "Lord" H0136)

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — The Lord.

Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — (Jerusalem of) the Lord.

Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper
HNpt
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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