Ezra 10:35 — Word Study
WLCבְּנָיָ֥ה בֵדְיָ֖ה כְּלֽוּהוּ׃
BSABenaiahBᵉnâyâh [a strong warrior, Jehovah has blessed] BedeiahBêdᵉyâh△ [an Israelite of the Exile] CheluhiKᵉlûwhay△ [also known as Chelluh or Keluhi, an Israelite of the Return]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּנָיָ֥ה | Benaiah | Noun proper masculine |
| בֵדְיָ֖ה | Bedeiah | Noun proper masculine |
| כְּלֽוּהוּ׃ | Keluhi | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, |
| KJV | Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh, |
| ASV | Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, |
| YLT | Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhu, |
| WEB | Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, |
| BBE | Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, |
Where they part company is in the names listed — see How Translations Differ.
The verse consists of a simple list of names, each representing an individual of significance.
2 commentators on this verse
Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
2 of 3 occur nowhere else in the Old Testament — words chosen on purpose.
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 — Ezra 10:35
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 Return from Exilegenerated
Ezra 10:35 lists individuals who returned from Babylonian exile, highlighting their roles and backgrounds. This verse is part of a larger genealogical account that emphasizes the restoration of Israel's community and identity after their return. Each name carries significance, reflecting the diverse heritage of those who came back to rebuild Jerusalem and reestablish their covenant with God.
Cross References
The Key Word — בְּנָיָה, be.na.Yahgenerated
The name בְּנָיָה (Benaiah) is a proper noun meaning "Jehovah has built." It denotes strength and leadership, as seen in the biblical figure who served under King David and Solomon. The parsing as a masculine noun indicates it refers to a male individual, emphasizing his role as a warrior and leader.
Benaiah's name suggests divine favor and strength, reflecting the character of those who returned from exile to restore their nation.
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, listing three proper nouns in a noun phrase as the subject. The finite verb is implied in the context of the list, with each name standing as a significant individual.
The simple listing format emphasizes the importance of each name, allowing the reader to recognize each person's role in the community's restoration.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בְּנָיָה as βαναια, בֵדְיָה as βαδαια, and כְּלֻהוּ as ξελια. This word-for-word correspondence shows that the Greek translators maintained the names without alteration, indicating their significance in the original Hebrew context.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Ezra 10:35 lists three men: Benaiah, Bedeiah, and Cheluhi. Benaiah was a strong warrior, Bedeiah was an Israelite from the Exile, and Cheluhi was known for having a foreign wife. Each name represents a person involved in the restoration of the community after exile.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Benaiah means 'Jehovah has built' and signifies strength and leadership.
Bedeiah was an Israelite mentioned in Ezra 10:35, known for being a servant of Jehovah during the Exile.
Cheluhi, also known as Chelluh or Keluhi, was noted for having a foreign wife during the time of the Exile and Return.
These names highlight the individuals who played a role in the restoration of Israel after exile, reflecting their diverse backgrounds.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the lives of Benaiah, Bedeiah, and Cheluhi about the importance of community in restoration?
- How do the names of these individuals reflect their roles and identities in the context of the Exile and Return?
- In what ways can we see God's hand in the lives of those who returned from exile?
- How can the stories of these individuals inspire us in our own journeys of restoration and community?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Ezra 10:35 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(18-44) List of the transgressors. (19) They gave their hands.—The four members of the high priest’s family were peculiarly dealt with. They gave their distinct pledge, and offered each a special trespass offering. It is one among a multitude of similar tokens of authenticity in the history; and inventor would have given some reason for the peculiarity. (22) Pashur.—Comparing Ezra 2:36-39, we find that all the priestly families that returned with Zerub-babel were implicated in the national offence. (25) Of Israel.—Of the laity eighty-six are mentioned, belonging to ten races which returned with Zerubbabel. (34) Bani.—Probably this should be some other name, as Bani occurs before. The…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Ezra 10 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges35. Chelluh] R.V. Cheluhi. Marg. ‘Another reading is, Cheluhu’.
Read Cambridge on Ezra 10 →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
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi,
Tyndale line
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi;
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,
Banaiah, Bediah, Chelluh,
Strictly literal
Benaiah, Bediah, Cheluhu,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhu,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhu,
Benayah, Bedeyah, Keluhu,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi,
From the Latin
Baneas, and Badaias, Cheliau,
Simplified
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,
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 lists the names as בְּנָיָ֥ה בֵדְיָ֖ה כְּלֽוּהוּ׃, and the Septuagint matches all three names exactly, showing agreement between the two texts.
בְּנָיָ֥ה בֵדְיָ֖ה כְּלֽוּהוּ׃
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.
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 Ezra 10:35
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.
בְּנָיָ֫הוּ (Benaiah) means "Jehovah has built" and refers to several individuals in the Old Testament, most notably a chief warrior under King David, son of Jehoiada. He is recognized for his loyalty to Solomon and his military leadership. The entries note various Benaiahs, including Levites and others from different tribes, but they all share the same name and meaning.
בְּנָיָ֫הוּ, בְּנָיָה n.pr.m. (Yah hath built up)—
one of David’s captains and heroes, son of Jehoiada
one of David’s thirty
a Simeonite
Levites
Israelites
base
H1141 בְּנָיָ֫הוּ, בְּנָיָה
1141 Bnayah ben-aw-yaw'
or (prolonged) Bnayahuw {ben-aw-yaw'-hoo}; from 1129 and
3050; Jah has built; Benajah, the name of twelve Israelites:--
Benaiah.
see HEBREW for 01129
see HEBREW for 03050
בְּנָיָ֫הוּ (be.na.yah) — Benaiah.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.8.18;
son of: Jehoiada (H3077);
father of: Ammizabad (H5990)
§ Benaiah = "Jehovah has built" or "Yahweh has built up"
1) one of David's mighty warriors, son of Jehoiada the chief priest, a Levite, set by David over his bodyguard, later having remained faithful to Solomon during Adonijah's attempt on the crown, was raised into the place of Joab as commander-in-chief of the army
2) the Pirathonite, an Ephraimite, one of David's thirty mighty warriors, and the captain of the eleventh monthly course
3) a Simeonite, a prince of the families of Simeon
4) a Levite in the time of David who played with a psaltery on Alamoth
5) a priest in the time of David, appointed to blow the trumpet before the ark
6) a Levite of the sons of Asaph
7) a Levite in the time of Hezekiah
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
be-na'-ya, be-ni'-a (benayah, benayahu, "Yahweh has built." Compare HPN, 182, 265, 268):
(1) Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada of Kabzeel (compare Jos 15:21), was a man of "mighty deeds" and was more honorable than any of the mighty men of David except the three chiefs. Therefore David made him his chief counselor (2Sa 23:23 m; month compare 1Ch 27:34 where the order of names seems to be reversed) and set him over the Cherethites (compare Carites, 2Ki 11:4 ff and margin) and Pelethites and he was made the 3rd captain of the host and chief over the course of the 3rd (1Ch 27:5 f;
Benaiah
Built up by Jehovah. (1.) The son of Jehoiada, chief priest (1 Chr. 27:5). He was set by David over his body-guard of Cherethites and Pelethites (2 Sam. 8:18; 1 Kings 1:32; 1 Chr. 18:17). His exploits are enumerated in 2 Sam. 23:20, 21, 22; 1 Chr. 11:22. He remained faithful to Solomon (1 Kings 1:8, 10, 26), by whom he was raised to the rank of commander-in-chief (1 Kings 2:25, 29, 30, 34, 35; 4:4).
(made by the Lord). The son of Jehoiada the chief priest, (1 Chronicles 27:5) of the tribe of Levi, though a native of Kabzeel, (2 Samuel 23:20) set by David, (1 Chronicles 11:25) over his body-guard. (2 Samuel 8:18; 20:23; 1 Kings 1:38; 1 Chronicles 18:17) One of the mighty men. (2 Samuel 23:22,23; 1 Chronicles 11:25; 27:6) The exploits which gave him this rank are narrated in (2 Samuel 23:20,21;
Son of Jehoiada, and commander of David’s bodyguards. Several instances of his rare bravery are recorded, 2Sa 8:18 2Sa 23:20-23. He adhered to Solomon when some favored the pretensions of Adonijah, slew Joab at the command of Solomon, and was made general of the army in his stead, 1Ki 1:36 2:29-35.
בֵּֽדְיָה (Bedyeah) is a proper name meaning 'servant of Jehovah.' It refers to an Israelite mentioned in Ezra 10:35, who lived during the Exile and Return period. The name is likely a shortened form of another Hebrew word, but the entries do not provide further details on its derivation.
בֵּֽדְיָה n.pr.m. an Israelite Ezr 10:35.
ref
H912 בֵּֽדְיָה
912 Bedyeah bay-de-yaw'
probably a shortened form 5662; servant of Jehovah; Bedejah,
an Israelite:--Bedeiah.
see HEBREW for 05662
בֵּֽדְיָה (be.de.yah) — Bedeiah.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.35
§ Bedeiah = "servant of Jehovah"
an Israelite exile who took a foreign woman
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
be-de'-ya (bedheydh, "servant of Yah"): A son of Bani who had married a "strange wife" (Ezr 10:35).
one of the sons of Bani, in the time of Ezra, who had taken a foreign wife. (Ezra 10:35) (B.C. 458.)
כְּלוּהוּ (Keluhai) refers to a man mentioned in Ezra 10:35, noted for having a foreign wife during the time of the Exile and Return. The name is derived from a root meaning 'completed' or 'accomplishment.' There are no significant disagreements among the lexicons regarding this entry.
כלוהי Kt, כְּלוּהוּ Qr n.pr.m. one of those who had strange wives Ezr 10:35
ref
H3622 כלוהי, כְּלוּהַי
3622 Kluwhay kel-oo-hah'-ee
from 3615; completed; Keluhai, an Israelite:--Chelluh.
see HEBREW for 03615
כְּלוּהוּ (ke.lu.hay) — Cheluhi.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.35
§ Chelluh = "my accomplishment"
a man with a foreign wife in the time of Ezra
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm