Ezra 2:22 — Word Study
WLCאַנְשֵׁ֥י נְטֹפָ֖ה חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וְשִׁשָּֽׁה׃
BSAof NetophahNᵉṭôphâh [a town in Judah] 56chămishshîym
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אַנְשֵׁ֥י | [the] men of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| נְטֹפָ֖ה | Netophah | Noun proper |
| חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים | fifty | Adj |
| וְשִׁשָּֽׁה׃ | and six | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the men of Netophah, 56; |
| KJV | The men of Netophah, fifty and six. |
| ASV | The men of Netophah, fifty and six. |
| YLT | Men of Netophah, fifty and six. |
| WEB | The men of Netophah, fifty-six. |
| BBE | The men of Netophah, fifty-six. |
The translations agree on the wording of אַנְשֵׁ֥י — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence consists of a main clause followed by a numeral phrase, presenting the subject and its count clearly.
2 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Ezra 2:22
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 2:22 lists the men of Netophah among those returning from exile in Babylon. This verse is part of a larger census that details the various groups and their numbers, highlighting the restoration of the community in Judah. The mention of specific towns, like Netophah, connects the returning exiles to their ancestral lands and emphasizes their identity as a people re-establishing themselves after captivity.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Samuel 23:28 | Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, |
| 2 | 1 Chronicles 2:54 | The descendants of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, half the Manahathites, the Zorites, |
| 3 | Nehemiah 7:26 | the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188; |
| 4 | Jeremiah 40:8 | they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite—they and their men. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — אַנְשֵׁ֥י, 'an.Sheigenerated
The word אַנְשֵׁ֥י ('an.Shei) is a plural form of אִישׁ (ish), meaning 'men' or 'people.' It indicates a group of individuals, emphasizing their humanity and collective identity. The parsing as a masculine plural construct shows that it refers to a group rather than individuals alone.
This term is often used in the Hebrew Bible to denote men in various contexts, whether in genealogies, military lists, or community records, reinforcing the social structure of ancient Israel.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In this study, the verse is read in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the phrase the men of Netophah.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of the verse is straightforward. The main clause is led by the noun phrase אַנְשֵׁ֥י נְטֹפָ֖ה ('an.Shei Netophah), which serves as the subject, followed by the numeral phrase חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וְשִׁשָּֽׁה (fifty and six), providing the count of the men.
The order emphasizes the group of men from Netophah first, followed by their number, which is typical in Hebrew syntax for lists.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the term for 'men' is rendered as υἱοὶ (huioi), meaning 'sons' or 'children.' This choice reflects a broader understanding of lineage and community, indicating not just men but the familial ties that connect them.
The translation choice shows a slight widening of the term, emphasizing family rather than just individual identity.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Ezra 2:22 mentions the men of Netophah, a town in Judah, numbering fifty-six. This is part of a list of people returning from Babylon after exile, showing the restoration of their community.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It refers to the group of individuals from the town of Netophah, highlighting their identity as part of the returning exiles.
The number indicates the size of the community returning, which is important for understanding the demographics of the restored community in Judah.
Netophah is a town that was resettled by exiles, linking the returning individuals to their ancestral lands.
This verse is part of a census that documents the returning exiles, emphasizing the rebuilding of the Jewish community after Babylonian captivity.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean to be part of a community that is returning to its roots?
- How can understanding the identities of these towns help us appreciate the history of Israel?
- In what ways can we see parallels in our own lives about returning to our origins or communities?
- How does the number of individuals from each town reflect the diversity of the returning exiles?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Ezra 2:22 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe men of Netophah, fifty and six. The men of Netophah - [Septuagint, Vatican, Netoofa; Alexandrine, Nefoota] - probably near Beth-lehem (cf.
Read Robert Jamieson on Ezra 2 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges22. Netophah] According to 1 Chronicles 9:16 a town inhabited by priests, the birthplace of two of David’s heroes, Mahari and Haled, 2 Samuel 23:28-29, and of Seraiah, one of Gedaliah’s supporters, 2 Kings 25:23; Jeremiah 40:8 (Ephai). It has been identified by some with Beit Nettîf, 20 miles W. of Bethlehem. But its place in the list between Bethlehem and Anathoth does not favour this theory. In the map of Palestine issued by the Pal. Explor. Fund it is placed due S. of Jerusalem, on the road to Bethlehem, between Mar Elias and Rachel’s Tomb.
Read Cambridge on Ezra 2 →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
the men of Netophah, 56;
The men of Netophah, fifty-six.
the men of Netophah, 56;
the men of Netophah: 56;
Tyndale line
The men of Netophah, fifty and six.
The men of Netophah, fifty and six.
The men of Netophah, fifty and six.
The men of Netophah, fifty and six.
The men of Netophah, sixe and fiftie:
Strictly literal
The men of Netophah, fifty-six.
Men of Netophah, fifty and six.
men of Netophah, fifty-six;
The men of Netophah, fifty and six.
The men of Netophah: fifty-six.
From the Latin
The men of Netupha, fifty-six.
Simplified
the people from Netophah, 56;
The men of Netophah, fifty-six.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text is preserved in the Septuagint, with three of the four words matched. The word order and articles differ, but the essential content remains consistent, affirming the record of the men of Netophah and their number.
אַנְשֵׁ֥י נְטֹפָ֖ה חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וְשִׁשָּֽׁה׃
3 of the 4 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 2:22
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.
אֱנוֹשׁ (enowsh) refers to man or mankind, often used in a poetic context. It denotes a mortal individual, distinguishing humans from more dignified terms for man. The word encompasses both singular and collective meanings, indicating people or persons in general. Its Aramaic equivalent is אֱנָשׁ (e.nash), also meaning 'man'.
אֱנוֹשׁ n.m. man, mankind, mostly poet.
of individ.
coll. men
man, mankind
base
H582 אֱנוֹשׁ man, mankind, mostly poet.
582 'enowsh en-oshe'
from 605; properly, a mortal (and thus differing from the
more dignified 120); hence, a man in general (singly or
collectively):--another, X (blood-)thirsty, certain,
chap(-man); divers, fellow, X in the flower of their age,
husband, (certain, mortal) man, people, person, servant, some
( X of them), + stranger, those, + their trade. It is often
unexpressed in the English versions, especially when used in
apposition with another word . Compare 376.
see HEBREW for 0605
see HEBREW for 0120
see HEBREW for 0376
אֱנוֹשׁ (e.nosh) — human.
1) man, mortal man, person, mankind
1a) of an individual
1b) men (collective)
1c) man, mankind
Aramaic equivalent: e.nash (אֱנָשׁ "man" H0606)
HNcmpc — Noun common · masculine plural constructHNcmpc
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.
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…
נְטֹפָה (Ntophah) refers to a location in Judah, meaning 'dropping' or 'dripping.' It is associated with a town resettled by exiles returning from Babylon. The word is derived from the root word for distillation, נָטַף (nātaph), which is linked to the concept of dripping.
נְטֹפָה n.pr.loc. in Judah (dropping, dripping)
base
H5199 נְטֹפָה
5199 Ntophah net-o-faw'
from 5197; distillation; Netophah, a place in
Palestine:--Netophah.
see HEBREW for 05197
נְטֹפָה (ne.to.phah) — Netophah.
Netophah = "dropping"
a town in Judah resettled by the exiles returning from Babylon with Zerubbabel
Also named: ne.to.pha.ti (נְטֹפָתִי "Netophathite" H5200)
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
ne-to'-fa (neTophah; Septuagint Netopha, Nephota, and other variants): The birthplace of two of David's heroes, Maharai and Heleb (2Sa 23:28,29), also of Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, one of the captains who came to offer allegiance to Gedaliah (2Ki 25:23; Jer 40:8). "The villages of the Netophathites" are mentioned (1Ch 9:16) as the dwellings of certain Levites and (Ne 12:28, the King James Version "Netophathi") of certain "sons of the singers."
The first mention of the place itself is in Ezr 2:22;
Netophah
Distillation; dropping, a town in Judah, in the neighbourhood, probably, of Bethlehem (Neh. 7:26; 1 Chr. 2:54). Two of David’s guards were Netophathites (1 Chr. 27:13, 15). It has been identified with the ruins of Metoba, or Um Toba, to the north-east of Bethlehem.
(distillation), a town the name of which occurs only in the catalogue of those who returned with Zerubbabel from the captivity. (Ezra 2:22; Nehemiah 7:26) 1 Esdr. 5:18. But, though not directly mentioned till so late a period, Netophah was really a much older place. Two of David’s guard, (1 Chronicles 17:13,15) were Netophathites. The "villages of the Neophathites" were the residence of the Levites. (1 Chronicles 9:16) From another notice we learn that the particular Levites who inhabited these villages were singers. (Nehemiah 12:28) To judge from (Nehemiah 7:26) the…
חֲמִשִּׁים (chamishshiym) means 'fifty' and is a cardinal number. It can also refer to a multiple of fifty or the ordinal number 'fiftieth.' The entries consistently define it as a numerical term without significant variation.
חֲמִשִּׁים 164 n.pl. (a) fifty
base
H2572 חֲמִשִּׁים (a) fifty
2572 chamishshiym kham-ish-sheem'
multiple of 2568; fifty:--fifty.
see HEBREW for 02568
חֲמִשִּׁים (cha.mish.shim) — fifty.
1) fifty
1a) fifty (cardinal number)
1b) a multiple of fifty (with other numbers)
1c) fiftieth (ordinal number)
Adj — AdjHAcmpa
The Hebrew word שֵׁשׁ, transliterated as shesh, means 'six' and can function as both a cardinal and ordinal number, indicating the sixth position. It is a primitive number that signifies an excess beyond five, as noted in the entries. The Aramaic equivalent is שֵׁת (shet).
שֵׁשׁ, שִׁשָּׁה 216 n.m. et f. six
base
H8337 שֵׁשׁ, שִׁשָּׁה six
8337 shesh shaysh
masculine shishshah {shish-shaw'}; a primitive number; six
(as an overplus (see 7797) beyond five or the fingers of the
hand); as ord. sixth:--six((-teen, -teenth)), sixth.
see HEBREW for 07797
שֵׁשׁ (shesh) — six.
1) six
1a) six (cardinal number)
1b) sixth (ordinal number)
1c) in combination with other numbers
Aramaic equivalent: shet (שֵׁת "six" H8353)
HC/Acbsa — ConjunctionHC/Acbsa