Ezra 2:31 — Word Study
WLCבְּנֵי֙ עֵילָ֣ם אַחֵ֔ר אֶ֕לֶף מָאתַ֖יִם חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וְאַרְבָּעָֽה׃ ס
BSAthe descendantsbên [sons, children, or posterity] of the otherʼachêr [different, another] ElamʻÊylâm [a son of Shem and his descendants, a thousand two hundred fifty and four, one thousand two hundred fifty-four] 1,254ʼeleph
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּנֵי֙ | [the] descendants of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| עֵילָ֣ם | Elam | Noun proper masculine |
| אַחֵ֔ר | [the] other | Adj |
| אֶ֕לֶף | one thousand | Adj |
| מָאתַ֖יִם | two hundred | |
| חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים | fifty | |
| וְאַרְבָּעָֽה׃ ס | and four | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the descendants of the other Elam, 1,254; |
| KJV | The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. |
| ASV | The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. |
| YLT | Sons of another Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. |
| WEB | The children of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four. |
| BBE | The children of the other Elam, a thousand, two hundred and fifty-four. |
Where they part company is not present in this verse, as all versions maintain the same essential meaning regarding the descendants of Elam.
The sentence consists of a main clause followed by a numeral phrase, indicating the count of the descendants.
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 2:31
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 Census of Returning Exilesgenerated
Ezra 2:31 lists the families returning to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile, emphasizing the importance of genealogy in Israel's restoration. This verse specifically mentions the descendants of Elam, indicating their role in the community's rebuilding efforts.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ezra 2:7 | the descendants of Elam, 1,254; |
| 2 | Nehemiah 7:34 | the descendants of the other Elam, 1,254; |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בְּנֵי, be.Neigenerated
The word בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'descendant' and can refer to a range of familial relationships, including children and grandchildren. It is a noun in the masculine plural construct form, indicating a group or lineage, which is significant in the context of Israel's genealogies.
This term appears frequently throughout the Old Testament, often used to establish familial connections and inheritance rights. In this verse, it highlights the descendants of Elam as part of the larger narrative of the returning exiles.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In this study, we refer to the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which aligns with the KJV and ASV in rendering the phrase as the descendants of the other Elam.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause here is בְּנֵי, the descendants, which serves as the subject of the sentence. This is followed by a noun phrase identifying the specific group, עֵילָם, Elam, and concludes with a numeral phrase indicating the number of descendants.
The structure emphasizes the identity of the group and their numerical count, reflecting the importance of both family lineage and population in the context of the returning exiles.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בְּנֵי as υἱοὶ, meaning 'sons,' which aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning of descendants. This choice reflects a consistent understanding of familial relationships.
The term עֵילָם is rendered as ηλαμ, maintaining the connection to the same family line, indicating that the translators recognized the significance of these genealogies.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Ezra 2:31 tells us about the descendants of the other Elam, numbering 1,254. This verse is part of a list documenting the families returning from exile to Jerusalem, highlighting the importance of lineage in the restoration of the community.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
In this context, 'descendants' refers to the sons, children, or posterity of Elam, indicating their lineage and role in the returning community.
The number of descendants is significant as it reflects the size of the family returning from exile, showcasing the restoration of Israel's population.
Genealogies in Ezra serve to establish identity, heritage, and the legitimacy of those returning to Jerusalem after the exile.
Elam was a son of Shem and the name of a region, representing both the people and their descendants in the genealogical records.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How do genealogies in the Bible help us understand the importance of family and heritage?
- What can we learn from the numbers of returning families about the restoration of the community?
- In what ways does understanding our own lineage impact our identity today?
- How does the mention of specific names and numbers in Ezra encourage us in our faith journey?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Ezra 2:31 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. The children of the other Elam , [ `Eelaam (H5867) 'acheer (H312) - a second or another Elam-Heelamar]. This is the name of a chief.
Read Robert Jamieson on Ezra 2 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges31. the other Elam] This title apparently refers back to the Elam mentioned in Ezra 2:7. The fact that the ‘Elam’ of Ezra 2:7 is probably the name of a person and that the Elam here mentioned is found in connexion with the names of towns renders the expression ‘the other’ very strange. Another strange circumstance is the exact correspondence of the numbers in each case, i.e. 1254. The text is not free from suspicion.
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 descendants of the other Elam, 1,254;
The children of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.
the descendants of the other Elam, 1,254;
the descendants of the other Elam: 1,254;
Tyndale line
The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.
The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.
The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.
The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.
The sonnes of the other Elam, a thousand, and two hundreth, and foure and fiftie:
Strictly literal
The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.
Sons of another Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.
sons of another Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four;
The children of the other 'Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty and four.
The men of the other Elam: 1,254.
From the Latin
The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty-four.
Simplified
the sons of Elam, 1,254;
The children of the other Elam, a thousand, two hundred and fifty-four.
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 and the Septuagint largely agree in their wording for this verse, with a direct correspondence in six of the seven words. The Septuagint's structure may differ, but the essential details about the descendants of Elam remain intact.
בְּנֵי֙ עֵילָ֣ם אַחֵ֔ר אֶ֕לֶף מָאתַ֖יִם חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וְאַרְבָּעָֽה׃ ס
6 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.
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 2:31
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.
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.
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
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
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
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)
N-mp — 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…
The Hebrew word עֵילָם (*Eylam*) refers primarily to Elam, a region and its people, descendants of Shem. It encompasses various individuals, including heads of families among the exiles, a chief in Benjamin, and a Levite. The term is linked to the concept of 'eternity' and appears in contexts related to the Exile and Return, as well as genealogies from the time of the Patriarchs.
עֵילָם n.pr.gent. et terr. Elam
base
עֵילָם n.pr.m.
heads of families of returned exiles
a chief of people
name in Benjamin
Levite name
a priest
base
H5867a עֵילָם n. pr. gent. et terr. Elam H5867b עֵילָם . heads of families of returned exiles
. a chief of people
. name in Benjamin
. Levite name
. a priest
5867 `Eylam ay-lawm'
or mOwlam (Ezra 10:2; Jeremiah 49:36) {o-lawm'}; probably
from 5956; hidden, i.e. distant; Elam, a son of Shem and his
descendants, with their country; also of six
Israelites:--Elam.
see HEBREW for 05956
עֵילָם (e.lam) — Elam.
§ Elam = "eternity"
a province east of Babylon and northeast of the lower Tigris
עֵילָם (e.lam) — Elam.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.7
§ Elam = "eternity"
1) a Korhite Levite in the time of David
2) a chief man of the tribe of Benjamin
3) ancestor of a family of exiles who returned with Zerubbabel
4) a chief of the people who signed the covenant with Nehemiah
5) another ancestor of another family of exiles who returned with Zerubbabel
6) a priest who assisted at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah
7) another head of a family of returning exiles
עֵילָם (e.lam) — Elam.
A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.10.22;
son of: Shem (H8035);
brother of: Asshur (H0804H), Arpachshad (H0775), Lud (H3865) and Aram (H0758)
§ Elam = "eternity"
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
Elam
Highland, the son of Shem (Gen. 10:22), and the name of the country inhabited by his descendants (14:1, 9; Isa. 11:11; 21:2, etc.) lying to the east of Babylonia, and extending to the shore of the Mediterranean, a distance in a direct line of about 1,000 miles. The name Elam is an Assyrian word meaning “high.”
“The inhabitants of Elam, or ‘the Highlands,’ to the east of Babylon, were called Elamites. They were divided into several branches, speaking different dialects of the same agglutinative language. The race to which they belonged was brachycephalic, or short-headed, like the pre-Semitic Sumerians of Babylonia.
“The earliest Elamite kingdom seems to have been that of Anzan, the exact site of which is uncertain; but in the time of Abraham, Shushan or Susa appears…
(eternity). This seems to have been originally the name of a man, the son of Shem. (Genesis 10:22; 1 Chronicles 1:17) Commonly, however, it is used as the appellation of a country. (Genesis 14:1,9; Isaiah 11:11; 21:2) The Elam of Scripture appears to be the province lying south of Assyria and east of Persia proper, to which Herodotus gives the name of Cissia (iii. 91, v. 49, etc.), and which is termed Susis or Susiana by the geographers. Its capital was Susa. This country was originally people by descendants of Shem. By the time of Abraham a very important power had been built up in the same region. It is plain that at this early time the predominant power in lower Mesopotamia was Elam, which for a while held the place…
1. The region afterwards called Persia, Ge 14:1. It was called Elam after a son of Shem, Ge 10:22. It corresponded to the Elymais of Greek and Roman writers, which comprehended a part of Susiana, now Khusistan or more probably included the whole of Susiana. The city Susa, or Shushan, was in it, Da 8:2. See also Ac 2:9.
אַחֵר (acher) means 'another' or 'other' and can imply something that follows or is different. It is derived from a root that suggests hindrance or being next to something else. The term appears in various contexts in the Old Testament, often referring to another person or thing.
אַחֵר adj. another
base
H312 אַחֵר another
312 'acher akh-air'
from 309; properly, hinder; generally, next, other,
etc.:--(an-)other man, following, next, strange.
see HEBREW for 0309
אַחֵר (a.cher) — another.
1) another, other, following
1a) following, further
1b) other, different
Adj — AdjHAamsa
אֶ֫לֶף (eleph) means 'thousand' in Hebrew. It can refer to the numeral itself or denote a company or clan, particularly a group of men under one leader. The word is built from the concept of a thousand, and it is associated with the ox's head, which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
אֶ֫לֶף n.m. thousand
base
H505 אֶ֫לֶף thousand
505 'eleph eh'-lef
prop, the same as 504; hence (the ox's head being the first
letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral)
a thousand:--thousand.
see HEBREW for 0504
אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) — thousand.
: thousand
1) a thousand
1a) as numeral
2) a thousand, company
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops
אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) — thousand: clan.
: clan
1) a thousand
1a) as numeral
2) a thousand, company
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops
Adj — AdjHAcbsa
thou'-zand ('eleph; chilioi).
See NUMBER.
מֵאָה (me'ah) means 'hundred' in Hebrew. It can refer to a simple number, a component of a larger number, or a fraction representing one one-hundredth. The entries consistently describe its use as a numeral without significant disagreement.
מֵאָה 583 n.f. hundred
as simple number
as part of larger number
a hundredth part
base
H3967 מֵאָה hundred . as simple number
. as part of larger number
. a hundredth part
3967 me'ah may-aw'
or metyah {may-yaw'}; properly, a primitive numeral; a
hundred; also as a multiplicative and a
fraction:--hundred((-fold), -th), + sixscore.
מֵאָה (me.ah) — hundred.
1) hundred
1a) as simple number
1b) as part of larger number
1c) as a fraction-one one-hundredth (1/100)
Aramaic equivalent: me.ah (מְאָה "hundred" H3969)
HAcfda — HAcfda
hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).
See NUMBER.
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)
HAcmpa — HAcmpa
אַרְבַּע (arba) means 'four' in Hebrew. It is a masculine noun derived from the root associated with the number four. The entries consistently affirm this meaning without any significant disagreement among lexicons.
אַרְבַּע, אַרְבָּעָה four
base
H702 אַרְבַּע, אַרְבָּעָה four
702 'arba` ar-bah'
masculine oarbaah {ar-baw-aw'}; from 7251; four:--four.
see HEBREW for 07251
אַרְבַּע (ar.ba) — four.
four
HC/Acbsa — ConjunctionHC/Acbsa
for ('arba`; tessares): "Four" (cardinal number) was a sacred and complete number with the Hebrews, as well as with several other peoples. It occurs very frequently in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
(1) It indicates completeness. We have the four rivers of Paradise (Ge 2:10); the four winds of heaven (Eze 37:9; Da 7:2; 8:8; 11:4; Zec 6:5, the Revised Version, margin "spirits"; /APC 2Esdras 13:5); "the four winds" (Mt 24:31; Mr 13:27); "the four corners of the earth" (Isa 11:12;