Ezra 2:32 — Word Study
WLCבְּנֵ֣י חָרִ֔ם שְׁלֹ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת וְעֶשְׂרִֽים׃ ס
BSAthe descendantsbên [sons, children, or family line] of HarimChârim [dedicated, a priest or family head, three hundred and twenty, a large group] 320shâlôwsh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּנֵ֣י | [the] descendants of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| חָרִ֔ם | Harim | Noun proper masculine |
| שְׁלֹ֥שׁ | three | Adj |
| מֵא֖וֹת | hundred | |
| וְעֶשְׂרִֽים׃ ס | and twenty | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the descendants of Harim, 320; |
| KJV | The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty. |
| ASV | The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty. |
| YLT | Sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty. |
| WEB | The children of Harim, three hundred twenty. |
| BBE | The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty. |
Where they part company is in the rendering of the number; see How Translations Differ.
A simple structure with a main clause and a numeral phrase providing the count.
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 2:32
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 2:32 lists the descendants of Harim among those who returned from Babylonian exile. This record emphasizes the importance of family lineage in the restoration of the Jewish community in Jerusalem. The chronicler's meticulous documentation reflects the significance of each family in the rebuilding efforts, as seen throughout the chapters of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ezra 10:31 | From the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, |
| 2 | Nehemiah 7:35 | the descendants of Harim, 320; |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בְּנֵ֣י, be.Neigenerated
The word בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'descendant' and is used here to denote family lineage. It can refer to a son, child, or broader descendants, highlighting the importance of heritage and inheritance in the community's identity.
As a masculine plural construct, it indicates a group of descendants, emphasizing the collective nature of the family line. This word is foundational in genealogical lists, connecting individuals to their ancestral roots.
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 main clause is introduced by the noun phrase בְּנֵ֣י (the descendants of), which serves as the subject. The predicate follows with the proper noun חָרִ֔ם (Harim), and the numeral phrase שְׁלֹ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת וְעֶשְׂרִֽים (three hundred and twenty) specifies the quantity.
The structure emphasizes the family line first, followed by the specific name and the count, which is typical in Hebrew prose, allowing the reader to grasp the importance of lineage and numbers in the community.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the word בְּנֵ֣י is rendered as υἱοὶ (G5207), which also means 'sons' or 'children.' This choice maintains the familial connection while aligning with the Greek audience's understanding.
The proper noun חָרִ֔ם is translated as ηραμ, which retains the original name but does not carry the same connotation of 'dedication' found in the Hebrew. This reflects a slight shift in emphasis from the Hebrew text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Ezra 2:32 lists the descendants of Harim, numbering 320. This record is part of a larger census of people returning to Jerusalem after exile, emphasizing the importance of family lineage in re-establishing the Jewish community.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The term 'descendants' refers to the family line or lineage, indicating the importance of heritage in the Jewish community's return from exile.
The number signifies the size of the family group, which is crucial for understanding the community's demographics and the rebuilding efforts in Jerusalem.
Harim is identified as a priest or family head who returned with Zerubbabel from exile, playing a key role in the post-exile community.
This verse connects to other genealogical records in Ezra and Nehemiah, which emphasize the restoration of the community and the importance of family lines in re-establishing the Jewish identity.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does my family lineage mean to me, and how does it shape my identity?
- How can I honor my ancestors while contributing to my community today?
- In what ways can I support the rebuilding efforts in my community, similar to the descendants of Harim?
- What can I learn from the importance of heritage and family in the context of faith?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Ezra 2:32 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe children of Harim, three hundred and twenty. The children of Harim - - [Septuagint, Vatican, Heelam; Alexandrine, Heeram]. This, if the name of a person, was probably taken from a place.
Read Robert Jamieson on Ezra 2 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges32. Harim] not to be confounded with the Harim of Ezr 2:39. The family name mentioned in this verse occurs again in chap. Ezra 10:31. The three Ezra 2:30-32 call for special remark. (a) Magbish does not occur in the parallel lists: (b) ‘Elam’ and ‘Harim’ are names of people not of towns: (c) the list in 1Es 5:21-22 passes at once from Nephis (= Nebo) to Calamolus (= Lod, Hadid and Ono): (d) the name of ‘Harim’ apparently is inserted as ‘Arom’ in 1Es 5:16, with 32 instead of 320 persons. We have here the traces of an early confusion in the text. It is not improbable that Ezra 2:31 is an accidental repetition of Ezr 2:7 and that Ezra 2:32 has been detached from its place in the first portion…
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 Harim, 320;
The children of Harim, three hundred twenty.
the descendants of Harim, 320;
the descendants of Harim: 320;
Tyndale line
The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
The sonnes of Harim, three hundreth and twentie:
Strictly literal
The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
Sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty;
The children of Charim, three hundred and twenty.
The men of Harim: 320.
From the Latin
The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
Simplified
the sons of Harim, 320;
The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
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 reads "בְּנֵ֣י חָרִ֔ם שְׁלֹ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת וְעֶשְׂרִֽים׃ ס" which translates to "the descendants of Harim, 320;" The Septuagint does not provide a direct translation for this verse, so it is unclear how it corresponds to the Masoretic Text in this instance. There is no evidence of the Samaritan Pentateuch or the Dead Sea Scrolls providing a different reading for this specific verse, thus the Masoretic Text stands as the primary witness for the number of descendants of Harim as 320.
בְּנֵ֣י חָרִ֔ם שְׁלֹ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת וְעֶשְׂרִֽים׃ ס
3 of the 5 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 2:32
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…
חָרִם (Charim) refers to a name meaning 'dedicated' and is associated with various individuals in the Old Testament. It includes a priest during David's reign, heads of families of exiles who returned with Zerubbabel, and a ruler in Nehemiah's time. The entries indicate that Charim is linked to the concept of dedication and service in the priestly context.
חָרִם n.pr.m. (consecrated)
priest of the third course, David’s time
priest of time of Nehemiah
heads of families of returning exiles
a prince
base
H2766 חָרִם
2766 Charim khaw-reem'
from 2763; snub-nosed; Charim, an Israelite:--Harim.
see HEBREW for 02763
חָרִם (cha.rim) — Harim.
A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.8
§ Harim = "dedicated"
1) a priest in the time of David who had charge of the 3rd course
2) head of a family of exiles totalling 1017 who returned with Zerubbabel
3) another head of a family of exiles totalling 320 who returned with Zerubbabel
4) a priest in the time of Nehemiah
5) a ruler of the people under Nehemiah
חָרִם (cha.rim) — Harim.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.32
§ Harim = "dedicated"
1) a priest in the time of David who had charge of the 3rd course
2) head of a family of exiles totalling 1017 who returned with Zerubbabel
3) another head of a family of exiles totalling 320 who returned with Zerubbabel
4) a priest in the time of Nehemiah
5) a ruler of the people under Nehemiah
חָרִם (cha.rim) — Harim.
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
ha'-rim (charim): A family name.
(1) A non-priestly family that returned from captivity with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:32; Ne 7:35); mentioned among those who married foreign wives (Ezr 10:31); also mentioned among those who renewed the covenant (Ne 10:27).
(2) A priestly family returning with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:39; Ne 7:42; 12:3,15 (see REHUM)); members of this family covenanted to put away their foreign wives (Ezr 10:21; Ne 10:5). A family of this name appears as the…
Harim
Flat-nosed. (1.) The head of the second course of priests (1 Chr. 24:8). (2.) Ezra 2:32, 39; Neh. 7:35, 42. (3.) Neh. 3:11. (4.) 12:3. (5.) 10:5
(flat-nosed). A priest who had charge of the third division in the house of God. (1 Chronicles 24:8) (B.C. 1014.) Bene-Harim, probably descendants of the above, to the number of 1017, came from Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:39; Nehemiah 7:42) (B.C. 536.) It further occurs in a list of the families of priests "who went up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua," and of those who were their descendants in the next generation. (Nehemiah 12:16) Another family of Bene-Harim, 320 in number, came from the captivity in the same caravan. (Ezra 2:82; Nehemiah 7:35) (B.C. 536.) They also…
destroyed; dedicated to God
The Hebrew word שָׁלֹשׁ (*shalosh*) means 'three' or 'triad.' It can also refer to the ordinal 'third' and is used in various contexts, including multiplication as 'thrice.' The entries consistently define it as a primitive number without significant disagreement.
שָׁלֹשׁ, שָׁלוֹשׁ, שְׁלֹשָׁה 430 n.m. et f. a three, triad
base
H7969 שָׁלֹשׁ, שָׁלוֹשׁ, שְׁלֹשָׁה a three, triad
7969 shalowsh shaw-loshe'
or shalosh {shaw-loshe'}; masculine shlowshah {shel-o-shaw'};
or shloshah {shel-o-shaw'}; a primitive number; three;
occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multipl.) thrice:--+ fork,
+ often(-times), third, thir(-teen, -teenth), three, + thrice.
Compare 7991.
see HEBREW for 07991
שָׁלֹשׁ (sha.losh) — three.
1) three, triad
1a) 3, 300, third
Aramaic equivalent: te.lat (תְּלָת "three" H8532)
Adj — AdjHAcbsc
(shalosh; treis).
See NUMBER.
The phrase "three days and three nights," Mt 12:40, was equivalent in Hebrew to the English "three days;" the Jews employing the expression "a day and a night" to denote our "day" of twentyfour hours. Nor did "three days," 1Sa 30:13, literally "this third day," according to their usage, necessarily include the whole of three days, but a part of three days, a continuous period including one whole day of twenty-four hours, and a portion of the day preceding it and the day following it. Compare Ge 7:12,17 1Sa 30:12-13.
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)
HAcfpa — HAcfpa
hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).
See NUMBER.
עֶשְׂרִים (esriym) means 'twenty' and can also refer to the ordinal 'twentieth.' It is derived from the root word for 'ten' and has an Aramaic equivalent, עֶשְׂרִין (es.rin). The entries consistently define the term without significant disagreement.
עֶשְׂרִים (a) twenty
base
H6242 עֶשְׂרִים (a) twenty
6242 `esriym es-reem'
from 6235; twenty; also (ordinal) twentieth:--(six-)score,
twenty(-ieth).
see HEBREW for 06235
עֶשְׂרִים (es.rim) — twenty.
twenty, twentieth
Aramaic equivalent: es.rin (עֶשְׂרִין "twenty" H6243)
HC/Acmpa — ConjunctionHC/Acmpa
twen'-ti.
See NUMBER.