Menu

Genesis 30:19 — Word Study

Depth

WLCוַתַּ֤הַר עוֹד֙ לֵאָ֔ה וַתֵּ֥לֶד בֵּן־ שִׁשִּׁ֖י לְּיַעֲקֹֽב׃

BSAAgainʻôwd LeahLêʼâh [the first wife of Jacob, daughter of Laban] conceivedhârâh [to become pregnant] and boreyâlad [to give birth] a sixthshishshîy sonbên [a male child or descendant] to JacobYaʻăqôb [the son of Isaac and Rebekah]

Word
Listen & take awayGenesis 30
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 19 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 (le.ya.'a.Ko) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Genesis 30:19quick helps
In a sentenceLeah conceived again and bore another son for Jacob.
Who is speakingThe narrative focuses on Leah, Jacob's first wife.
Where we areThis verse occurs during Leah's childbearing years.
The hard wordהָרָה
Take awayLeah's family continues to grow with each child.
3 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Whedon & more — read them › clause subjectלֵאָה verbהָרָה 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 — Genesis 30:19

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 Birth of Leah's Sonsgenerated

18Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
19Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
20“God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun.
21After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

Genesis 30:19 recounts Leah's ongoing struggle for Jacob's affection through the birth of her children. After giving birth to Issachar, Leah conceives again, emphasizing her role in building Jacob's family. This narrative illustrates the dynamics of family and competition among Jacob's wives, as seen in previous chapters.


Cross References


The Key Word הָרָה, va.Ta.hargenerated

The verb הָרָה (*harah*) means to conceive or become pregnant. It is a Qal verb in the sequential imperfect tense, indicating an action that continues or repeats, specifically in the third person feminine singular form, referring to Leah.

This word captures the essence of childbirth and the miracle of life, as Leah continues to bear children for Jacob. The use of this verb reflects the ongoing theme of fertility and motherhood in her story.


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 finite verbs הָרָה and יָלַד govern the main actions in the verse. The structure presents Leah as the subject who performs the actions of conceiving and giving birth, with the noun phrase בֵּן־שִׁשִּׁי (a sixth son) as the object of the second verb.

The order of the Hebrew words emphasizes Leah's actions and the significance of her sixth son within the context of her family dynamics.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates הָרָה as συνέλαβεν, meaning 'she conceived.' This choice aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning, emphasizing the act of conception.

The Greek translation captures the same essence of childbirth, maintaining the focus on Leah's role in bearing children for Jacob.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Genesis 30:19 tells us that Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. This verse highlights Leah's continuing efforts to bear children for Jacob, showing her importance in the family lineage.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that Leah conceived again?

It signifies Leah's ongoing role in Jacob's family and her desire to gain his affection through childbirth.

Why is the number of sons important?

The number of sons represents Leah's status and success in bearing children, which was significant in the cultural context of the time.

What does this verse tell us about Leah's relationship with Jacob?

It suggests that Leah's relationship with Jacob is complicated, as she seeks his approval through the children she bears.

How does this verse fit into the larger narrative of Jacob's family?

It illustrates the dynamics between Jacob's wives and the competition for his love and recognition through their children.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What can we learn about the importance of family and relationships from Leah's story?
  2. How does Leah's experience reflect the cultural values of her time regarding motherhood and childbearing?
  3. In what ways can we see parallels between Leah's struggle for Jacob's affection and modern relationships?
  4. How does the narrative of Leah and her children contribute to the overall story of Israel's formation?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Jerome comments on Leah's conception and the significance of her sixth son, reflecting on the blessings of childbirth.

JeromeVerse 19 and 20. c. 347–420
And Leah conceived again and gave birth to her sixth son for Jacob. And Leah said, 'God has endowed me with a good endowment. Now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.' And she called his name Zebulun.
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 30 →

Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Genesis 30:19 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

And Leah conceived again,.... For bearing children Jacob took more to her, and more frequently attended her apartment and bed: and bare Jacob a sixth son; the sixth by her, but the tenth by her and his two maids.

Read John Gill on Genesis 30 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son. No JFB commentary on this verse.

Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 30 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

OTHER OF LEAH, Genesis 30:14-21. Reuben went — He was now a boy of four or five years. Mandrakes γεγΰιν, dudhaim, love-apples, a fruit, as appears from this context, believed to have the power of promoting conception.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Genesis 30 →

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

Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And Leah conceived again, and bare a sixth son to Jacob.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And Leah conceived again, and bare a sixth son to Jacob.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And Leah conceived again, and bore Jacob the sixth son.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

After, Leah conceiued againe, and bare Iaakob the sixt sonne.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And Leah again conceived, and bore Jacob a sixth son;

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And conceive again doth Leah, and she beareth a sixth son to Jacob,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And Leah conceives again, and she bears a sixth son to Jacob,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son unto Jacob.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And Lia conceived again, and bore the sixth son,

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Then Leah became pregnant again and had a sixth son for Jacob.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And again Leah became with child, and she gave Jacob a sixth son.

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.

וַandclauseverbתַּ֤הַרshe.conceivedadverbialעוֹד֙againsubjectלֵאָ֔הLeahוַandclauseverbתֵּ֥לֶדshe.borenoun phrase · objectבֵּןa.sonשִׁשִּׁ֖יsixthprepositional phrase · prepositionalלְּtoיַעֲקֹֽבJacob

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 Samaritan Pentateuch agree word for word on this verse, affirming the consistency of the account across these ancient witnesses. The Septuagint also matches the Hebrew text closely, reflecting a shared understanding of Leah's actions.

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

וַתַּ֤הַר עוֹד֙ לֵאָ֔ה וַתֵּ֥לֶד בֵּן־ שִׁשִּׁ֖י לְּיַעֲקֹֽב׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַתַּ֤הַרσυνέλαβενעוֹד֙ἔτιלֵאָ֔הλειαוַתֵּ֥לֶדἔτεκενבֵּן־υἱὸνשִׁשִּׁ֖יἕκτονלְּיַעֲקֹֽב׃ιακωβ

7 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.

Samaritan Pentateuchthe Torah as the Samaritan community kept it

ותהר עוד לאה ותלד בן שׁשׁי ליעקב

Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.

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.

Genesis 30:19הָרָהand she conand she conceivהָרָהעוֹדagainagainעוֹדלֵאָהLeahLeahלֵאָהיָלַדand she borand she boreיָלַדבֵּןa sona sonבֵּןשִׁשִּׁיsixthsixthשִׁשִּׁייַעֲקֹבto Jacobto Jacobיַעֲקֹבעוּדto upholdto upholdעוּדלָאָהbe wearybe wearyלָאָהבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהשֵׁשׁsixsixשֵׁשׁעָקַבto assailto assailעָקַבלֵאָהLeahLeahלֵאָהיָלַדto begetto begetיָלַדיָסַףto addto addיָסַףאֶ֫פֶסendendאֶ֫פֶסזִלְפָּהZilpahZilpahזִלְפָּהרָחֵלRachelRachelרָחֵלשֶׁ֫לַחShelahShelahשֶׁ֫לַחהָרָהto conceivto conceiveהָרָהעַמּוֹןAmmonAmmonעַמּוֹןרְאוּבֵןReubenReubenרְאוּבֵןחֲמִישִׁיfifthfifthחֲמִישִׁילָבָןLabanLabanלָבָןיִצְחָקIsaacIsaacיִצְחָק
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 Genesis 30:19

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.

and she conceived again Leah and she bore a son sixth to Jacob
וַתַּ֤הַרva.Ta.har and she conceived H2029 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person feminine singular
43× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To conceive or become pregnant, as seen in the story of Sarah and Abraham in Genesis 17, where Sarah conceives Isaac in her old age. This word is used to describe the miracle of birth and new life.
Amplified meaning
to become pregnant
Tyndale gloss
to conceive
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָרָה (*harah*) primarily means to conceive or become pregnant, as noted in various lexicons. It can refer to both literal and figurative conception, and includes nuances such as bearing a child or devising something. The entries also indicate different grammatical forms, including Qal, Pual, and Poel, which reflect various aspects of the root meaning.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הָרָה vb. conceive, become pregnant

Qal

lit. conceive, become pregnant

metaph.

Pu. a man hath been conceived

Po. conceive, contrive, devise

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2029 הָרָה conceive, become pregnant

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2029 harah haw-raw'

a primitive root; to be (or become) pregnant, conceive

(literally or figuratively):--been, be with child, conceive,

progenitor.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָרָה (ha.rah) — to conceive.

1) to conceive, become pregnant, bear, be with child, be conceived, progenitor

1a)(Qal) to conceive, become pregnant

1b) (Pual) to be conceived

1c) (Poel) to conceive, contrive, devise

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3fs — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person feminine singular
Hc/Vqw3fs
and she conceived again Leah and she bore a son sixth to Jacob
עוֹד֙'Od again H5750 Adv
490× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The word 'still' means something continues or happens again, like in Genesis 29:26 and Isaiah 2:11. It can also mean 'more' or 'additionally'.
Tyndale gloss
still
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עוֹד (owd) primarily denotes a sense of iteration or continuance, functioning mostly as an adverb meaning 'still,' 'yet,' or 'again.' It can also imply addition or repetition, as in 'more' or 'besides.' The word appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, emphasizing persistence or continuation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עוֹד and (14 t.) עֹד subst. a going round, continuance, but used mostly as adv. acc. still, yet, again, besides

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5750 עוֹד and (14 t.) עֹד subst. a going round, continuance, but used mostly as adv. acc. still, yet, again, besides

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5750 `owd ode

or rod {ode}; from 5749; properly, iteration or continuance;

used only adverbially (with or without preposition), again,

repeatedly, still, more:--again, X all life long, at all,

besides, but, else, further(-more), henceforth, (any) longer,

(any) more(-over), X once, since, (be) still, when, (good,

the) while (having being), (as, because, whether, while) yet

(within).

see HEBREW for 05749

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עוֹד (od) — still.

subst

1) a going round, continuance

adv

2) still, yet, again, besides

2a) still, yet (of continuance or persistence)

2b) still, yet, more (of addition or repetition)

2c) again

2d) still, moreover, besides

Aramaic equivalent: od (עוֹד "still" H5751)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adv — Adv
HAcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

a-gen': Advb. denoting repetition; in New Testament, generally for palin, "back," "once more." Occasionally, it has the force of a connective, synonymous with "moreover," as in Ro 15:10 ff; 1Co 3:20, etc. The expression "born again" of the King James Version, Joh 3:3,7; 1Pe 1:23, translating the Greek "anothen" and "ana" in composition, becomes in the Revised Version (British and American) "anew," i.e. "over again." As these particles mean "from above" and "up," their use as indicating repetition is sometimes disputed, but without further foundation than that "again" does not exhaust the meaning.

and she conceived again Leah and she bore a son sixth to Jacob
לֵאָ֔הle.'Ah Leah H3812 Noun proper feminine
34× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Leah was the first wife of Jacob, daughter of Laban, and mother of many tribes of Israel, including Reuben and Judah, as told in Genesis 29:16.
Amplified meaning
the first wife of Jacob, daughter of Laban
Tyndale gloss
Leah
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

לֵאָה (Le'ah) refers to Leah, the elder daughter of Laban and the first wife of Jacob. The name is derived from a root meaning 'weary.' Leah is noted for being the mother of several of Jacob's children, including Reuben and Judah, and is first mentioned in Genesis 29:16.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לֵאָה 34 n.pr.f. Leah, elder daughter of Laban, and wife of Jacob

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3812 לֵאָה Leah, elder daughter of Laban, and wife of Jacob

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3812 Le'ah lay-aw'

from 3811; weary; Leah, a wife of Jacob:--Leah.

see HEBREW for 03811

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לֵאָה (le.ah) — Leah.

A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.29.16;

daughter of: Laban (H3837A);

sister of: Rachel (H7354); married to Israel (H3478);

mother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783)

§ Leah = "weary"

daughter of Laban, first wife of Jacob, and mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper feminine
HNpf
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

le'-a (le'ah; Leia, "weary," "dull"(?), "wild cow"): Rachel's sister, and the elder daughter of Laban (Ge 29:16). We are told that her eyes were "tender" rakkoth). Gesenius renders it "weak," Septuagint astheneis; accordingly, she was weak-eyed, but by no means "blear-eyed" (compare Vulgate). Her eyes were lacking that luster which always and everywhere is looked upon as a conspicuous part of female beauty. Josephus (Ant., I, xix, 7) says of her, ten opsin ouk euprepe, which may safely be rendered, "she was of no comely countenance."

Leah became the wife of Jacob by a ruse on the part of her father, taking advantage of the oriental custom of heavily veiling the prospective bride. When taken to task by his irate son-in-law, Laban excused himself by stating it was against the rule of the place "to give the younger before the…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Leah

Weary, the eldest daughter of Laban, and sister of Rachel (Gen. 29:16). Jacob took her to wife through a deceit of her father (Gen. 29:23). She was “tender-eyed” (17). She bore to Jacob six sons (32-35), also one daughter, Dinah (30:21). She accompanied Jacob into Canaan, and died there before the time of the going down into Egypt (Gen. 31), and was buried in the cave of Machpelah (49:31).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(wearied), the daughter of Laban. (Genesis 29:16) The dullness or weakness of her eyes was so notable that it is mentioned as a contrast to the beautiful form and appearance of her younger sister Rachel. Her father took advantage of the opportunity which the local marriage rite afforded to pass her off in her sister’s stead on the unconscious bridegroom, and excused himself to Jacob by alleging that the custom of the country forbade the younger sister to be given first in marriage. Jacob’s preference of Rachel grew into hatred of Leah after he had married both sisters. Leah, however, bore to him in quick succession Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, then Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah, before Rachel had a child. She died some time after Jacob reached the south country in which his father Isaac lived. She was buried in the family grave in…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The elder daughter of Laban, and the first wife of Jacob, though less beloved than her sister Rachel. She had, through life, the remembrance of the deceit by which her father had imposed her upon Jacob. She was the mother of seven children, among whom were Reuben- Jacob’s firstborn-and Judah, the ancestor of the leading tribe among the Jews, of the royal line, and of our Lord, Ge 29:16-35; 30:1- 21. She is supposed to have died before the removal of the family into Egypt, Ge 49:31.

and she conceived again Leah and she bore a son sixth to Jacob
וַתֵּ֥לֶדva.Te.led and she bore H3205 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person feminine singular
496× 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 to give birth or beget a child, like when Eve gave birth to Cain in Genesis 4:1. It can also mean to help someone give birth, like a midwife. This word is used in many KJV translations, including Genesis and Isaiah.
Amplified meaning
to give birth
Tyndale gloss
to beget
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word יָלַד (*yalad*) means to bear, bring forth, or beget, and it encompasses various forms of childbirth and lineage declaration. It can refer to both the act of giving birth and the role of a midwife. The entries also note its use in contexts of distress and wicked behavior, as well as in reference to birthdays.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָלַד 497 vb. bear, bring forth, beget

Qal

bear, bring forth

less often beget

of both parents

Niph. be born

Pi. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife

Pu. be born

Hiph.

beget (a father a child)

bear

Hoph. day of one's being born = birthday

Hithp. declared their pedigree

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3205 יָלַד bear, bring forth, beget .. bear, bring forth

. less often beget

. of both parents

. be born

. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife

. be born

. . beget (a father a child)

. bear

. day of one's being born = birthday

. declared their pedigree

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3205 yalad yaw-lad'

a primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget;

medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show

lineage:--bear, beget, birth((-day)), born, (make to) bring

forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be

delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch,

labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be

the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָלַד (ya.lad) — to beget.

1) to bear, bringforth, beget, gender, travail

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to bear, bring forth

1a1a) of child birth

1a1b) of distress (simile)

1a1c) of wicked (behaviour)

1a2) to beget

1b) (Niphal) to be born

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to cause or help to bring forth

1c2) to assist or tend as a midwife

1c3) midwife (participle)

1d) (Pual) to be born

1e) (Hiphil)

1e1) to beget (a child)

1e2) to bear (fig. -of wicked bringing forth iniquity)

1f) (Hophal) day of birth, birthday (infinitive)

1g) (Hithpael) to declare one's birth (pedigree)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3fs — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person feminine singular
Hc/Vqw3fs
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

bor: According to the Book of the Covenant (Ex 20:20-23:33) a slave whom his master had purchased was to be released after six years. Should he choose to remain in his master's service a religious ceremony was necessary to ratify his decision. "Then his master shall bring him unto God" (better than "unto the judges" of the King James Version), "and shall bring him to the door, or unto the doorpost; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl" (Ex 21:6). It is highly improbable that "unto God" means "to a sanctuary"; for there was no special reason for performing this ceremony near the door of a sanctuary. On the other hand the entrance to a private house was a sacred spot. According to primitive thinking near the door dwelt the household gods whose function it was to…

and she conceived again Leah and she bore a son sixth to Jacob
בֵּן־ben- a son H1121 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
4,943× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means a son or descendant, and can also refer to a grandson, nation, or quality. It appears in 1 Chronicles 24, describing a Levite named Beno. The word is used to show family relationships and inheritance.
Amplified meaning
a male child or descendant
Tyndale gloss
son: child
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

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

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

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)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Smith's Bible Dictionary

The term "son" is used in Scripture language to imply almost any kind of descent or succession, as ben shanah , "son of a year," i.e. a year old; ben kesheth , "son of a bow," i.e. an arrow. The word bar is often found in the New Testament in composition, as Bar-timaeus.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Sometimes denotes a grandson, or any remote descendant, Ge 29:5 2Sa 19:24. At other times a son by adoption is meant, Ge 48:5; or by law, Ru 4:17; or by education, 1Sa 3:6 20:35; or by conversion, as Titus was Paul’s "son father the common faith," Tit 1:4. And again it denotes a mental or moral resemblance, etc., Jud 19:22 Ps 89:6 Isa 57:3 Ac 13:10. In a…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ FIGURATIVE

Of a person' s relation to God Ex 4:22

See ADOPTION

See GOD, FATHERHOOD OF

See JESUS, SON OF GOD

See JESUS, SON OF MAN

and she conceived again Leah and she bore a son sixth to Jacob
שִׁשִּׁ֖יshi.Shi sixth H8345 Adj
28× 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 sixth, like the sixth day of the week. It is used to describe order or sequence, as seen in Genesis 1:31. This word helps us understand time and patterns in the biblical account.
Tyndale gloss
sixth
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שִׁשִּׁי (shishshiy) means 'sixth' and can refer to both an ordinal number and a fractional part. It is derived from the root word for 'six' and has masculine and feminine forms. The entries consistently emphasize its use as a numerical designation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שִׁשִּׁי m. 22 שִׁשִּׁית f. 6 adj.num.ordin. sixth

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8345 שִׁשִּׁי, שִׁשִּׁית sixth

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8345 shishshiy shish-shee'

from 8337; sixth, ord. or (feminine) fractional:--sixth

(part).

see HEBREW for 08337

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שִׁשִּׁי (shish.shi) — sixth.

1) sixth

1a) sixth (ordinal number)

1b) sixth (as fraction)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAomsa
and she conceived again Leah and she bore a son sixth to Jacob
לְּיַעֲקֹֽב׃le.ya.'a.Ko to Jacob H3290 Preposition · noun proper masculine
350× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word is the name of a person, Jacob, a key figure in the Bible. He was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the father of many tribes of Israel. The KJV simply translates it as Jacob.
Amplified meaning
the son of Isaac and Rebekah
Tyndale gloss
Jacob
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יַעֲקֹב (i.e. *Ya`aqob*) refers to Jacob, a key figure in the Old Testament. The word is derived from a root meaning 'heel-catcher' or 'supplanter.' Jacob is the son of Isaac and Rebekah, brother of Esau, and father of the twelve tribes of Israel. He is also known as Israel, highlighting his significance in biblical history.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יַעֲקֹב 344, יַעֲקוֹב 6 n.pr.m. et gent. Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, father of tribes of Isr.

as n.pr.m.

as n.pr.gent.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3290 יַעֲקֹב, יַעֲקוֹב Jacob

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3290 Ya`aqob yah-ak-obe'

from 6117; heel-catcher (i.e. supplanter); Jaakob, the

Israelitish patriarch:--Jacob.

see HEBREW for 06117

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יַעֲקֹב (ya.a.qov) — Jacob.

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.26;

son of: Isaac (H3327) and Rebekah (H7259);

brother of: Esau (H6215); married to Rachel (H7354), Leah (H3812), Zilpah (H2153) and Bilhah (H1090A);

father of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); also called Jacob frequently

Another name of yis.ra.el (יִשְׂרָאֵל "Israel" H3478)

§ Jacob = "heel holder" or "supplanter"

son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the 12 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun proper masculine
HR/Npm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Jacob

One who follows on another’s heels; supplanter, (Gen. 25:26; 27:36; Hos. 12:2-4), the second born of the twin sons of Isaac by Rebekah. He was born probably at Lahai-roi, when his father was fifty-nine and Abraham one hundred and fifty-nine years old. Like his father, he was of a quiet and gentle disposition, and when he grew up followed the life of a shepherd, while his brother Esau became an enterprising hunter. His dealing with Esau, however, showed much mean selfishness and cunning (Gen. 25:29-34).

When Isaac was about 160 years of age, Jacob and his mother conspired to deceive the aged patriarch (Gen. 27), with the view of procuring the transfer of the birthright to himself. The birthright secured to him who…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(supplanter), the second son of Isaac and Rebekah. He was born with Esau, probably at the well of Lahai-roi, about B.C. 1837. His history is related in the latter half of the book of Genesis. He bought the birthright from his brother Esau, and afterward acquired the blessing intended for Esau, by practicing a well-known deceit on Isaac. (Jacob did not obtain the blessing because of his deceit, but in spite of it. That which was promised he would have received in some good way; but Jacob and his mother, distrusting God’s promise, sought the promised blessing in a wrong way, and received with it trouble and sorrow. --ED.) Jacob, in his 78th year, was sent from the family home to avoid his brother, and to seek a wife among his kindred in Padan-aram. As he passed through Bethel, God appeared to him. After the lapse of twenty-one years he returned from Padan-aram with two wives, two…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Son of Isaac and Rebekah, and twin-brother to Esau. As at his birth he held his brother’s heel, he was called Jacob, that is, the heelholder, one who comes behind and catches the heel of his adversary, a supplanter, Ge 25:26. This was a king of predictive intimation of his future conduct in life. Jacob was meek and peaceable, living a shepherd life at home. Esau was more turbulent and fierce, and passionately fond of hunting. Isaac was partial to Esau, Rebekah to Jacob. Jacob having taken advantage of his brother’s absence and his father’s infirmity to obtain the blessing of the birthright, or primogeniture, was compelled to fly into Mesopotamia to avoid the consequences of his brother’s wrath, Ge 27:1-28:22. On his journey the Lord appeared to him in a dream, (see LADDER,)…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

that supplants, undermines; the heel

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.

Everything we make is available for free because of a generous community of supporters.

Donate