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Genesis 4:20 — Word Study

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WLCוַתֵּ֥לֶד עָדָ֖ה אֶת־ יָבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י יֹשֵׁ֥ב אֹ֖הֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה׃

BSAAdahʻÂdâh [Lamech's wife, a mother in the early descendants of Cain] gave birth toyâlad [to beget, as a mother] JabalYâbâl [the son of Lamech and Adah] hehûwʼ washâyâh the fatherʼâb [a paternal ancestor, founder of a lineage] of those who dwellyâshab [to sit, remain, or abide] in tentsʼôhel [nomadic homes, portable shelters] and [raise] livestockmiqneh [to care for, possess, cattle, sheep, or goats, domestic animals]

Word
Listen & take awayGenesis 4
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 20 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 (u.mik.Neh) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Genesis 4:20quick helps
In a sentenceAdah gives birth to Jabal, who becomes the ancestor of those living in tents and raising livestock.
Who is speakingThe narrative describes Adah, a key figure in the lineage of Cain.
Where we areThis verse is part of the genealogical account of Cain's descendants.
The hard wordיָבָל
Take awayJabal is recognized as a pioneer in pastoral life.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectעָדָה verbיָלַד The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

1 of 10 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Genesis 4:20

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 Lineage of Caingenerated

19And Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.
20Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock.
21And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute.
22And Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, a forger of every implement of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

Genesis 4:20 records the birth of Jabal by Adah, who is noted as the mother of significant figures in the early lineage of Cain. This passage highlights the development of pastoral life, as Jabal is identified as the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock, indicating a shift towards a nomadic lifestyle that would shape future generations. The context of this genealogy emphasizes the unfolding of human civilization post-Fall, as families begin to establish their identities and professions.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Genesis 4:21And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute.
21 Chronicles 2:50–52These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim,
31 Chronicles 4:4–5Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the father of Bethlehem.
4John 8:44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
5Romans 4:11–12And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word יָבָל, ya.Valgenerated

The name יָבָל (*Yabal*) refers to a man from the antediluvian period, specifically the son of Lamech and Adah. He is recognized as a founder of pastoral life, indicating the beginning of a societal shift towards herding and nomadic living.

This word is significant as it marks the emergence of a lifestyle that relies on livestock, showcasing an important development in human history. The root of the name is associated with the concept of a 'stream of water,' perhaps symbolizing the flow of life and sustenance that livestock provides.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the term father to describe Jabal's role.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb of the verse is וַתֵּ֥לֶד, and she bore, which governs the entire sentence. The structure is straightforward, with a subject followed by the object and a description of Jabal's significance.

The sentence flows from the action of Adah giving birth to Jabal, and then it describes his role as the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock, emphasizing his importance in the context of early human society.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates יָבָל as ἔτεκεν, meaning 'he bore.' This choice reflects a direct correspondence to the Hebrew, maintaining the focus on lineage and birth.

The use of οἰκούντων for 'those who dwell' indicates a broader interpretation of habitation, possibly emphasizing the lifestyle of nomadic living more than the Hebrew text does.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Genesis 4:20 tells us that Adah gave birth to Jabal, who became the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. This verse highlights the beginning of a new way of life for humanity, where people began to settle and care for animals as part of their daily existence.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

Who was Jabal?

Jabal was the son of Lamech and Adah, recognized as the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock.

What does it mean to dwell in tents?

To dwell in tents refers to a nomadic lifestyle where people live in portable shelters, often moving with their livestock.

Why is livestock important?

Livestock represents a significant aspect of early agricultural society, providing food, clothing, and resources for families.

What does the name Adah mean?

The name Adah means 'ornament' in Hebrew and is associated with two women in the Bible.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. How does the lifestyle described in this verse reflect the changes in human society after the Fall?
  2. What can we learn from Jabal's role as a pioneer in pastoral life?
  3. In what ways do we see the significance of family lineage in our own lives today?
  4. How does understanding the context of this verse help us appreciate the development of early human civilization?

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

The early church fathers have commented on this verse, noting the significance of Jabal's role in the development of pastoral life.

BedeCommentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron) c. 673–735
He begot, he says, Ada Jabal, who was the father of those who dwell in tents and shepherds, and the name of his brother was Jubal. He was the father of those who play the harp and organ.
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 4 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Genesis 4:20 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

And Adah bare Jabal,.... According to Hillerus (m), this name, and Jubal and Tubal, after mentioned, all signify a river; why Lamech should call all his sons by names signifying the same thing, is not easy to say.

Read John Gill on Genesis 4 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. Jabal the father of such as dwell in tents, and ... have cattle. Jabal means "flowing".

Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 4 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

He taught shepherds to dwell in tents, and to remove them from place to place, for conveniency of pasture. The first authors or inventors of any thing are commonly called its fathers. And he was the inventor of the art of keeping and managing cattle.

Read Matthew Poole on Genesis 4 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Genesis 4:20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and [of such as have] cattle.Ver. 20. Adah bare Jabal.] Jabal, a good husband. Jubal, a merry Greek; whence the word iubilo in Latin, and our English jovial. Jabal, that dwelt in tents, and tended the herds, had Jubal to his brother, the father of hand and wind music. Jabal and Jubal, frugality and mirth, good husbandry and sweet content, dwell together. Virgil makes mention of a happy husbandman in his time, who "Regum aequabat opes animis, seraque reversus Nocte domum, dapibus mensas onerabat inemptis." - Georg.

Read John Trapp on Genesis 4 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(19-22) Lamech took unto him two wives.—Whether polygamy began with Lamech is uncertain, but it is in keeping with the insolent character of the man. The names of his wives bear testimony to the existence, even at this early date, of considerable refinement; for I can scarcely believe that we need go to the Assyrian dialect for the meaning of two words for which Hebrew suffices. They are explained in Assyrian as being edhatu, “darkness,” and tzillatu, “the shades of night.” In Hebrew Adah means ornament, especially that which is for the decoration of the person; while Zillah means shadow, which agrees very closely with the Assyrian explanation. Both have distinguished children. Jabal…

Read Charles John Ellicott on Genesis 4 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 20. Jabal - was the father] The inventor or teacher, for so the word is understood, 1 Samuel 10:12. He was the first who invented tent-making, and the breeding and managing of cattle; or he was, in these respects, the most eminent in that time. Though Abel was a shepherd, it is not likely he was such on an extensive scale.

Read AdamClarke on Genesis 4 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

20. Jabal] The meaning of this name is doubtful. Dillmann conjectures “a wanderer.” Jabal, like Abel (see note, on Genesis 4:2), is a founder of the shepherd’s and herdsman’s life. father of] i.e. the founder, or originator, of nomad life. To the Hebrews, to live in tents was the alternative to life in the village or the town. It is strange to find that tent life is here placed later than the building of a town (Genesis 4:17). such as dwell in tents, &c.] Literally, “such as dwell in tents and cattle”; i.e. those who wander about, occupied in the care of flocks and herds, and pitching their camps at different places. The eldest brother represents the Bedouin chieftain, the second brother…

Read Cambridge on Genesis 4 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

20. Jabal… father of… tents… cattle — Though descended from a city-builder, he adopted the nomadic life; but, unlike Abel, who probably held to a settled habitation and kept only sheep or small

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Genesis 4 →

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

Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first of those who live in tents and keep livestock.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And Adah bore Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And Adah bare Iabal, who was the father of such as dwell in the tents, and of such as haue cattell.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And Adah bore Jabal: he was the father of those who dwell in tents, and [breed] cattle.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And Adah beareth Jabal, he hath been father of those inhabiting tents and purchased possessions;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And Adah bears Jabal, he has been father of those inhabiting tents and [having] purchased livestock;

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and have cattle.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Adah gave birth to Jabal. He was the father of those who lived in tents who have livestock.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And Ada brought forth Jabel: who was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of herdsmen.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Adah had a son named Jabal. He was the father of those who live in tents and have livestock.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And Adah gave birth to Jabal: he was the father of such as are living in tents and keep cattle.

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.

וַandclauseverbתֵּ֥לֶדshe.boresubjectעָדָ֖הAdahnoun phrase · objectאֶת(et)יָבָ֑לJabalclausesubjectה֣וּאheverbהָיָ֔הhe.wasnoun phrase · objectאֲבִ֕י[the].fathernoun phrasenoun phraseיֹשֵׁ֥בof.dweller[s]אֹ֖הֶלof.tentוּandמִקְנֶֽהlivestock

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text states: וַתֵּ֥לֶד עָדָ֖ה אֶת־ יָבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י יֹשֵׁ֥ב אֹ֖הֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה׃. The Septuagint aligns closely with this text, with 8 of the 10 words matched. The Samaritan Pentateuch agrees with the Masoretic Text word for word.

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

וַתֵּ֥לֶד עָדָ֖ה אֶת־ יָבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י יֹשֵׁ֥ב אֹ֖הֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַתֵּ֥לֶדἔτεκενעָדָ֖הαδαה֣וּאοὗτοςהָיָ֔הἦνאֲבִ֕יπατὴρיֹשֵׁ֥בοἰκούντωνאֹ֖הֶלσκηναῖςוּמִקְנֶֽה׃κτηνοτρόφων

8 of the 10 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

ותלד עדה את יבל הוא היה אבי ישׁב אהל ומקנה

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 4:20יָלַדand she borand she boreיָלַדעָדָהAdahAdahעָדָהאֵתthe object the object markאֵתיָבָלJabalJabalיָבָלהוּאheheהוּאהָיָהhe washe wasהָיָהאָב[the] fathe[the] father ofאָביָשַׁבdweller[s] dweller[s] ofיָשַׁבאֹ֫הֶלtenttentאֹ֫הֶלמִקְנֶהand livestoand livestockמִקְנֶהעָדָהto advanceto advanceעָדָהאוֹתsign: mirasign: miraculouאוֹתאָהַלto shineto shineאָהַלקָנָהto buyto buyקָנָהיָבָלstreamstreamיָבָלהָוָאto fallto fallהָוָאשֶׁ֫לַחShelahShelahשֶׁ֫לַחהָרָהto conceivto conceiveהָרָהצִלָּהZillahZillahצִלָּהאֱלִיפַזEliphazEliphazאֱלִיפַזמִגְרָשׁpasturepastureמִגְרָשׁטָמֵאuncleanuncleanטָמֵאעֵתtimetimeעֵתקָבַרto buryto buryקָבַראֵםmothermotherאֵםבֶּ֫טַחsecuritysecurityבֶּ֫טַחכְּנַעֲנִיCanaanitesCanaanitessכְּנַעֲנִימוֹעֵדmeetingmeetingמוֹעֵד
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 4:20

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 bore Adah the object marker Jabal he he was [the] father of dweller[s] of tent and livestock
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 beget, as a mother
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 bore Adah the object marker Jabal he he was [the] father of dweller[s] of tent and livestock
עָדָ֖ה'a.Dah Adah H5711 Noun proper feminine
8× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Adah was the name of two women in the Bible, one the wife of Lamech and mother of Jabal and Jubal, and the other a Hittite and wife of Esau, as mentioned in Genesis 26:34 and 36:2. Her name means ornament in Hebrew.
Amplified meaning
Lamech's wife, a mother in the early descendants of Cain
Tyndale gloss
Adah
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עָדָה (Adah) refers to a name meaning 'ornament.' It is associated with two women in the Old Testament: one is the wife of Lamech, mother of Jabal and Jubal, and the other is a Hittite wife of Esau, mother of Eliphaz, who is also called Basemath. The word is built from the root meaning 'ornament'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָדָה n.pr.f. wife,

of Lamech

of Esau

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5711 עָדָה wife, . of Lamech

. of Esau

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5711 `Adah aw-daw'

from 5710; ornament; Adah, the name of two women:--Adah.

see HEBREW for 05710

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָדָה (a.dah) — Adah.

A woman living at the time before the Flood, first mentioned at Gen.4.19; married to Lamech (H3929);

mother of: Jabal (H2989) and Jubal (H3106)

§ Adah = "ornament"

1) the 1st of the 2 wives of Lamech and mother of Jabal and Jubal

2) a Hittitess, 1 of the 3 wives of Esau and mother of Eliphaz

2a) also called 'Bashemath'

עָדָה (a.dah) — Adah.

A woman living at the time before the Flood, first mentioned at Gen.26.34;

daughter of: Elon (H0356); married to Esau (H6215);

mother of: Eliphaz (H0464); also called Basemath (KJV: Bashemath) at Gen.26.34;

Also named: bos.mat (בָּֽשְׂמַת "Basemath" H1315H)

§ Adah = "ornament"

1) the 1st of the 2 wives of Lamech and mother of Jabal and Jubal

2) a Hittitess, 1 of the 3 wives of Esau and mother of Eliphaz

2a) also called 'Bashemath'

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

a'-da (`adhah, "adornment"):

(1) One of the two wives of Lamech the descendant of Cain (Ge 4:19,20,23). The narrative in Ge assigns to her two sons, Jabal the "father" of tent-dwelling people, and Jubal the "father" of all such as handle the harp and pipe." Josephus says that Lamech had 77 sons by Ada and Zillah (Ant., I, ii, 2).

(2) According to Ge 36:2,4,10,12,16, the Hittite wife of Esau, daughter of Elon, and mother of Eliphaz. In this chapter Esau's other wives are Oholibamah, a Hivite, and Basemath the daughter of Ishmael. The names are differently given elsewhere (Ge 26:34; 28:9). Basemath is said to be the daughter of Elon. The daughter of Ishmael is called Mahalath. In place of Oholibamah the Hivite we find Judith the…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Adah

Ornament. (1.) The first of Lamech’s two wives, and the mother of Jabal and Jubal (Gen. 4:19, 20, 23).

(2.) The first of Esau’s three wives, the daughter of Elon the Hittite (Gen. 36:2,4), called also Bashemath (26:34).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(ornament, beauty). The first of the two wives of Lamech, by whom were borne to him Jabal and Jubal. (Genesis 4:19) (B.C. 3600). A Hittitess, one of the three wives of Esau, mother of Eliphaz. (Genesis 36:2,10,12,16) In (Genesis 26:34) she is called BASHEMATH. (B.C. 1797.)

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

an assembly

and she bore Adah the object marker Jabal he he was [the] father of dweller[s] of tent and livestock
אֶת־'et- the object marker H853 Particle
10,946× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the original Hebrew, this word points out the object of a verb or preposition, like 'namely' or 'even'. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus. It's not directly translated in English, but helps clarify the meaning of sentences.
Tyndale gloss
[Obj.]
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

853 'eth ayth

apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of

entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more

definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or

namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).

see HEBREW for 0226

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֵת (et) — [Obj.].

sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative

Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HTo — Particle
HTo
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and she bore Adah the object marker Jabal he he was [the] father of dweller[s] of tent and livestock
יָבָ֑לya.Val Jabal H2989 Noun proper masculine
1× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Jabal was a man who lived before the Flood, mentioned in Genesis 4:20. He was the son of Lamech and Adah, and is described as the father of those who live in tents and raise cattle.
Amplified meaning
the son of Lamech and Adah
Tyndale gloss
Jabal
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָבָל (Yabal) refers to a man from the antediluvian period, specifically the son of Lamech and Adah, and is noted as a founder of pastoral life. He is mentioned in Genesis 4:20 and is the brother of Jubal. The name is associated with the concept of a 'stream of water'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָבָל n.pr.m. son of Lamech by Adah, and founder of pastoral life acc. to Gn 4:20 (J)

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2989 יָבָל son of Lamech by Adah, and founder of pastoral life

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2989 Yabal yaw-bawl'

the same as 2988; Jabal, an antediluvian:--Jabal.

see HEBREW for 02988

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָבָל (ya.val) — Jabal.

A man living at the time before the Flood, only mentioned at Gen.4.20;

son of: Lamech (H3929) and Adah (H5711);

brother of: Jubal (H3106), Tubal-cain (H8423), Naamah (H5279)

§ Jabal = "stream of water"

the son of Lamech by Adah and brother of Jubal; described as the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle

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

ja'-bal (yabhal, meaning uncertain): In Ge 4:20, a son of Lamech by Adah. He is called `the father of those who dwell in tents and (with) herds.' So Gunkel, Gen3, 52, who says that the corresponding word in Arabic means "the herdsman who tends the camels." Skinner, Gen, 120, says that both Jabal and Jubal suggest yobhel, which in Phoenician and Hebrew "means primarily `ram,' then `ram's horn' as a musical instrument, and finally `joyous music' (in the designation of the year of Jubilee)." See also Skinner, Gen, 103, on the supposed connection in meaning with Abel.

David Francis Roberts

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Jabal

A stream, a descendant of Cain, and brother of Jubal; “the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle” (Gen. 4:20). This description indicates that he led a wandering life.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(stream), the son of Lamech and Adah, (Genesis 4:20) and brother of Jubal. He is described as the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Son of Lamech and Adah, and a descendant of Cain. He is supposed to have been the first to adopt the nomadic mode of life, still practiced in Arabia and Tartary, and to have invented portable tents, perhaps of skins, Ge 4:20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle.

and she bore Adah the object marker Jabal he he was [the] father of dweller[s] of tent and livestock
ה֣וּאhu' he H1931 Pronoun
1,879× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word is a pronoun meaning 'he', 'she', or 'it', used to refer to a person or thing. It is used in the Bible to emphasize a subject or make it clear who is being talked about.
Tyndale gloss
he/she/it
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it

an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

It resumes the subj. with emph.

Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

As an emph. predicate, of God

In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

. It resumes the subj. with emph.

. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

. As an emph. predicate, of God

. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1931 huw' hoo

of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a

primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or

it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also

(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;

sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally

(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),

it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,

this, those, which (is), who.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.

pron 3p s

1) he, she, it

1a) himself (with emphasis)

1b) resuming subj with emphasis

1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)

1d) (anticipating subj)

1e) (emphasising predicate)

1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron

2) that (with article)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron — Pronoun
HPp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ha: The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; transliterated in this Encyclopedia as "h." It came also to be used for the number 5. For name, etc., see ALPHABET.

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and she bore Adah the object marker Jabal he he was [the] father of dweller[s] of tent and livestock
הָיָ֔הha.Yah he was H1961 Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
3,562× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

Fall out, happen

occur, take place, come about, come to pass

esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

Come into being, become

abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

sq. prep.

become

sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

sq. pred. adj.

become like

sq. pred. לְ pers.

sq. לְ pred.

oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

with עַל and לְ

sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

exist, be in existence

abide, remain, continue

with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

as copula, joining subj. & pred.

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen

. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

. sq. prep.

. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

. sq. pred. adj.

. become like

. sq. pred. + לְ pers.

. sq. לְ pred.

. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.

. with עַל and לְ

. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence

. abide, remain, continue

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1961 hayah haw-yaw

a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,

come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or

auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,

committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,

fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit

(one-)self, require, X use.

see HEBREW for 01933

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.

1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) ---

1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass

1a1b) to come about, come to pass

1a2) to come into being, become

1a2a) to arise, appear, come

1a2b) to become

1a2b1) to become

1a2b2) to become like

1a2b3) to be instituted, be established

1a3) to be

1a3a) to exist, be in existence

1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)

1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)

1a3d) to accompany, be with

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about

1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
HVqp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ha: The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; transliterated in this Encyclopedia as "h." It came also to be used for the number 5. For name, etc., see ALPHABET.

and she bore Adah the object marker Jabal he he was [the] father of dweller[s] of tent and livestock
אֲבִ֕י'a.Vi [the] father of H1 Noun common · masculine singular construct
1,213× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In Hebrew, this word means father, whether literal or figurative. It is used to describe God as the father of his people, as well as human fathers like Abraham. The word is about a paternal relationship or authority.
Amplified meaning
a paternal ancestor, founder of a lineage
Tyndale gloss
father
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָב (av) means 'father' and encompasses various roles such as the literal father of an individual, God as the father of His people, and the head of a household or clan. It can also refer to an ancestor, originator of a profession, or a figure of respect and protection. Notably, it can imply a ruler or chief in later contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָב 1101 n.m. father

father of individual

of God as father of his people

head of household, family or clan

ancestor

originator or patron of a class, profession, or art

fig. of producer, generator

fig. of benevolence & protection

term of respect & honor

specif., ruler, chief (late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1 אָב father . father of individual

. of God as father of his people

. head of household, family or clan

. ancestor

. originator or patron of a class, profession, or art

. fig. of producer, generator

. fig. of benevolence & protection

. term of respect & honor

. specif., ruler, chief (late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1 'ab awb

a primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or

figurative and remote application):--chief,

(fore-)father(-less), X patrimony, principal. Compare names

in "Abi-".

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָב (av) — father.

1) father of an individual

2) of God as father of his people

3) head or founder of a household, group, family, or clan

4) ancestor

4a) grandfather, forefathers - of person

4b) of people

5) originator or patron of a class, profession, or art

6) of producer, generator (fig.)

7) of benevolence and protection (fig.)

8) term of respect and honour

9) ruler or chief (spec.)

Also means: av (אַב "father" H0002)

אָב (av) — (Huram)-abi.

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ki.7.13; also called Huram-abi (KJV: "Huram my father's") at 2Ch.2.13; 4.16;

Combined with chi.ram (חִירָם "Hiram" H2438H)

אָב (av) — father of.

The father of Gibeon, also known as Abiel - a man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.9.1;

son of: Zeror (H6872C); married to Maacah (H4601N);

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

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…

and she bore Adah the object marker Jabal he he was [the] father of dweller[s] of tent and livestock
יֹשֵׁ֥בyo.Shev dweller[s] of H3427 Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singular common
1,079× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to sit or dwell, and can also mean to remain or abide. It's used in the Bible to describe people living in a place or staying with someone, like in the book of Genesis.
Amplified meaning
to sit, remain, or abide
Tyndale gloss
to dwell
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָשַׁב (yashab) is a Hebrew verb meaning to sit, remain, or dwell. It encompasses a range of actions from simply sitting down to more complex ideas like establishing a home or causing a place to be inhabited. The entries indicate various forms, including Qal (to sit), Niphal (to be inhabited), and Hiphil (to cause to dwell). There is an Aramaic equivalent, יְתִב (ye.tiv), meaning 'to dwell'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָשַׁב 1090 vb. sit, remain, dwell

Qal

sit

sit, sit down

sit down

sit = be set (as a jewel)

remain, stay, tarry

with special emphasis of qualifying phr.

dwell, have one’s abode

of a land or city, sit, abide, seated in its place, fig. for be inhabited

Niph. be inhabited, of land

Pi. and they shall set their encampments in thee

Hiph.

cause to sit

cause to abide

cause to dwell

cause cities to be inhabited

marry (prop. give a dwelling to)

Hoph. and ye be made to dwell alone in the midst of the land

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3427 יָשַׁב sit, remain, dwell

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3427 yashab yaw-shab'

a primitive root; properly, to sit down (specifically as

judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to

remain; causatively, to settle, to marry:--(make to)

abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease

self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to)

inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, X marry(-ing),

(bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(- tle),

(down-)sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate),

take, tarry.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָשַׁב (ya.shav) — to dwell.

1) to dwell, remain, sit, abide

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to sit, sit down

1a2) to be set

1a3) to remain, stay

1a4) to dwell, have one's abode

1b) (Niphal) to be inhabited

1c) (Piel) to set, place

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to cause to sit

1d2) to cause to abide, set

1d3) to cause to dwell

1d4) to cause (cities) to be inhabited

1d5) to marry (give an dwelling to)

1e) (Hophal)

1e1) to be inhabited

1e2) to make to dwell

Aramaic equivalent: ye.tiv (יְתִב "to dwell" H3488)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal — Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singular common
HVqrmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

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…

and she bore Adah the object marker Jabal he he was [the] father of dweller[s] of tent and livestock
אֹ֖הֶל'O.hel tent H168 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
345× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for a tent, often used to describe the tabernacle or a nomad's home. In Exodus 33:7-11, it refers to the sacred tent where God meets with Moses.
Amplified meaning
nomadic homes, portable shelters
Tyndale gloss
tent
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֹ֫הֶל (*ohel*) means 'tent' and is derived from a root meaning 'to be conspicuous.' It encompasses various meanings, including a nomad's tent, a dwelling or home, and specifically refers to the sacred tent used for worship, known as the tabernacle. The entries consistently highlight its association with transience and habitation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֹ֫הֶל 343 n.m. tent

tent of nomad

dwelling, habitation

the sacred tent used in worship of God

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H168 אֹ֫הֶל tent

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

168 'ohel o'-hel

from 166; a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a

distance):--covering, (dwelling)(place), home, tabernacle,

tent.

see HEBREW for 0166

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֹ֫הֶל (o.hel) — tent.

: tent

1) tent

1a) nomad's tent, and thus symbolic of wilderness life, transience

1b) dwelling, home, habitation

1c) the sacred tent of Jehovah (the tabernacle)

Also means: o.hel (אֹ֫הֶל ": home" H0168H)

אֹ֫הֶל (o.hel) — tent: home.

: home

1) tent

1a) nomad's tent, and thus symbolic of wilderness life, transience

1b) dwelling, home, habitation

1c) the sacred tent of Jehovah (the tabernacle)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

tent ('ohel; skene; 'ohel is a derivative of 'ahal, "to be clear," "to shine"; hence, 'ohel, "to be conspicuous from a distance"): In the great stretches of uncultivated lands in the interior of Syria or Arabia, which probably have much the same aspect today as in Abraham's time, it is an easy matter to espy an encampment of roving Bedouin, "a nation .... that dwelleth without care .... that have neither gates nor bars" (Jer 49:31). The peaks of their black (compare So 1:5) goats' hair tents stand out in contrast against the lighter colors of the soil.

There seems to be little doubt about the antiquity of the Arab tent, and one can rightly believe that-the dwelling-places of Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, and their descendants were made on the same pattern and of the same materials (

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Tent

(1.) Heb. ‘ohel (Gen. 9:21, 27). This word is used also of a dwelling or habitation (1 Kings 8:66; Isa. 16:5; Jer. 4:20), and of the temple (Ezek. 41:1). When used of the tabernacle, as in 1 Kings 1:39, it denotes the covering of goat’s hair which was placed over the mishcan.

(2.) Heb. mishcan (Cant. 1:8), used also of a dwelling (Job 18:21; Ps. 87:2), the grave (

Among the leading characteristics of the nomad races, those two have always been numbered whose origin has been ascribed to Jabal the son of Lameth, (Genesis 4:20) viz., to be tent-dwellers and keepers of cattle. The same may be said of the forefathers of the Hebrew race; nor was it until the return into Canaan from Egypt that the Hebrews became inhabitants of cities. An Arab tent is called beit , "house;" its covering consists of stuff, about three quarters of a yard broad, made of black goat’s-hair, (Solomon 1:5) laid parallel with the tent’s length. This is sufficient to resist the heaviest rain. The tent-poles or columns are usually nine in number, placed in three groups; but many tents have only one pole, others two or three. The ropes which hold the tent in its place are fastened, not to the tent-cover itself, but to loops…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Dwelling in tents was very general in ancient times among Eastern nations, Ge 4:20; their way of life being pastoral, locomotion became necessary for pasturage, and dwellings adapted for such a life became indispensable, Isa 38:12. The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob dwelt in tents, Ge 18:1 Heb 11:9; and on the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, throughout their peregrinations until they obtained the promised land, and to some extent afterwards, they adopted the same kind of habitation. See BOOTHS. Hence the expression. "Every man to his tents, O Israel," etc.,

and she bore Adah the object marker Jabal he he was [the] father of dweller[s] of tent and livestock
וּמִקְנֶֽה׃u.mik.Neh and livestock H4735 Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absolute
76× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Livestock, such as cattle, sheep, and goats, are domestic animals that can be bought and owned, as described in the Bible, including in the book of Genesis and the story of Abraham's wealth.
Amplified meaning
to care for, possess, cattle, sheep, or goats, domestic animals
Tyndale gloss
livestock
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מִקְנֶה (miqneh) refers to cattle or livestock, specifically domestic animals that can be purchased. It encompasses general terms for herds and flocks, including cows, sheep, and goats. The word is derived from a root meaning 'something bought' and relates to property and possession.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מִקְנֶה 76 n.m. cattle

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4735 מִקְנֶה cattle

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4735 miqneh mik-neh'

from 7069; something bought, i.e. property, but only

livestock; abstractly, acquisition:--cattle, flock, herd,

possession, purchase, substance.

see HEBREW for 07069

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מִקְנֶה (miq.neh) — livestock.

1) cattle, livestock

1a) cattle, livestock

1a1) in general of a purchasable domestic animal

1b) cows, sheep, goats (in herds and flocks)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absolute
HC/Ncmsa
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.

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