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Genesis 48:5 — Word Study

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WLCוְעַתָּ֡ה שְׁנֵֽי־ בָנֶיךָ֩ הַנּוֹלָדִ֨ים לְךָ֜ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֗יִם עַד־ בֹּאִ֥י אֵלֶ֛יךָ מִצְרַ֖יְמָה לִי־ הֵ֑ם אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ וּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה כִּרְאוּבֵ֥ן וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן יִֽהְיוּ־ לִֽי׃

BSAAnd nowʻattâh [at this time, in this moment] your twoshᵉnayim [a pair, a duo] sonsbên bornyâlad [brought into being, given life] in EgyptMitsrayim [the land of, a country in northeastern Africa] beforeʻad I camebôwʼ [approached, arrived] to youʼêl [here]Mitsrayim [shall be reckoned as]hêm [counted, considered] EphraimʼEphrayim [doubly fruitful] and ManassehMᵉnashsheh [causing to forget] shall behâyâh just as ReubenRᵉʼûwbên [in the same way as, behold, a son] and Simeon [are mine]Shimʻôwn [heard, listened to]

Word
Listen & take awayGenesis 48
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 5 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 (Li) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Genesis 48:5quick helps
In a sentenceJacob adopts Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own.
Who is speakingJacob, addressing Joseph about his sons.
Where we areJacob is blessing Joseph and his sons in Egypt.
The hard wordנּוֹלָדִים
Take awayEphraim and Manasseh are counted among the tribes of Israel.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectהֵם verbהָיָה 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 48:5

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 — Jacob Blesses Joseph's Sonsgenerated

4and told me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’
5And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
6Any children born to you after them shall be yours, and they shall be called by the names of their brothers in the territory they inherit.
7Now as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

Genesis 48:5 shows Jacob declaring that Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, will be counted as his own. This moment emphasizes the continuation of the family line and the inheritance of the tribes of Israel. Jacob's blessing signifies the importance of these sons in the future of the nation of Israel, as they will each become the heads of their own tribes, similar to Jacob's own sons, Reuben and Simeon.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Genesis 41:50–52Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
2Genesis 46:20Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
3Joshua 13:7Now therefore divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
4Joshua 14:4The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And no portion of the land was given to the Levites, except for cities in which to live, along with pasturelands for their flocks and herds.
5Joshua 16:1–17The allotment for the descendants of Joseph extended from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east, through the wilderness that goes up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel.

The Key Word נּוֹלָדִים, no.la.Dimgenerated

The word יָלַד (*yalad*) means to bear or give birth. In this context, it refers to the act of bringing forth children. The participle form indicates that Ephraim and Manasseh have already been born, establishing their status in the family lineage.

This word is commonly used throughout the Old Testament to describe childbirth and lineage. Its use here highlights the significance of Ephraim and Manasseh being recognized as part of Jacob's family, thus linking them to the covenant promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

Translations generally agree that Jacob is adopting Ephraim and Manasseh as his own sons.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb in this verse is יִֽהְיוּ, they will be, which governs the entire structure. The sentence is built around the identification of Ephraim and Manasseh as Jacob's sons, with several phrases elaborating on their birth and lineage.

The structure emphasizes the connection between Jacob's declaration and the future of the tribes, with the phrase הַנּוֹלָדִים indicating the sons' status as already born, thus solidifying their place in Jacob's family.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint uses the Greek word γενόμενοι to translate הַנּוֹלָדִים. This choice suggests an emphasis on the process of becoming, which aligns with the concept of adoption and inclusion into Jacob's family.

This translation reflects the significance of Ephraim and Manasseh's birth and their subsequent recognition as part of the covenant community.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Genesis 48:5 tells us that Jacob is adopting Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own. This means they will receive an inheritance just like Jacob's other sons, Reuben and Simeon. This moment is significant because it shows how important these two boys are for the future of Israel.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

Why does Jacob adopt Ephraim and Manasseh?

Jacob adopts them to ensure they receive a share of the inheritance and to establish their tribes within Israel.

What does it mean for Ephraim and Manasseh to be counted as Jacob's sons?

It means they are included in the covenant promises made to Jacob and will have their own tribes in Israel.

How does this adoption affect Joseph?

Joseph's sons being adopted elevates their status and secures their future within the family lineage.

What significance does this adoption have for the tribes of Israel?

This adoption results in Ephraim and Manasseh becoming the heads of their own tribes, thus expanding Jacob's legacy.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What can we learn about family and inheritance from Jacob's adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh?
  2. How does this moment reflect God's covenant with Jacob and his descendants?
  3. In what ways can we recognize and honor the contributions of those who may not be part of our immediate family?
  4. How does the inclusion of Ephraim and Manasseh challenge our understanding of belonging and identity?

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

Early Christian writers reference this verse to discuss the significance of Jacob's adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh, highlighting their roles in the tribes of Israel.

Hippolytus of RomeON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 11 c. 170–235
This clearly shows [that Jacob makes Ephraim and Manasseh his own]. Since Jacob had twelve sons, to whom the twelve tribes owed their existence, he distributed the two sons of Joseph into two tribes;
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 48 →
Ambrose of MilanTHE PATRIARCHS 1.2 c. 339–397
Joseph was eager to receive the blessing (Gen. XLVIII, 1 et seq.). Finally, he presented his sons Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Jacob blessed.
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 48 →
JeromeVerse 5. c. 347–420
And now behold, your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine, Ephraim and Manasseh, just as Reuben and Simeon shall be mine. But any children born to you after them shall be yours.
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 48 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Genesis 48:5 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh,.... Ephraim was the youngest, but is mentioned first, as he afterwards was preferred in the blessing of him: which were born unto thee in the land of

Read John Gill on Genesis 48 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. Thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 48 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Thy two sons are mine, by adoption: I shall own them as if they were my immediate children, and each of them shall have equal share, both in my present estate, and future inheritance of Canaan, with the rest of my children. Thus Jacob transfers the double portion, which was the right of the first-born, from which Reuben by his transgression fell, , upon Joseph, . He names the two eldest, who, if any, might seem to claim a greater privilege than the rest.

Read Matthew Poole on Genesis 48 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Genesis 48:5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, [are] mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.Ver. 5. As Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.] God hath in like sort adopted us for his dear children; saying, "I will be a Father unto them, and they shall be my sons and my daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." This St John calls a royalty or prerogative, such as he elsewhere stands amazed at. And well he may; for all God’ s children are "firstborn," and so "higher than all the kings of the earth." They "in the fulness of their sufficiency are in straits." Whereas the saints, in the fulness of…

Read John Trapp on Genesis 48 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(5) As Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.—That is, Ephraim shall be regarded as my firstborn, and Manasseh as my second son. This was undoubtedly the case; for though “Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the prince (and of him the Messiah), yet the birthright was Joseph’s” (1 Chronicles 5:2). The legal right of the firstborn was a double share of the father’s goods. This was bestowed upon Joseph in giving him two tribes, and to the other· sons but one. It was in a spiritual sense, and with reference to the promise that all mankind should be blessed in Jacob’s seed, that the birthright was Judah’s. As Joseph was the son of the chief and best-beloved wife, he had a sort of…

Read Charles John Ellicott on Genesis 48 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 5. And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh - are mine] I now adopt them into my own family, and they shall have their place among my twelve sons, and be treated in every respect as those, and have an equal interest in all the spiritual and temporal blessings of the covenant.

Read AdamClarke on Genesis 48 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

5. are mine] Joseph’s sons are adopted into the family of Jacob (cf. Joshua 14:4); and the account records their acknowledgment to be full tribes in the parent stock of Israel. Ephraim and Manasseh] Observe the change in order. The writer of P here, as E in Genesis 48:20, gives the precedent to the recipient of the greater blessing. But, while this order is found in Numbers 1:10, Joshua 17:17, the other is the more usual; cf. Joshua 14:4; Joshua 16:4.

Read Cambridge on Genesis 48 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

5. Thy two sons… are mine… as Reuben and Simeon — “They are to have the tribal rank of sons, although they were grandsons.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Genesis 48 →

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

And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, will be mine.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

NETBNew English Translation2006

“Now, as for your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, they will be mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine just as Reuben and Simeon are.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

¶ And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And now thy two sons, who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And now thy two sons, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And now, thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to thee in the land of Egypt, before I came to thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And now thy two sonnes, Manasseh and Ephraim, which are borne vnto thee in the lande of Egypt, before I came to thee into Egypt, shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And now thy two sons, who were born to thee in the land of Egypt before I came to thee into Egypt, shall be mine: Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

'And now, thy two sons, who are born to thee in the land of Egypt, before my coming unto thee to Egypt, mine they [are]; Ephraim and Manasseh, as Reuben and Simeon they are mine;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And now, your two sons, who are born to you in the land of Egypt, before my coming to you to Egypt, they [are] mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, as Reuben and Simeon, they are mine;

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And now thy two sons, who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt, shall be mine; Ephraim and Menasseh shall be unto me as Reuben and Simeon.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, they are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

So thy two sons who were born to thee in the land of Egypt before I came hither to thee, shall be mine: Ephraim and Manasses shall be reputed to me as Ruben and Simeon.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

I am counting as mine your two sons Ephraim and Manasseh who were born here in Egypt before I arrived, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And now your two sons who came to birth in Egypt before I came to you here, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, in the same way as Reuben and Simeon are.

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.

conjunction phraseוְandעַתָּ֡הnowclauseclausenoun phrasenoun phraseשְׁנֵֽיthe.twonoun phraseבָנֶיsonsךָ֩yournoun phraseהַ[whonoun phraseclauseverbנּוֹלָדִ֨יםwere].bornprepositional phrase · prepositionalלְtoךָ֜youprepositional phrase · prepositionalבְּinnoun phraseאֶ֣רֶץthe.landמִצְרַ֗יִםof.Egyptprepositional phrase · prepositionalעַדuntilclauseverbבֹּאִ֥camesubjectיIprepositional phrase · prepositionalאֵלֶ֛יtoךָyounoun phrase · prepositionalמִצְרַ֖יְמָtoהEgyptclauseprepositional phrase · predicateלִ[belong].toיmesubjectהֵ֑םtheyclausenoun phrase · subjectאֶפְרַ֨יִם֙Ephraimוּandמְנַשֶּׁ֔הManassehprepositional phrase · prepositionalכִּlikenoun phraseרְאוּבֵ֥ןReubenוְandשִׁמְע֖וֹןSimeonverbיִֽהְיוּthey.will.belongprepositional phrase · prepositionalלִֽtoיme

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 in this verse. The Dead Sea Scrolls, while partially restored, also reflect the same essential meaning, indicating a strong consistency across these ancient witnesses.

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

וְעַתָּ֡ה שְׁנֵֽי־ בָנֶיךָ֩ הַנּוֹלָדִ֨ים לְךָ֜ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֗יִם עַד־ בֹּאִ֥י אֵלֶ֛יךָ מִצְרַ֖יְמָה לִי־ הֵ֑ם אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ וּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה כִּרְאוּבֵ֥ן וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן יִֽהְיוּ־ לִֽי׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וְעַתָּ֡הνῦνשְׁנֵֽי־δύοבָנֶיךָ֩σουהַנּוֹלָדִ֨יםγενόμενοίלְךָ֜σοιבְּאֶ֣רֶץἐνמִצְרַ֗יִםαἰγύπτῳעַד־πρὸבֹּאִ֥יμεאֵלֶ֛יךָσὲמִצְרַ֖יְמָהαἴγυπτονלִי־ἐμοίהֵ֑םεἰσινאֶפְרַ֙יִם֙εφραιμוּמְנַשֶּׁ֔הμανασσηכִּרְאוּבֵ֥ןρουβηνוְשִׁמְע֖וֹןσυμεωνיִֽהְיוּ־ἔσονταίלִֽי׃μοι

19 of the 19 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

ועתה שׁני בניך הנולדים לך בארץ מצרים עד באי אליך מצרימה לי הם אפרים ומנשׁה כראובן וכשׁמעון יהיו לי

Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q6a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

ועתה שני בני׳ך [הנולדים] [ל׳ך] [בארץ] מצרים [עד] בוא׳י אלי׳ך מצרימ׳ה [ל׳י] [הם] אפרים ומנשה כראובן [וכשמעון] יהיו ל׳י

8 words on the leather — 4 partly restored, 7 supplied entire by an editor.

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 48:5עַתָּ֫הand nowand nowעַתָּ֫השְׁנַ֫יִם[the] two[the] twoשְׁנַ֫יִםבֵּןsons yoursons yourבֵּןיָלַדwho were bowho were bornיָלַדךָּto youto youךָּאֶ֫רֶץin [the] lain [the] land oאֶ֫רֶץמִצְרַ֫יִםEgyptEgyptמִצְרַ֫יִםעַדuntiluntilעַדבּוֹאcame Icame Iבּוֹאאֶלto youto youאֶלמִצְרַ֫יִםEgypt towarEgypt towardsמִצְרַ֫יִםנִי[belong] to[belong] to meנִיהֵ֫מָּהtheytheyהֵ֫מָּהאֶפְרַ֫יִםEphraimEphraimאֶפְרַ֫יִםמְנַשֶּׁהand Manasseand Manassehמְנַשֶּׁהרְאוּבֵןlike Reubenlike Reubenרְאוּבֵןשִׁמְעוֹןand Simeonand Simeonשִׁמְעוֹןהָיָהthey will bthey will be[loהָיָהנִיto meto meנִיעֵתtimetimeעֵתבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהמָצוֹרEgyptEgyptמָצוֹרהֲלַךְto goto goהֲלַךְנָשָׁהto forgetto forgetנָשָׁהשָׁמַעto hear: hto hear: hearשָׁמַעשֵׁנִיsecondsecondשֵׁנִיעַדperpetuityperpetuityעַדאֶפְרָ֫תָהEphrathEphrathאֶפְרָ֫תָהרָאָהProviderProviderרָאָהבֵּןson: childson: childבֵּןהָוָאto fallto fallהָוָאכּוּשׁEthiopiaEthiopiaכּוּשׁפַּרְעֹהPharaohPharaohפַּרְעֹהנָאpleasepleaseנָאאֲנַ֫חְנוּweweאֲנַ֫חְנוּעָשָׂרtentenעָשָׂראַ֫יִלramramאַ֫יִל
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 48:5

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 now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
וְעַתָּ֡הve.'a.Tah and now H6258 Conjunction · adverb
433× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means now or at this time, like in Exodus when God says now is the time to act. It can also be used to connect ideas or show a change in time, as seen in the book of Isaiah.
Amplified meaning
at this time, in this moment
Tyndale gloss
now
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עַתָּ֫ה (attah) is an adverb of time meaning 'now.' It can also function as a conjunction or expletive, indicating immediacy or a current moment. The word is derived from a related term, עַת (att), and is used in various contexts to denote the present time.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עַתָּ֫ה 435, עָ֑֫תָּה, adv. of time, now

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6258 עַתָּ֫ה, עָ֑֫תָּה of time, now

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6258 `attah at-taw'

from 6256; at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or

expletive:--henceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas.

see HEBREW for 06256

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עַתָּ֫ה (at.tah) — now.

1) now

1a) now

1b) in phrases

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Adv — Conjunction · adverb
HC/D
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
שְׁנֵֽי־she.nei- [the] two H8147 Adj
769× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for the number two appears in Genesis and Exodus, describing pairs and dualities. It can also mean double or twice. In the Bible, it is often used to describe things that come in twos, like two witnesses or two tablets.
Amplified meaning
a pair, a duo
Tyndale gloss
two
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שְׁנַ֫יִם (shnayim) means 'two' and serves as both a cardinal and ordinal number. It can denote 'both,' 'double,' or 'twice,' and is used in various combinations with other numbers. The word is derived as a dual form of שָׁנָה (shanah), which relates to the concept of pairs.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם 768 n.m. et f. du. two

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8147 שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם two

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8147 shnayim shen-ah'-yim

dual of 8145; feminine shttayim {shet-tah'-yim}; two; also

(as ordinal) twofold:--both, couple, double, second, twain, +

twelfth, + twelve, + twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.

see HEBREW for 08145

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שְׁנַ֫יִם (she.na.yim) — two.

1) two

1a) two (the cardinal number)

1a1) two, both, double, twice

1b) second (the ordinal number)

1c) in combination with other numbers

1d) both (a dual number)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAcbdc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

too.

See NUMBER.

and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
בָנֶיךָ֩va.nei.Kha sons your H1121 Noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
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.
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-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
HNcmpc/Sp2ms
and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
הַנּוֹלָדִ֨יםha.no.la.Dim who were born H3205 Particle · verb niphal participle (active) masculine plural
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
brought into being, given life
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
Art | V-Niphal — Particle · verb niphal participle (active) masculine plural
HTd/VNrmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See BORN.

and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
לְךָ֜le.Kha to you H9031 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

ךָּ (ka) — you.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 2nd person masculine singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp2ms — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp2ms
and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
בְּאֶ֣רֶץbe.'E.retz in [the] land of H776 Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct
2,504× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The land or earth refers to the soil or ground, and can also mean a country, territory, or region. In the Bible, it is used to describe the earth and its inhabitants, and is often translated as 'land' or 'country'.
Tyndale gloss
land: soil
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֶ֫רֶץ (erets) is a feminine noun meaning 'earth' or 'land.' It encompasses various meanings, including the whole earth, specific territories like Canaan, and even inhabitants of the land. It can refer to soil, ground, or regions, and is used in phrases related to distance and the living. There is a note on the plural form אֲרָצוֹת, which mainly appears in later texts to denote multiple lands.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land

earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

earth, opp. to heaven, sky

earth = inhabitants of earth

land =

country, territory

district, region

trial territory

piece of ground

specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

= inhabitants of land

used even of Shᵉʼôl

ground, surface of ground

soil, as productive

אֶרֶץ in phrases

people of the land

in measurements of distance

the country of the plain, level or plain country

land of the living

end(s) of the earth

pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H776 אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land . . earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

. earth, opp. to heaven, sky

. earth = inhabitants of earth

. land = . country, territory

. district, region

. trial territory

. piece of ground

. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

. = inhabitants of land

. used even of Shᵉʼôl

. . ground, surface of ground

. soil, as productive

. אֶרֶץ in phrases . people of the land

. in measurements of distance

. the country of the plain, level or plain country

. land of the living

. end(s) of the earth

. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

776 'erets eh'-rets

from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth

(at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth,

field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: country/planet.

: country/field

1) land, earth

1a) earth

1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)

1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)

1a3) earth (inhabitants)

1b) land

1b1) country, territory

1b2) district, region

1b3) tribal territory

1b4) piece of ground

1b5) land of Canaan, Israel

1b6) inhabitants of land

1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world

1b8) city (-state)

1c) ground, surface of the earth

1c1) ground

1c2) soil

1d) (in phrases)

1d1) people of the land

1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)

1d3) level or plain country

1d4) land of the living

1d5) end(s) of the earth

1e) (almost wholly late in usage)

1e1) lands, countries

1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: soil.

: soil

1) land, earth

1a) earth

1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)

1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)

1a3) earth (inhabitants)

1b) land

1b1) country, territory

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Ncfsc — Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct
HR/Ncfsc
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 now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
מִצְרַ֗יִםmitz.Ra.yim Egypt H4714 Noun proper
641× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means Egypt, a country in northeastern Africa, and is used in the Bible to describe the land and its people. It appears in books like Genesis and Isaiah, often referring to the Nile River and the Egyptians. Egypt is an important setting for many biblical events.
Amplified meaning
the land of, a country in northeastern Africa
Tyndale gloss
(Sea of) Egypt
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מִצְרַ֫יִם (mitsrayim) refers to Egypt, a country in northeastern Africa known for the Nile River. The term can denote both the land and its inhabitants, the Egyptians. It is derived from a dual form suggesting Upper and Lower Egypt, and is linked to the biblical figure Mizraim, a son of Ham. The lexicons note its significance in the context of the table of nations.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מִצְרַ֫יִם 681 n.pr.terr. et gent. Egypt, Egyptians

of land, Egypt

combinations

of people:

in table of nations, personif. as second son of Ham

= Egypt (as a people), Egyptians

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4714 מִצְרַ֫יִם Egypt, Egyptians . . of land, Egypt

. combinations

. of people: . in table of nations, personif. as second son of Ham

. = Egypt (as a people), Egyptians

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4714 Mitsrayim mits-rah'-yim

dual of 4693; Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt:--Egypt,

Egyptians, Mizraim.

see HEBREW for 04693

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מִצְרַ֫יִם (mits.ra.yim) — Egypt.

§ Egypt = "land of the Copts"

a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows

Egyptians = "double straits"

מִצְרַ֫יִם (mits.ra.yim) — Egypt.

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.10.6;

son of: Ham (H2526);

brother of: Canaan (H3667), Cush (H3568) and Put (H6316);

father of: Ludim (H3866), Anamim (H6047), Lehabim (H3853), Naphtuhim (H5320), Pathrusim (H6625), Casluhim (H3695) and Caphtorim (H3732)

§ Egypt = "land of the Copts"

1) a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows

Egyptians = "double straits"

adj

2) the inhabitants or natives of Egypt

מִצְרַ֫יִם (mits.ra.yim) — (Sea of) Egypt.

§ Egypt = "land of the Copts"

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper
HNpl
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

e'-jipt:

I. THE COUNTRY

1. The Basis of the Land 2. The Nile Valley 3. Earliest Human Remains 4. Climate 5. Conditions of Life 6. The Nile 7. The Fauna 8. The Flora 9. The Prehistoric Races

II. THE HISTORY

1. 1st and 2nd Ages: Prehistoric 2. 3d Age: Ist and IInd Dynasties 3. 4th Age: IIIrd through VIth Dynasties 4. 5th Age: VIIth through XIVth Dynasties 5. 6th Age: XVth through XXIVth Dynasties 6. 7th Age: XXVth Dynasty to Roman Times 7. 8th Age: Arabic 8. Early Foreign Connections

III. THE OLD TESTAMENT CONNECTIONS

1. Semitic Connections 2. Abramic Times 3. Circumcision 4. Joseph 5. Descent into Egypt 6. The Oppression 7. The Historic Position 8. The Plagues 9. Date of the Exodus 10. Route of the Exodus 11. Numbers of the Exodus 12. Israel in Canaan 13. Hadad 14. Pharaoh's Daughter 15. Shishak 16. Zerakh 17. The Ethiopians 18. Tahpanhes 19. Hophra 20. The Jews of Syene 21. The New Jerusalem…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Egypt

The land of the Nile and the pyramids, the oldest kingdom of which we have any record, holds a place of great significance in Scripture.

The Egyptians belonged to the white race, and their original home is still a matter of dispute. Many scholars believe that it was in Southern Arabia, and recent excavations have shown that the valley of the Nile was originally inhabited by a low-class population, perhaps belonging to the Nigritian stock, before the Egyptians of history entered it. The ancient Egyptian language, of which the latest form is Coptic, is distantly connected with the Semitic family of speech.

Egypt consists geographically of two halves, the northern being the Delta, and the southern Upper Egypt, between Cairo and the First Cataract. In the Old Testament, Northern or Lower Egypt is called Mazor, “the fortified land” (Isa.…

A celebrated country in the north of Africa, at the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. The Hebrews called it Mizraim, Ge 10:6, and hence it is now called by the Arabs, Mizr. The Greeks and Romans called it Aegyptus, whence Egypt; but the origin of this name is unknown.

The habitable land of Egypt is for the most part a great valley, through which the river Nile pours its waters, extending in a straight line from north to south, and skirted on the east and west by ranges of mountains, which approach and recede from the river more or less in different parts. Where this valley terminates, towards the north, the Nile divides itself, about forty or fifty miles from the seacoast, into several arms, which inclose the so-called Delta. The ancients numbered seven arms and mouths; the eastern was that of Pelusium, now that of Tineh; and the…

and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
עַד־'ad- until H5704 Preposition
1,261× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means until or as far as, describing a point in time or space. It's used in the Bible to set boundaries or limits, like in Exodus when describing the Israelites' journey.
Tyndale gloss
till
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עַד (ad) primarily functions as a preposition, adverb, or conjunction meaning 'until,' 'up to,' or 'as far as.' It can denote spatial, temporal, or degree-related contexts, such as 'even to' or 'while.' The entries indicate its use in poetry and in various combinations, but there is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עַד, in poetry עֲדֵי prep. as far as, even to, up to, until, while

prep.

of space

Of time

Of degree

conj.

until

While

Of degree, to the point that, so that even (rare)

עַד לְ, a strengthened form for עַד. Thus

of space

Of time

Of degree

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5704 עַד, in poetry עֲדֵי as far as, even to, up to, until, while . prep. . of space

. Of time

. Of degree

. conj. . until

. While

. Of degree, to the point that, so that even (rare)

. עַד לְ, a strengthened form for עַד. Thus . of space

. Of time

. Of degree

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5704 `ad ad

properly, the same as 5703 (used as a preposition, adverb or

conjunction; especially with a preposition); as far (or long,

or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during,

while, until) or degree (equally with):--against, and, as,

at, before, by (that), even (to), for(-asmuch as),

(hither-)to, + how long, into, as long (much) as, (so) that,

till, toward, until, when, while, (+ as) yet.

see HEBREW for 05703

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עַד (ad) — till.

prep

1) as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as

1a) of space

1a1) as far as, up to, even to

1b) in combination

1b1) from...as far as, both...and (with 'min' -from)

1c) of time

1c1) even to, until, unto, till, during, end

1d) of degree

1d1) even to, to the degree of, even like

conj

2) until, while, to the point that, so that even

Aramaic equivalent: ad (עַד "till" H5705)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep — Preposition
HR
and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
בֹּאִ֥יbo.'I came I H935 Verb qal infinitive construct common · suffix
2,573× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to go or come, and is used in many contexts, such as entering a place or approaching someone, as seen in the book of Genesis. It can also mean to abide or apply, and is translated in various ways in the KJV Bible. This term is related to the name Lebo Hamath.
Amplified meaning
approached, arrived
Tyndale gloss
Lebo
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בּוֹא (bo) is a Hebrew verb meaning to come or go in, with a wide range of applications including entering, arriving, and bringing in. It can refer to both physical movement and abstract concepts like events coming to pass. The verb appears in various forms, such as Qal (to come), Hiphil (to cause to come), and Hophal (to be brought). There is no significant disagreement among lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בּוֹא 2569 vb. come in, come, go in, go

Qal

come in

come (approach, arrive)

go, i.e. walk, associate with

go from speaker, but with limit of motion given

Hiph.

cause to come in, bring in (conduct, lead, obj. persons and animals)

cause to come, bring, bring near, etc. (animate obj.)

Hoph.

be brought in (of pers. and things)

be brought

be introduced, put

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H935 בּוֹא come in, come, go in, go .. come in

. come (approach, arrive)

. go, i.e. walk, associate with

. go from speaker, but with limit of motion given

. . cause to come in, bring in (conduct, lead, obj. persons and animals)

. cause to come, bring, bring near, etc. (animate obj.)

. . be brought in (of pers. and things)

. be brought

. be introduced, put

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

935 bow' bo

a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of

applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, +

besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X

certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out,

upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ,

(cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be

fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war),

grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention,

pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken

(in age), X surely, take (in), way.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בּוֹא (bo) — to come (in): come.

: come/go_in

1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to enter, come in

1a2) to come

1a2a) to come with

1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy)

1a2c) to come to pass

1a3) to attain to

1a4) to be enumerated

1a5) to go

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to lead in

1b2) to carry in

1b3) to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon

1b4) to bring to pass

1c) (Hophal)

1c1) to be brought, brought in

1c2) to be introduced, be put

לְב֥וֹא (bo) — Lebo-(Hamath).

This name means to go in, enter

Combined with cha.mat (חֲמָת "Hamath" H2574)

בּוֹא (bo) — to come (in): towards.

: towards/entrance

1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to enter, come in

1a2) to come

1a2a) to come with

1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy)

1a2c) to come to pass

1a3) to attain to

1a4) to be enumerated

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Inf-a | Suff — Verb qal infinitive construct common · suffix
HVqcc/Sp1bs
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
אֵלֶ֛יךָ'e.Lei.kha to you H413 Preposition · suffix
5,518× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means 'to' or 'toward', showing direction or movement. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus, to indicate where someone is going. The KJV translates it in various ways, like 'about', 'according to', or 'against'.
Tyndale gloss
to(wards)
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֶל (el) is primarily a preposition indicating motion towards or direction to a person or place. It can also imply entering a limit, presence at a location, or a hostile direction (against). Additionally, it may express concepts such as concerning, in addition to, or according to. The entries highlight its versatility in both physical and metaphorical contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph),

prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).of motion to or unto a person or place

Where the limit is actually entered, into

Of direction towards anything

Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

Of rule or standard according to (rare)

Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H413 אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), . of motion to or unto a person or place

. Where the limit is actually entered, into

. Of direction towards anything

. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

. Of rule or standard according to (rare)

. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

413 'el ale

(but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el});

a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but

occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or

among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after,

against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and,

by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of,

over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether,

with(-in).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶל (el) — to(wards).

1) to, toward, unto (of motion)

2) into (limit is actually entered)

2a) in among

3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion)

4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character)

5) in addition to, to

6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of

7) according to (rule or standard)

8) at, by, against (of one's presence)

9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | Suff — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp2ms
and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
מִצְרַ֖יְמָהmitz.Ray.mah Egypt towards H4714 Noun proper · suffix
641× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means Egypt, a country in northeastern Africa, and is used in the Bible to describe the land and its people. It appears in books like Genesis and Isaiah, often referring to the Nile River and the Egyptians. Egypt is an important setting for many biblical events.
Tyndale gloss
(Sea of) Egypt
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מִצְרַ֫יִם (mitsrayim) refers to Egypt, a country in northeastern Africa known for the Nile River. The term can denote both the land and its inhabitants, the Egyptians. It is derived from a dual form suggesting Upper and Lower Egypt, and is linked to the biblical figure Mizraim, a son of Ham. The lexicons note its significance in the context of the table of nations.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מִצְרַ֫יִם 681 n.pr.terr. et gent. Egypt, Egyptians

of land, Egypt

combinations

of people:

in table of nations, personif. as second son of Ham

= Egypt (as a people), Egyptians

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4714 מִצְרַ֫יִם Egypt, Egyptians . . of land, Egypt

. combinations

. of people: . in table of nations, personif. as second son of Ham

. = Egypt (as a people), Egyptians

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4714 Mitsrayim mits-rah'-yim

dual of 4693; Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt:--Egypt,

Egyptians, Mizraim.

see HEBREW for 04693

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מִצְרַ֫יִם (mits.ra.yim) — Egypt.

§ Egypt = "land of the Copts"

a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows

Egyptians = "double straits"

מִצְרַ֫יִם (mits.ra.yim) — Egypt.

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.10.6;

son of: Ham (H2526);

brother of: Canaan (H3667), Cush (H3568) and Put (H6316);

father of: Ludim (H3866), Anamim (H6047), Lehabim (H3853), Naphtuhim (H5320), Pathrusim (H6625), Casluhim (H3695) and Caphtorim (H3732)

§ Egypt = "land of the Copts"

1) a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows

Egyptians = "double straits"

adj

2) the inhabitants or natives of Egypt

מִצְרַ֫יִם (mits.ra.yim) — (Sea of) Egypt.

§ Egypt = "land of the Copts"

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper | Suff — Noun proper · suffix
HNpl/Sd
and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
לִי־li- [belong] to me H9030 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נִי (ni) — me.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 1st person singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp1bs
and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
הֵ֑םHem they H1992 Pronoun
553× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word is used to refer to a group of men, emphasizing that it is specifically them. It is often translated as 'they' or 'them' in the Bible, and appears in books like Exodus and Isaiah.
Amplified meaning
counted, considered
Tyndale gloss
they(masc.)
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הֵ֫מָּה (hemmah) is a masculine plural pronoun meaning 'they.' The entries indicate that it can also mean 'these,' 'the same,' or refer to people in an emphatic context. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its usage.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הֵ֫מָּה and הֵם (without appreciable distinction in usage, except prob. in so far as the longer or shorter form was better adapted to the rhythm of particular sentences) pron. 3 pl. masc. they

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1992 הֵ֫מָּה, הֵם (without appreciable distinction in usage, except prob. in so far as the longer or shorter form was better adapted to the rhythm of particular sentences) they

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1992 hem haym

or (prolonged) hemmah {haym'-maw}; masculine plural from

1981; they (only used when emphatic):--it, like, X (how, so)

many (soever, more as) they (be), (the) same, X so, X such,

their, them, these, they, those, which, who, whom, withal, ye.

see HEBREW for 01981

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הֵ֫מָּה (hem.mah) — they(masc.).

they, these, the same, who

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron — Pronoun
HPp3mp
and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙'ef.Ra.yim Ephraim H669 Noun proper masculine
180× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Ephraim means doubly fruitful, referring to Joseph's son and the tribe that descended from him. The tribe of Ephraim was a significant part of Israel's history. Ephraim is also the name of a region in the Bible.
Amplified meaning
doubly fruitful
Tyndale gloss
Ephraim
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֶפְרַ֫יִם (Ephrayim) refers to Ephraim, a son of Joseph and Asenath, and the tribe descended from him. The term signifies 'double fruit' and encompasses various meanings, including a geographical region, a chief gate of Jerusalem, and a reference to the northern kingdom. Notably, it appears in Genesis 41:52.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶפְרַ֫יִם n.pr.m. Ephraim

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H669 אֶפְרַ֫יִם Ephraim

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

669 'Ephrayim ef-rah'-yim

dual of masculine form of 672; double fruit; Ephrajim, a son

of Joseph; also the tribe descended from him, and its

territory:--Ephraim, Ephraimites.

see HEBREW for 0672

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶפְרַ֫יִם (eph.ra.yim) — Ephraim.

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.41.52;

son of: Joseph (H3130) and Asenath (H0621);

brother of: Manasseh (H4519);

father of: Shuthelah (H7803), Becher (H1071H), Tahan (H8465), Ezer (H5827), Elead (H0496) and Beriah (H1283H); also called Ephrathite (NIV: Ephraimite) at 1Sa.1.1; Ephron (Qere, KJV: Ephrain) at 2Ch.13.19;

§ Ephraim = "double ash-heap: I shall be doubly fruitful"

1) second son of Joseph, blessed by him and given preference over first son, Manasseh

2) the tribe, Ephraim

3) the mountain country of Ephraim

4) sometimes used name for the northern kingdom (Hosea or Isaiah)

5) a city near Baal-hazor

6) a chief gate of Jerusalem

אֶפְרַ֫יִם (eph.ra.yim) — Ephraim (Gate).

§ Ephraim = "double ash-heap: I shall be doubly fruitful"

a chief gate of Jerusalem

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Ephraim

Double fruitfulness (“for God had made him fruitful in the land of his affliction”). The second son of Joseph, born in Egypt (Gen. 41:52; 46:20). The first incident recorded regarding him is his being placed, along with his brother Manasseh, before their grandfather, Jacob, that he might bless them (48:10; comp. 27:1). The intention of Joseph was that the right hand of the aged patriarch should be placed on the head of the elder of the two; but Jacob set Ephraim the younger before his brother, “guiding his hands wittingly.” Before Joseph’s death, Ephraim’s family had reached the third generation (Gen. 50:23).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

a city "in the district near the wilderness" to which our Lord retired with his disciples when threatened with violence by the priests. (John 11:54)

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The second son of Joseph, born in Egypt, Ge 41:52. Although the youngest, he yet had the chief blessing of his grandfather Jacob, and the tribe was always more distinguished than that of Manasseh, Ge 48:8-20 Nu 2:18-21. The portion of Ephraim was large and central, and embraced some of the most fertile land in all Canaan. It extended from the Mediterranean across to the Jordan, north of the portions of Dan and Benjamin and included Shiloh, Shechem, etc. A range of mountainous country, which runs through it, is called "the mountains of Ephraim," or "mount Ephraim." This extends also farther south into the portion of Judah, and is there called "the mountains of Judah." Samaria, the capital of the ten tribes, being in Ephraim…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

fruitful; increasing

and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
וּמְנַשֶּׁ֔הu.me.na.Sheh and Manasseh H4519 Conjunction · noun proper masculine
146× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Manasseh was a grandson of Jacob and the ancestor of a large tribe in the Bible, mentioned in Genesis 41:51 and throughout the book of Numbers.
Amplified meaning
causing to forget
Tyndale gloss
Moses
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מְנַשֶּׁה (Mnashsheh) means 'causing to forget' and refers to several figures in the Old Testament. Primarily, it denotes the eldest son of Joseph and the tribe descended from him, as well as the territory they occupied. Additionally, it identifies a king of Judah, son of Hezekiah, and several individuals mentioned during the Exile and Return. The entries consistently highlight these connections without significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מְנַשֶּׁה 136 n.pr.m. et trib. Manasseh

Manasseh, eldest son of Joseph

of tribe

son of Hezekiah

two who had taken strange wives

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4519 מְנַשֶּׁה Manasseh

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4519 Mnashsheh men-ash-sheh'

from 5382; causing to forget; Menashsheh, a grandson of

Jacob, also the tribe descended from him, and its

territory:--Manasseh.

see HEBREW for 05382

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מְנַשֶּׁה (me.nash.sheh) — Manasseh.

A man of the tribe of Manasseh living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.41.51;

son of: Joseph (H3130) and Asenath (H0621);

brother of: Ephraim (H0669); married to Aramitess (H0761);

father of: Machir (H4353) and Asriel (H0844H)

§ Manasseh = "causing to forget"

1) the eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh

1a) the tribe descended from Manasseh

1b) the territory occupied by the tribe of Manasseh

2) son of king Hezekiah of Judah and himself king of Judah; he was the immediate and direct cause for the exile

3) a descendant of Pahath-moab who put away a foreign wife in the time of Ezra

4) a descendant of Hashum who put away a foreign wife in the time of Ezra

מְנַשֶּׁה (me.nash.sheh) — Manasseh.

A king of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Ki.20.21;

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun proper masculine
HC/Npm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Manasseh

Who makes to forget. “God hath made me forget” (Heb. nashshani), Gen. 41:51. (1.) The elder of the two sons of Joseph. He and his brother Ephraim were afterwards adopted by Jacob as his own sons (48:1). There is an account of his marriage to a Syrian (1 Chr. 7:14); and the only thing afterwards recorded of him is, that his grandchildren were “brought up upon Joseph’s knees” (Gen. 50:23; R.V., “born upon Joseph’s knees”) i.e., were from their birth adopted by Joseph as his own children.

The tribe of Manasseh was associated with that of Ephraim and Benjamin during the wanderings in the wilderness. They encamped on the west side of the tabernacle. According to the census taken at Sinai, this tribe then…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(forgetting). The thirteenth king of Judah, son of Hezekiah, (2 Kings 21:1) ascended the throne at the age of twelve, and reigned 55 years, from B.C. 608 to 642. His accession was the signal for an entire change in the religious administration of the kingdom. Idolatry was again established to such an extent that every faith was tolerated but the old faith of Israel. The Babylonian alliance which the king formed against Assyria resulted in his being made prisoner and carried off to Babylon in the twenty-second year of his reign, according to a Jewish tradition. There his eyes were opened and he repented, and his prayer was heard and the Lord delivered him, (2 Chronicles 33:12,13) and he returned after some uncertain interval of time to Jerusalem. The altar of the Lord was again…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

1. The eldest son of Joseph, born in Egypt. His descendants constituted a full tribe. This was divided in the promised land: one part having settled east of the Jordan, in the country of Bashan, from the river Jabbok northwards; and the other west of the Jordan, between Ephraim and Issachar, extending from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. It was far inferior to Ephraim in wealth and power, according to the prediction of Jacob, Ge 41:50,51 48:1-22 Jos 16:10.

2. The son and impious successor of the good Hezekiah, king of Judah. He began to reign at twelve years old, B. C. 698, and reigned fifty-five years. For his shocking idolatries, tyranny, and cruelties, God suffered him to be carried as a prisoner to Babylon in the twenty-second year of his reign, probably by Esarhaddon king…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

forgetfulness; he that is forgotten

and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
כִּרְאוּבֵ֥ןkir.'u.Ven like Reuben H7205 Preposition · noun proper masculine
72× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob and Leah, and the ancestor of the tribe of Reuben. He is mentioned in Genesis as the brother of Simeon, Levi, and Judah, and the father of Hanoch and Pallu.
Amplified meaning
in the same way as, behold, a son
Tyndale gloss
Reuben
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רְאוּבֵן (Reuben) refers to the eldest son of Jacob and Leah, meaning 'behold a son.' He is the ancestor of the tribe of Reuben, which is mentioned in the context of the Old Testament. The name is derived from the imperative of the verb for 'see' and the word for 'son.' Reuben is first mentioned in Genesis 29:32.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

רְאוּבֵן 71 n.pr.m. Reuben

eldest son of Jacob and Leah

as name of clan or tribe

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7205 רְאוּבֵן Reuben

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7205 R'uwben reh-oo-bane'

from the imperative of 7200 and 1121; see ye a son; Reuben, a

son of Jacob:--Reuben.

see HEBREW for 07200

see HEBREW for 01121

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רְאוּבֵן (re.u.ven) — Reuben.

A man of the tribe of Reuben living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.29.32;

son of: Israel (H3478) and Leah (H3812);

brother of: Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783);

half-brother of: Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144);

father of: Hanoch (H2585J), Pallu (H6396), Hezron (H2696) and Carmi (H3756)

§ Reuben = "behold a son"

1) the eldest son of Jacob by Leah

2) the tribe descended from Reuben

3) the territory inhabited by the tribe of Reuben

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun proper masculine
HR/Npm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

roo'-ben, ru'-ben (re'ubhen; Rhouben): The eldest son of Jacob, born to him by Leah in Paddan-aram (Ge 29:32).

1. Jacob's Oldest Son:

This verse seems to suggest two derivations of the name. As it stands in Massoretic Text it means "behold a son"; but the reason given for so calling him is "The Lord hath looked upon my affliction," which in Hebrew is ra'ah be`onyi, literally, "He hath seen my affliction." Of his boyhood we have only the story of the mandrakes (Ge 30:14). As the firstborn he should really have been leader among his father's sons. His birthright was forfeited by a deed of peculiar infamy (Ge 35:22), and as far as we know his tribe never took the lead in Israel. It is named first, indeed, in

Reuben

Behold a son!, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah (Gen. 29:32). His sinful conduct, referred to in Gen. 35:22, brought down upon him his dying father’s malediction (48:4). He showed kindness to Joseph, and was the means of saving his life when his other brothers would have put him to death (37:21,22). It was he also who pledged his life and the life of his sons when Jacob was unwilling to let Benjamin go down into Egypt. After Jacob and his family went down into Egypt (46:8) no further mention is made of Reuben beyond what is recorded in ch. 49:3,4.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(behold a son), Jacob’s firstborn Child, (Genesis 29:32) the son of Leah. (B.C. 1753.) The notices of the patriarch Reuben give, on the whole a favorable view of his disposition. To him and him alone the preservation of Joseph’s life appears to have been due and afterward he becomes responsible for his safety. (Genesis 37:18-30; 42:37) Of the repulsive crime which mars his history, and which turned the blessing of his dying father into a curse --his adulterous connection with Bilhah-- we know from the Scriptures only the fact. (Genesis 35:22) He was of an ardent, impetuous, unbalanced but not ungenerous nature; not crafty and cruel, as were Simeon and Levi, but rather, to use the metaphor of the dying patriarch, boiling up…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Behold, a son! The eldest son of Jacob and Leah, so-called in reference to the sentiment of his mother, "The Lord hath looked on my affliction," Ge 29:32. Reuben, having defiled his father’s concubine Bilhah, lost his birthright and all the privileges of primogeniture, the preeminence in the family being given to Judah, and the double portion to the two sons of Joseph, Ge 35:22 48:5 49:3,4,8,10 1Ch 5:1,2. He shared in his brother’s jealousy of Joseph, and yet interposed to save his life at Dothan with the design of restoring him privately to his father, Ge 37:18-30. See also his well-meant proposal in Ge 42:27. His…

and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
וְשִׁמְע֖וֹןve.shim.'on and Simeon H8095 Conjunction · noun proper masculine
44× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Shimeon, also known as Simeon, was the second son of Jacob and the progenitor of the tribe of Simeon. He is also the name of an Israelite who had a foreign wife during the time of Ezra.
Amplified meaning
heard, listened to
Tyndale gloss
Shimeon
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שִׁמְעוֹן (Shim`own) refers to Simeon, the second son of Jacob and Leah, and the name of the tribe descended from him. The entries highlight his familial connections and mention a post-exilic Israelite with a foreign wife. The name is associated with the meaning 'heard,' derived from the root for hearing.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שִׁמְעוֹן 44 n.pr.m.

second son of Jacob and Leah

tribal name

post-ex. Jew with foreign wife

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8095 שִׁמְעוֹן . second son of Jacob and Leah

. tribal name

. post-ex. Jew with foreign wife

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8095 Shim`own shim-one'

from 8085; hearing; Shimon, one of Jacob's sons, also the

tribe descended from him:--Simeon.

see HEBREW for 08085

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שִׁמְעוֹן (shim.on) — Simeon.

A man of the tribe of Simeon living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.29.33;

son of: Israel (H3478) and Leah (H3812);

brother of: Reuben (H7205), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783);

half-brother of: Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); married to Canaanite_woman (H3669);

father of: Jemuel (H3223), Jamin (H3226), Ohad (H0161), Jachin (H3199), Zerah (H2226L) and Shaul (H7586H)

§ Simeon or Shimeon = "heard"

1) the 2nd son of Jacob by his wife Leah and progenitor of the tribe of Simeon

2) an Israelite of the sons of Bani who had a foreign wife in the time of Ezra

שִׁמְעוֹן (shim.on) — Shimeon.

A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.31

§ Simeon or Shimeon = "heard"

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

Simeon

Hearing. (1.) The second son of Jacob by Leah (Gen. 29:33). He was associated with Levi in the terrible act of vengeance against Hamor and the Shechemites (34:25, 26). He was detained by Joseph in Egypt as a hostage (42:24). His father, when dying, pronounced a malediction against him (49:5-7). The words in the Authorized Version (49:6), “they digged down a wall,” ought to be, as correctly rendered in the Revised Version, “they houghed an ox.”

(2.) An aged saint who visited the temple when Jesus was being presented before the Lord, and uttered lofty words of thankgiving and of prophecy (Luke 2:29-35).

(3.) One of the ancestors of Joseph (Luke 3:30).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(heard). The second of Jacob’s son by Leah. His birth is recorded in (Genesis 29:33) The first group of Jacob’s children consists, besides Simeon, of the three other sons of Leah --Reuben, Levi, Judah. Besides the massacre of Shechem, (Genesis 34:25) the only personal incident related of Simeon is the fact of his being selected by Joseph as the hostage for the appearance of Benjamin. (Genesis 42:19,24,36; 43:23) The chief families of the tribe of Simeon are mentioned int he lists of (Genesis 46:10) At the census of Sinai Simeon numbered 59,300 fighting men. (Numbers 1:23) When the second census was taken, at Shittim…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

1. One of the twelve patriarches, the son of Jacob and Leah, Ge 29:33 Ex 6:15. Some have thought he was more guilty than his brethren in the treatment of Joseph, Ge 37:20 42:24 43:23; but he may have been detained as a hostage because he was one of the eldest sons. The tribes of Simeon and Levi were scattered and dispersed in Israel, in conformity with the prediction of Jacob, on account of their sacrilegious and piratical revenge of the outrage committed against Dinah their sister, Ge 34:1-31 49:5. Levi had no compact lot or portion in the Holy Land; and Simeon received for his portion only a district dismembered from Judah, with some other lands the tribe overran in the…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

that hears or obeys; that is heard

and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
יִֽהְיוּ־yih.yu- they will be[long] H1961 Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine plural
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.

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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

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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-Imperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine plural
HVqi3mp
and now [the] two sons your who were born to you in [the] land of Egypt until came I to you Egypt towards [belong] to me they Ephraim and Manasseh like Reuben and Simeon they will be[long] to me
לִֽי׃Li to me H9030 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נִי (ni) — me.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 1st person singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp1bs
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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