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Genesis 5:28 — Word Study

Depth

WLCוַֽיְחִי־ לֶ֕מֶךְ שְׁתַּ֧יִם וּשְׁמֹנִ֛ים שָׁנָ֖ה וּמְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד בֵּֽן׃

BSAWhen LamechLemek [a descendant of Cain, lived before the Flood] waschâyâh 182mêʼâh years oldshâneh [one hundred and eighty-two, a specific period of time] he hadyâlad [begat, became the father of] a sonbên [a child, a male descendant]

Word
Listen & take awayGenesis 5
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 28 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 (Ben) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Genesis 5:28quick helps
In a sentenceLamech became a father at 182 years old.
Who is speakingThe narrative recounts Lamech's life and lineage.
Where we areThis verse is part of the genealogy leading to Noah.
The hard wordיָלַד
Take awayLamech's age at fatherhood highlights the long lifespans before the Flood.
4 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectלֶמֶךְ verbחָיָה 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 5:28

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 Genealogy of Adamgenerated

27So Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.
28When Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son.
29And he named him Noah, saying, “May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.”
30And after he had become the father of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:28 is part of the genealogical record that traces the descendants from Adam through Seth to Noah. This lineage emphasizes the continuity of humanity and sets the stage for the coming Flood, as Lamech, the father of Noah, is introduced here. The verses surrounding this highlight the ages of the patriarchs, showcasing the long lifespans of early humanity.


Cross References


The Key Word יָלַד, vai.Yo.ledgenerated

The verb יָלַד (yalad) means to beget or give birth. It is used to describe the act of producing offspring, emphasizing lineage and family connections. The parsing as a Hiphil verb indicates causation, suggesting that Lamech caused a son to be born.

This word is significant in the context of genealogies, where lineage and inheritance are crucial. It connects Lamech directly to the continuation of humanity through his son Noah, who will play a pivotal role in the biblical narrative.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb governing the sentence is יְחִי, he lived, which sets the context for Lamech's age and subsequent action. The structure is straightforward, with the age of Lamech presented in a numerical phrase followed by the action of fathering a son.

The sentence is organized around Lamech's age and the act of fatherhood, highlighting the significant milestones in his life. The use of numerical phrases emphasizes the specific age at which he became a father.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates יָלַד as ἐγέννησεν (egennēsen), which also means to beget or give birth. This choice reflects a direct correspondence to the Hebrew meaning, maintaining the focus on lineage.

The Greek term emphasizes the act of birth, similar to the Hebrew, reinforcing the importance of Lamech's role as a progenitor in the biblical narrative.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Genesis 5:28 tells us that when Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son. This verse is part of the genealogy leading to Noah, showing Lamech's significant age at fatherhood and his role in the lineage of humanity.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does the name Lamech mean?

Lamech means 'powerful' and refers to a man who lived before the Flood, known for his strength and leadership.

Why is Lamech's age significant?

His age highlights the long lifespans of the antediluvian patriarchs and sets a context for the events leading to the Flood.

Who was Lamech's son?

Lamech's son was Noah, who would later become a key figure in the biblical narrative.

What does it mean to 'father' a child in this context?

To 'father' a child means to beget or give birth, emphasizing lineage and the continuation of family.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What significance do you find in Lamech's age when he became a father?
  2. How does the genealogy of Lamech connect to the larger narrative of the Bible?
  3. In what ways do you see the importance of lineage in your own family history?
  4. How can understanding these genealogies deepen your appreciation for the biblical narrative?

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

Ephrem the Syrian comments on the genealogy from Lamech to Noah, emphasizing the significance of these names and their meanings.

Ephrem the SyrianCOMMENTARY ON Genesis 5.2.2 c. 306–373
Enoch begot Methuselah, and Methuselah begot Lamech, and Lamech begot Noah (whose name means “relief” in Hebrew and Syriac).
Early Church Fathers on Genesis 5 →

Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Genesis 5:28 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat son.

Read John Gill on Genesis 5 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: Lamech - Hebrew, Lemech, strong, powerful.

Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 5 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Not that wicked Lamech mentioned , for he was of the family of Cain, but this was descended from Seth.

Read Matthew Poole on Genesis 5 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Genesis 5:28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:Ver. 28. And Lamech.]

Read John Trapp on Genesis 5 →

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

When Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Lamech lived one hundred eighty-two years, then became the father of a son.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

When Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son.

NETBNew English Translation2006

When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

¶ And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:

RVARevised Version, American1894

And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years; and begat a son:

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Then Lamech liued an hundreth eightie and two yeeres, and begate a sonne,

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And Lemech lived a hundred and eighty-two years, and begot a son.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And Lamech liveth an hundred and eighty and two years, and begetteth a son,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And Lamech lives one hundred and eighty-two years [[or one hundred and eighty-eight years]], and begets a son,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And Lemech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

When Lamech had lived 182 years, he became the father of a son.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And Lamech lived a hundred and eighty-two years, and begot a son.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

When Lamech was 182, he had a son.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And Lamech was a hundred and eighty-two years old when he had a son:

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וַֽandclauseverbיְחִיhe.livedsubjectלֶ֕מֶךְLamechnoun phrase · adverbialnoun phrasenumeral phraseשְׁתַּ֧יִםtwoוּandשְׁמֹנִ֛יםeightyשָׁנָ֖הyear[s]וּandnoun phraseמְאַ֣תone.hundredשָׁנָ֑הyear[s]וַandclauseverbיּ֖וֹלֶדhe.fatheredobjectבֵּֽןa.son

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


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

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint exhibit some agreement, with six out of nine words matching. However, the Samaritan Pentateuch differs in three words, indicating variations in the genealogical record. Specifically, it states Lamech was 305 years old when he fathered a son, contrasting with the 182 years noted in the Masoretic Text.

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

וַֽיְחִי־ לֶ֕מֶךְ שְׁתַּ֧יִם וּשְׁמֹנִ֛ים שָׁנָ֖ה וּמְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד בֵּֽן׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַֽיְחִי־ἔζησενלֶ֕מֶךְλαμεξוּמְאַ֣תἑκατὸνשָׁנָ֑הἔτηוַיּ֖וֹלֶדἐγέννησενבֵּֽן׃υἱὸν

6 of the 9 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

ויחי למך שׁלשׁ וחמשׁים שׁנה ויוליד בן

3 words differ from the Masoretic Text: שׁלשׁ (three), חמשׁים (five), יוליד (bear)

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 5:28חָיָהand he liveand he livedחָיָהלֶ֫מֶךְLamechLamechלֶ֫מֶךְשְׁנַ֫יִםtwotwoשְׁנַ֫יִםשְׁמֹנִיםand eightyand eightyשְׁמֹנִיםשָׁנָהyear[s]year[s]שָׁנָהמֵאָהand one hunand one hundredמֵאָהשָׁנָהyear[s]year[s]שָׁנָהיָלַדand he fathand he fatheredיָלַדבֵּןa sona sonבֵּןשָׁנָהto changeto changeשָׁנָהשְׁמֹנֶהeighteightשְׁמֹנֶהבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהחָוָהto explainto explainחָוָהשֵׁנִיsecondsecondשֵׁנִימָלַךְto reignto reignמָלַךְעֶשְׂרִיםtwentytwentyעֶשְׂרִיםצְדָקָהrighteousnrighteousnessצְדָקָהשְׁמֹנִיםeightyeightyשְׁמֹנִיםשִׁבְעִיםseventyseventyשִׁבְעִיםעָשָׂרtentenעָשָׂראַ֫יִלramramאַ֫יִלסַבָלburdenburdenסַבָלחָצַבto hewto hewחָצַבאֶ֫לֶףthousandthousandאֶ֫לֶףחֲמִשִּׁיםfiftyfiftyחֲמִשִּׁיםשֶׁ֫לַחShelahShelahשֶׁ֫לַחהָרָהto conceivto conceiveהָרָה
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 5:28

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 he lived Lamech two and eighty year[s] and one hundred year[s] and he fathered a son
וַֽיְחִי־vay.chi- and he lived H2421 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
282× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To live or have life is the meaning of this Hebrew word, which can also mean to revive or be quickened. It is used in the Bible to describe God's power to sustain life and restore people to health, as seen in the stories of the prophets and Jesus' miracles.
Tyndale gloss
to live
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

חָיָה (chayah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to live or have life, encompassing both literal and figurative senses. It includes various nuances such as reviving, preserving life, and restoring health. The entries detail its use in different stems, with Qal focusing on living and being quickened, while Piel and Hiphil emphasize giving life and reviving. No specific verse references are provided.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חָיָה 283 vb. live

Qal 203

live

be quickened, revive

Pi.

preserve alive, let live

give life

quicken, revive, refresh

Hiph.

preserve alive, let live

quicken, revive

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2421 חָיָה live .. live

. be quickened, revive

. . preserve alive, let live

. give life

. quicken, revive, refresh

. . preserve alive, let live

. quicken, revive

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2421 chayah khaw-yaw'

a primitive root (compare 2331, 2421); to live, whether

literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive:--keep

(leave, make) alive, X certainly, give (promise) life, (let,

suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken,

recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, (X God) save

(alive, life, lives), X surely, be whole.

see HEBREW for 02331

see HEBREW for 02421

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חָיָה (cha.yah) — to live.

1) to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to live

1a1a) to have life

1a1b) to continue in life, remain alive

1a1c) to sustain life, to live on or upon

1a1d) to live (prosperously)

1a2) to revive, be quickened

1a2a) from sickness

1a2b) from discouragement

1a2c) from faintness

1a2d) from death

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to preserve alive, let live

1b2) to give life

1b3) to quicken, revive, refresh

1b3a) to restore to life

1b3b) to cause to grow

1b3c) to restore

1b3d) to revive

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to preserve alive, let live

1c2) to quicken, revive

1c2a) to restore (to health)

1c2b) to revive

1c2c) to restore to life

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vqw3ms
and he lived Lamech two and eighty year[s] and one hundred year[s] and he fathered a son
לֶ֕מֶךְLe.mekh Lamech H3929 Noun proper masculine
11× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Lamech was a man who lived before the Flood, mentioned in Genesis 5. He was the father of Noah and a descendant of Cain. His name means 'powerful' and he's known for his strength and leadership.
Amplified meaning
a descendant of Cain, lived before the Flood
Tyndale gloss
Lamech
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

לֶ֫מֶךְ (Lamech) refers to two antediluvian patriarchs in the Old Testament. One is a descendant of Cain, son of Methushael, and the other is a descendant of Seth, son of Methuselah, and father of Noah. The name is associated with the meaning 'powerful' and is first mentioned in Genesis 4:18 and Genesis 5:25.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לֶ֫מֶךְ n.pr.m.

son of מְתוּשָׁאֵל (Cainite)

son of מְתוּשֶׁלַח (Sethite)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3929 לֶ֫מֶךְ . son of מְתוּשָׁאֵל (Cainite)

. son of מְתוּשֶׁלַח (Sethite)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3929 Lemek leh'-mek

from an unused root of uncertain meaning; Lemek, the name of

two antediluvian patriarchs:--Lamech.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לֶ֫מֶךְ (le.mekh) — Lamech.

A man living at the time before the Flood, first mentioned at Gen.4.18;

son of: Methushael (H4967); married to Adah (H5711) and Zillah (H6741);

father of: Jabal (H2989), Jubal (H3106), Tubal-cain (H8423), Naamah (H5279)

§ Lamech = "powerful"

1) the 5th lineal descendant from Cain, husband of Adah and Zillah, father of sons, Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-cain, and daughter, Naamah

2) father of Noah

לֶ֫מֶךְ (le.mekh) — Lamech.

A man living at the time before the Flood, first mentioned at Gen.5.25;

son of: Methuselah (H4968);

father of: Noah (H5146)

Also named: Lamech (Λάμεχ "Lamech" G2984)

§ Lamech = "powerful"

1) the 5th lineal descendant from Cain, husband of Adah and Zillah, father of sons, Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-cain, and daughter, Naamah

2) father of Noah

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

la'-mek (lemekh; Lamech, "a strong youth"?):

(1) The name is first mentioned in Ge 4:18-24. Here Lamech, the son of Methushael, is named as the last of the descendants of Cain. He was the father of Jabel, Jubal, Tubal-cain, and Naamah. As the husband of two wives, namely, Adah and Zillah, he furnishes the first recorded instance of polygamy. It is very instructive to note that this "father of polygamy" at once becomes the first blustering tyrant and a braggadocio; we are fully permitted to draw this conclusion from his so-called "swordlay" (Ge 4:23 f). He does not put his trust in God, but in the weapons and implements invented by his sons, or rather these instruments, enhancing the physical and material powers of man, are his God. He glories in them and misconstrues the Divine…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Lamech

The strikerdown; the wild man. (1.) The fifth in descent from Cain. He was the first to violate the primeval ordinance of marriage (Gen. 4:18-24). His address to his two wives, Adah and Zillah (4:23, 24), is the only extant example of antediluvian poetry. It has been called “Lamech’s sword-song.” He was “rude and ruffianly,” fearing neither God nor man. With him the curtain falls on the race of Cain. We know nothing of his descendants.

(2.) The seventh in descent from Seth, being the only son of Methuselah. Noah was the oldest of his several sons (Gen. 5:25-31; Luke 3:36).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(powerful), properly Lemech. The fifth lineal descendant from Cain. (Genesis 4:18-24) He is the only one except Enoch, of the posterity of Cain, whose history is related with some detail. His two wives, Adah and Zillah, and his daughter Naamah, are, with Eve, the only antediluvian women whose names are mentioned by Moses. His three sons, Jabal, Jubal and Tubal-cain, are celebrated in Scripture as authors of useful inventions. The remarkable poem which Lamech uttered may perhaps be regarded as Lamech’s son of exultation on the invention of the sword by his son Tubal-cain, in the possession of which he foresaw a great advantage to himself and his family over any enemies. The father of Noah. (Genesis 5:29)

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

1. Ge 4:18-24, a descendant of Cain, in the fifth generation, and ancestor of numerous posterity distinguished for a skill in agriculture, music, and several mechanic arts. He is the first polygamist on record. His address to his two wives is the oldest specimen of poetry extant, and is a good illustration of Hebrew parallelism.

"Adah and Zillah,

Hear my voice;

Ye wives of Lamech,

Hearken unto my speech.

I have slain a man

To my wounding,

And [or even] a young man

To my hurt.

If Cain shall be avenged

Seven-fold,

Truly Lamech

Seventy and seven fold."

Many explanations of this abrupt fragment have been suggested. The

most satisfactory, perhaps, is that Lamech had accidentally or in

self-defense killed a man, and was exposed to the vengeance of "the

avenger of blood;" but quiets the fears of his wives by saying of

and he lived Lamech two and eighty year[s] and one hundred year[s] and he fathered a son
שְׁתַּ֧יִםshe.Ta.yim two H8147
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.
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
HAcfda
HAcfda
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

too.

See NUMBER.

and he lived Lamech two and eighty year[s] and one hundred year[s] and he fathered a son
וּשְׁמֹנִ֛יםu.she.mo.Nim and eighty H8084 Conjunction
38× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means eighty or eightieth, used in numbers and counting. It appears in the Bible to describe quantities and ages. In Genesis and other books, it is used to count people, animals, and years.
Tyndale gloss
eighty
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שְׁמֹנִים (shmoniym) means eighty, derived from the root for eight. It serves as both a cardinal number (eighty) and an ordinal number (eightieth), and can also combine with other numbers. The entries confirm its usage in contexts related to counting.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שְׁמֹנִים 38 n.pl.indecl. an eighty

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8084 שְׁמֹנִים an eighty

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8084 shmoniym shem-o-neem'

or shmowniym {shem-o-neem'}; mult. from 8083; eighty, also

eightieth:--eighty(-ieth), fourscore.

see HEBREW for 08083

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שְׁמֹנִים (she.mo.nim) — eighty.

1) eighty, fourscore

1a) eighty (as cardinal number)

1b) eightieth (as ordinal number)

1c) in combination with other numbers

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HC/Acmpa — Conjunction
HC/Acmpa
and he lived Lamech two and eighty year[s] and one hundred year[s] and he fathered a son
שָׁנָ֖הsha.Nah year[s] H8141 Noun common · feminine singular absolute
877× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word also means a year, like when Abraham was 100 years old in Genesis 21. It is used to describe a period of time, age, or a lifetime.
Amplified meaning
one hundred and eighty-two, a specific period of time
Tyndale gloss
year
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁנָה (shaneh) means 'year' and is derived from the root meaning to change or revolve. It encompasses various aspects of time, including divisions of time, measures of age, and even a lifetime. The Aramaic equivalent is שְׁנָה (she.nah), also meaning 'year'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁנָה 877 n.f. year (etym. v. √[v.ek.aa])

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8141 שָׁנָה year (etym. v. √[8138a])

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8141 shaneh shaw-neh'

(in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year

(as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old,

year(X -ly).

see HEBREW for 08138

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁנָה (sha.neh) — year.

1) year

1a) as division of time

1b) as measure of time

1c) as indication of age

1d) a lifetime (of years of life)

Aramaic equivalent: she.nah (שְׁנָה "year" H8140)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absolute
HNcfsa
and he lived Lamech two and eighty year[s] and one hundred year[s] and he fathered a son
וּמְאַ֣תu.me.'At and one hundred H3967 Conjunction
581× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Means a hundred, used as a simple number or part of a larger number in the Bible. It appears in various forms, including fractions like one one-hundredth. Found in books like Genesis and Psalms.
Tyndale gloss
hundred
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מֵאָה (me'ah) means 'hundred' in Hebrew. It can refer to a simple number, a component of a larger number, or a fraction representing one one-hundredth. The entries consistently describe its use as a numeral without significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מֵאָה 583 n.f. hundred

as simple number

as part of larger number

a hundredth part

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3967 מֵאָה hundred . as simple number

. as part of larger number

. a hundredth part

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3967 me'ah may-aw'

or metyah {may-yaw'}; properly, a primitive numeral; a

hundred; also as a multiplicative and a

fraction:--hundred((-fold), -th), + sixscore.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מֵאָה (me.ah) — hundred.

1) hundred

1a) as simple number

1b) as part of larger number

1c) as a fraction-one one-hundredth (1/100)

Aramaic equivalent: me.ah (מְאָה "hundred" H3969)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Adj — Conjunction
HC/Acfsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).

See NUMBER.

and he lived Lamech two and eighty year[s] and one hundred year[s] and he fathered a son
שָׁנָ֑הsha.Nah year[s] H8141 Noun common · feminine singular absolute
877× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word also means a year, like when Abraham was 100 years old in Genesis 21. It is used to describe a period of time, age, or a lifetime.
Tyndale gloss
year
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁנָה (shaneh) means 'year' and is derived from the root meaning to change or revolve. It encompasses various aspects of time, including divisions of time, measures of age, and even a lifetime. The Aramaic equivalent is שְׁנָה (she.nah), also meaning 'year'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁנָה 877 n.f. year (etym. v. √[v.ek.aa])

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8141 שָׁנָה year (etym. v. √[8138a])

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8141 shaneh shaw-neh'

(in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year

(as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old,

year(X -ly).

see HEBREW for 08138

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁנָה (sha.neh) — year.

1) year

1a) as division of time

1b) as measure of time

1c) as indication of age

1d) a lifetime (of years of life)

Aramaic equivalent: she.nah (שְׁנָה "year" H8140)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNcfsa — Noun common · feminine singular absolute
HNcfsa
and he lived Lamech two and eighty year[s] and one hundred year[s] and he fathered a son
וַיּ֖וֹלֶדvai.Yo.led and he fathered H3205 Verb · Hiphil · sequential imperfect third person masculine 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
begat, became the father of
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-Hiphil-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Hiphil · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vhw3ms
and he lived Lamech two and eighty year[s] and one hundred year[s] and he fathered a son
בֵּֽן׃Ben a son H1121 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
4,943× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means a son or descendant, and can also refer to a grandson, nation, or quality. It appears in 1 Chronicles 24, describing a Levite named Beno. The word is used to show family relationships and inheritance.
Amplified meaning
a child, a male descendant
Tyndale gloss
son: child
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'male child' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including descendants, young animals, and even figurative uses like sparks or arrows. It can refer to members of a tribe or class and is used in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, such as in 1 Chronicles 24:26. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to build' and implies a connection to family or lineage.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בֵּן 4870 n.m. son

son, male child, born of a woman

children (male and female)

youth, young men

the young of animals

of plant shoots

fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows

member of a guild, order or class

of animals son of (the) herd

ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.

n. relat. of age

base

בְּנוֹ 1 Ch 24:26, 27 as n.pr.m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son, cf. VB & Be Öt.

done

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1121a בֵּן son . son, male child, born of a woman

. children (male and female)

. youth, young men

. the young of animals

. of plant shoots

. fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows

. . member of a guild, order or class

. of animals son of (the) herd

. ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.

. n. relat. of age

H1121b בְּנוֹ as n. pr. m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1121 ben bane

from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the

widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship,

including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition,

etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-)

(Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to,

(+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born,

bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X

came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of

first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, +

kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+)

people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, +

spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous

one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.

see HEBREW for 01129

see HEBREW for 01

see HEBREW for 0251

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בֵּן (ben) — son: child.

: child/son

בְּנוֹ (be.no) — Beno.

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.26;

son of: Jaaziah (H3269);

brother of: Shoham (H7719), Zaccur (H2139I) and Ibri (H5681)

§ Beno = "his son"

the sons of Jaaziah and the sons of Merari by Jaahziah (his son)

בֵּן (ben) — son: descendant/people.

: descendant, people, tribe, nation

A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)

§ : child/son

בֵּן (ben) — son: young animal.

: calf/lamb/young(ANIMAL)

A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)

§ : descendant

בֵּן (ben) — son: type of.

: rebel/son(Belial)

A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)

§ : people/men/nation/tribe

בֵּן (ben) — son.

: [inheriting]son/heir

A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)

בֵּן (ben) — son: warrior.

: warrior/son(strong)

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

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

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

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

Nave's Topical Bible

→ FIGURATIVE

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

See ADOPTION

See GOD, FATHERHOOD OF

See JESUS, SON OF GOD

See JESUS, SON OF MAN

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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