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Joshua 19:40 — Word Study

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WLCלְמַטֵּ֥ה בְנֵי־ דָ֖ן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑ם יָצָ֖א הַגּוֹרָ֥ל הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי׃

BSAThe seventhshᵉbîyʻîy [the final portion] lotgôwrâl came outyâtsâʼ [was allotted, went forth] for the clansmishpâchâh [families, tribes] of the tribemaṭṭeh [nation, people] of DanDân [a son of Jacob, the founder of a tribe]

Word
Listen & take awayJoshua 19
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 40 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..
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Joshua 19:40quick helps
In a sentenceThe seventh lot was drawn for the clans of the tribe of Dan.
Who is speakingThe narrator, describing the allocation of land.
Where we areThe division of the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel.
The hard wordמַטֶּה
Take awayThe tribe of Dan receives its designated portion.
6 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them › clause verbיָצָא 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 — Joshua 19:40

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 Division of the Landgenerated

39This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Naphtali, including these cities and their villages.
40The seventh lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Dan:
41The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,
42Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

Joshua 19:40 describes the allocation of land to the tribes of Israel, specifically focusing on the tribe of Dan. This verse is part of a larger narrative that details how each tribe received its inheritance in the Promised Land, emphasizing the importance of land ownership and tribal identity in ancient Israel.


Cross References


The Key Word מַטֶּה, le.ma.Tehgenerated

The word מַטֶּה (maṭṭeh) refers to a tribe or a staff, derived from a root meaning to extend. In this context, it signifies the tribe of Dan, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The parsing indicates that it is a noun in the singular construct form, showing its role as a descriptor of the clan receiving land.

This term is significant as it connects the physical land allocation to the identity of the tribe, highlighting the communal aspect of inheritance and belonging within the Israelite society.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

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


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb governing the verse is יָצָא, it came out, which indicates the action of the lot being drawn. The structure includes a prepositional phrase indicating the recipient of the lot, followed by noun phrases that specify the tribe and its clans.

The word order emphasizes the tribe of Dan as the subject of the allocation, with the action of the lot coming out as the focal point of the sentence.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, the Hebrew מַטֶּה is rendered as τῷ, a definite article that indicates specificity. This choice reflects a straightforward translation, maintaining the focus on the tribe being referenced.

The Greek word κλῆρος for הַגּוֹרָל emphasizes the concept of a portion or lot, aligning with the Hebrew meaning and the practice of casting lots for land allocation.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Joshua 19:40 tells us that the seventh lot was drawn for the clans of the tribe of Dan. This verse is part of the process of dividing the land among the tribes of Israel, showing how each tribe received its designated inheritance.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean for the lot to come out for the tribe of Dan?

It signifies that the tribe of Dan has been allocated a specific portion of land as part of the inheritance for the tribes of Israel.

Why is the tribe of Dan mentioned specifically?

The tribe of Dan is one of the twelve tribes of Israel, and its mention highlights the importance of each tribe's identity and territorial rights.

How was land allocated to the tribes?

Land was allocated through a process of casting lots, which was believed to reflect God's will in determining each tribe's inheritance.

What does this verse tell us about tribal organization in Israel?

It illustrates the structured division of land among the tribes, emphasizing the significance of family and clan ties in ancient Israelite society.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does the allocation of land to the tribe of Dan reveal about their identity and role in Israel?
  2. How does the process of casting lots reflect the belief in divine guidance in decision-making?
  3. In what ways can we see the importance of community and family ties in our own lives today?
  4. What lessons can we learn from the way the tribes of Israel were organized and allocated land?

Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Joshua 19:40 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

[And] the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan,.... Which was the last lot drawn, and which appointed an inheritance to this tribe: according to their families; the number of them.

Read John Gill on Joshua 19 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families. The seventh lot came out for the tribe ... of Dan.

Read Robert Jamieson on Joshua 19 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Joshua 19:40 [And] the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.Ver. 40. For the tribe of the children of Dan.] Who also, as well as Simeon, had various cities taken out of the first lot of the tribe of Judah. See on Joshua 19:1.

Read John Trapp on Joshua 19 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(40) The seventh lot . . . of the children of Dan.—Dan was the most numerous tribe, next to Judah, in each census taken during the exodus. (See Numbers 1, 26) This tribe had also had a post of honour in being commander of the rear-guard during the march. A similar post is here assigned to Dan in Palestine, viz., next to Judah, on the side of the Philistine territory. The Philistines were the most powerful and warlike of the unconquered nations of Palestine. The wisdom of guarding Israel on their frontier by the two strongest of the tribes is manifest. It was Samson, a Danite, who began to deliver Israel from them, and David completed the work. Though there were Philistine wars in the time…

Read Charles John Ellicott on Joshua 19 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

40–48. The Inheritance of the Tribe of Dan 40. the seventh lot] came out to the smallest of all the tribes, that of Dan, descended from the fifth son of Jacob. The position of the tribe during the march through the wilderness had been on the north side of the Tabernacle, the hindmost of the long procession between Naphtali and Asher. At the census in the desert it was the most numerous of all the tribes with the exception of Judah, containing 62,700 men able to bear arms.

Read Cambridge on Joshua 19 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

DAN’S LOT, Joshua 19:40-48.[The territory assigned to Dan was the smallest of all the tribe divisions. But it was not without advantages.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Joshua 19 →

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

The seventh lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Dan:

WEBWorld English Bible2000

The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

The seventh lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Dan:

NETBNew English Translation2006

The seventh lot belonged to the tribe of Dan by its clans.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

¶ And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.

RVARevised Version, American1894

The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

The seuenth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

The seventh lot came forth for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

For the tribe of the sons of Dan, for their families, hath the seventh lot gone out;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

The seventh lot has gone out for the tribe of the sons of Dan, for their families;

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

For the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families came out of the seventh lot.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

The seventh casting of lots fell to the tribe of Dan, clan by clan.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

The seventh lot came out to the tribe of the children of Dan by their families:

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

The seventh lot cast went to the tribe of Dan, by families.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

For the tribe of Dan by their families the seventh heritage came out;

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.

clauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalלְfornoun phraseמַטֵּ֥הthe.tribenoun phraseבְנֵיof.the.descendantsדָ֖ןof.Danprepositional phrase · prepositionalלְtonoun phraseמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑clansםtheirverbיָצָ֖אit.came.outnoun phrase · subjectהַthenoun phraseגּוֹרָ֥לlotnumeral phraseהַ(the)שְּׁבִיעִֽיseventh

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 agree closely in this verse, with five of the seven words matching. The Septuagint's word order and articles differ, but the essential content remains consistent with the Hebrew text.

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

לְמַטֵּ֥ה בְנֵי־ דָ֖ן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑ם יָצָ֖א הַגּוֹרָ֥ל הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
לְמַטֵּ֥הτῷדָ֖ןδανיָצָ֖אἐχῆλθενהַגּוֹרָ֥לκλῆροςהַשְּׁבִיעִֽי׃ἕβδομος

5 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

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.

Joshua 19:40מַטֶּהfor [the] tfor [the] tribeמַטֶּהבֵּן[the] desce[the] descendanבֵּןדָּןDanDanדָּןמִשְׁפָּחָהto clans thto clans theirמִשְׁפָּחָהיָצָאit came outit came outיָצָאגּוֹרָלthe lotthe lotגּוֹרָלשְׁבִיעִיseventhseventhשְׁבִיעִינָטָהto stretchto stretchנָטָהבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהדִּיןto judgeto judgeדִּיןשָׁפָהbe barebe bareשָׁפָהשִׁבְעִיםseventyseventyשִׁבְעִיםנָשִׂיאleaderleaderנָשִׂיאעַמּוֹןAmmonAmmonעַמּוֹןרְאוּבֵןReubenReubenרְאוּבֵןבְּאֵרBeershebaBeershebaבְּאֵרתּוֹלֵדוֹתgenerationgenerationתּוֹלֵדוֹתקָרָאto encountto encounter: mקָרָאגּוֹרָלallottedallottedגּוֹרָלמַטֶּהtribetribeמַטֶּהמִקְרָאassemblyassemblyמִקְרָאפָּשָׂהto spreadto spreadפָּשָׂה
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 Joshua 19:40

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.

for [the] tribe of [the] descendants of Dan to clans their it came out the lot seventh
לְמַטֵּ֥הle.ma.Teh for [the] tribe of H4294 Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
252× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word can mean a tribe, like the 12 tribes of Israel, or a staff, like the one Moses used to lead his people in Exodus 4:2.
Amplified meaning
nation, people
Tyndale gloss
tribe
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מַטֶּה (mat-teh) refers to a staff, rod, or branch, and can also denote a tribe. It is derived from a root meaning to extend, and its uses include both literal and figurative meanings, such as a support or a means of correction. The lexicons consistently highlight its association with leadership and community.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מַטֶּה 251 n.m.

staff, rod, shaft

branch

tribe

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4294 מַטֶּה . staff, rod, shaft

. branch

. tribe

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4294 matteh mat-teh'

or (feminine) mattah {mat-taw'}; from 5186; a branch (as

extending); figuratively, a tribe; also a rod, whether for

chastising (figuratively, correction), ruling (a sceptre),

throwing (a lance), or walking (a staff; figuratively, a

support of life, e.g. bread):--rod, staff, tribe.

see HEBREW for 05186

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מַטֶּה (mat.teh) — tribe: rod.

: rod/staff

1) staff, branch, tribe

1a) staff, rod, shaft

1b) branch (of vine)

1c) tribe

1c1) company led by chief with staff (originally)

מַטֶּה (mat.teh) — tribe.

: tribe

1) staff, branch, tribe

1a) staff, rod, shaft

1b) branch (of vine)

1c) tribe

1c1) company led by chief with staff (originally)

מַטֶּה (mat.teh) — tribe: arrow.

: arrow

1) staff, branch, tribe

1a) staff, rod, shaft

1b) branch (of vine)

1c) tribe

1c1) company led by chief with staff (originally)

מַטֶּה (mat.teh) — tribe: stick.

: stick

1) staff, branch, tribe

1a) staff, rod, shaft

1b) branch (of vine)

1c) tribe

1c1) company led by chief with staff (originally)

מַטֶּה (mat.teh) — tribe: supply.

: supply

1) staff, branch, tribe

1a) staff, rod, shaft

1b) branch (of vine)

1c) tribe

1c1) company led by chief with staff (originally)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
HR/Ncmsc
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…

for [the] tribe of [the] descendants of Dan to clans their it came out the lot seventh
בְנֵי־ve.nei- [the] descendants of H1121 Noun common · masculine plural construct
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
HNcmpc — Noun common · masculine plural construct
HNcmpc
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…

for [the] tribe of [the] descendants of Dan to clans their it came out the lot seventh
דָ֖ןdan Dan H1835 Noun proper
70× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Dan was a son of Jacob and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe of Dan was known for its skills in warfare and is mentioned in the book of Genesis.
Amplified meaning
a son of Jacob, the founder of a tribe
Tyndale gloss
Dan
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

דָּן (Dan) means 'judge' and refers to the fifth son of Jacob and Bilhah. It encompasses the tribe descended from him and a city located in northern Israel, significant as a landmark in Palestine. The entries consistently highlight these aspects without notable disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

דָּן n.pr.m. (judge)

son of Jacob and Bilhah

the tribe of Dan

a city on northern frontier of Israel at one of the sources of the Jordan

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1835 דָּן judge . son of Jacob and Bilhah

. the tribe of Dan

. a city on northern frontier of Israel at one of the sources of the Jordan

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1835 Dan dawn

from 1777; judge; Dan, one of the sons of Jacob; also the

tribe descended from him, and its territory; likewise a place

in Palestine colonized by them:--Dan.

see HEBREW for 01777

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

דָּן (dan) — Dan.

§ Dan = "a judge"

1) the territory of the tribe of Dan 2) a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine

דָּן (dan) — Dan.

A man of the tribe of Dan living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.30.6;

son of: Israel (H3478) and Bilhah (H1090A);

brother of: Naphtali (H5321);

half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144);

father of: Hushim (H2366B)

§ Dan = "a judge"

1) the 5th son of Jacob, the 1st of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid

2) the tribe descended from Dan, the son of Jacob

3) a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper
HNpl
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Dan

A judge. (1.) The fifth son of Jacob. His mother was Bilhah, Rachel’s maid (Gen. 30:6, “God hath judged me”, Heb. dananni). The blessing pronounced on him by his father was, “Dan shall judge his people” (49:16), probably in allusion to the judgeship of Samson, who was of the tribe of Dan.

The tribe of Dan had their place in the march through the wilderness on the north side of the tabernacle (Num. 2:25, 31; 10:25). It was the last of the tribes to receive a portion in the Land of Promise. Its position and extent are described in Josh. 19:40-48.

The territory of Dan extended from the west of that of Ephraim and Benjamin to the sea. It was a small territory, but was very fertile. It included in it, among others, the…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(a judge). The fifth son of Jacob, and the first of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid. (Genesis 30:6) (B.C. after 1753.) The origin of the name is given in the exclamation of Rachel. The records of Dan are unusually meagre. Only one son is attributed to him, (Genesis 46:23) but his tribe was, with the exception of Judah, the most numerous of all. In the division of the promised land Dan was the last of the tribes to receive his portion, which was the smallest of the twelve. (Joshua 19:48) But notwithstanding its smallness it had eminent natural advantages. On the north and east it was completely embraced by its two brother tribes Ephraim and Benjamin, while on the southeast and south it joined Judah, and was thus surrounded by the three…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A judge,

1. A son of Jacob by Bilhah, Ge 30:3 35:25. The tribe of Dan was second only to that of Judah in numbers before entering Canaan, Nu 1:39 26:43. A portion was assigned to Dan, extending southeast from the seacoast near Joppa. It bordered on the land of the Philistines, with whom the tribe of Dan had much to do, Jud 13:1-16:31. Their territory was fertile, but small, and the natives were powerful. A part of the tribe therefore sought and conquered another home, Jos 19:1-51 Jud 18:1-31

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

judgment; he that judges

for [the] tribe of [the] descendants of Dan to clans their it came out the lot seventh
לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֑םle.mish.pe.cho.Tam to clans their H4940 Preposition · noun common feminine plural construct · suffix
303× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a family or clan, and can also mean a tribe or nation, such as the people of Israel, emphasizing the importance of family ties.
Amplified meaning
families, tribes
Tyndale gloss
family
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מִשְׁפָּחָה (mishpachah) refers to a clan or family, encompassing a circle of relatives and extending to tribes or peoples. It can also denote a class of persons, species of animals, or kinds of things. The entries highlight its various uses, including guilds and aristocrats, but do not present any significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מִשְׁפָּחָה 303 n.f. clan

clan

= guild

= species, kind

pl. = aristocrats

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4940 מִשְׁפָּחָה clan . clan

. = guild

. = species, kind

. pl. = aristocrats

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4940 mishpachah mish-paw-khaw'

from 8192 (compare 8198); a family, i.e. circle of relatives;

figuratively, a class (of persons), a species (of animals) or

sort (of things); by extens. a tribe or people:--family,

kind(-red).

see HEBREW for 08192

see HEBREW for 08198

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מִשְׁפָּחָה (mish.pa.chah) — family.

1) clan, family

1a) clan

1a1) family

1a2) tribe

1a3) people, nation

1b) guild

1c) species, kind

1d) aristocrats

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-fp | Suff — Preposition · noun common feminine plural construct · suffix
HR/Ncfpc/Sp3mp
for [the] tribe of [the] descendants of Dan to clans their it came out the lot seventh
יָצָ֖אya.Tza' it came out H3318 Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
1,067× 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 go out or come out, and it's used in many different ways, like leaving a place or starting a new journey, as seen in Genesis and Exodus.
Amplified meaning
was allotted, went forth
Tyndale gloss
to come out: come
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָצָא (yatsa') is a Hebrew verb meaning to go or come out, with various applications including departure, escape, and emergence. It can refer to both animate and inanimate subjects and emphasizes the idea of origin or source. The verb appears in different forms, such as Qal, Hiphil, and Hophal, indicating actions like leading out or being brought forth.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָצָא 1068 vb. go or come out

Qal

go or come out or forth

from (מִן) a place

go forth from (the presence of) a person

in technical senses

of flight, involving escape

depart

of inanimate things

with especial emphasis on idea of origin, source

of children as going forth from loins (of father)

go forth to a place

go forward, proceed to or toward something

come or go forth, with esp. ref. to purpose or result

of combinations

Hiph.

cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

fig. obj. persons, bring out of (מִן) distress, etc.

bring out animals

inanimate obj.

fig. subj. י׳, bring forth from (מִן)

Hoph. be brought forth

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3318 יָצָא go or come out .. go or come out or forth . from (מִן) a place

. go forth from (the presence of) a person

. in technical senses

. of flight, involving escape

. depart

. of inanimate things

. with especial emphasis on idea of origin, source

. of children as going forth from loins (of father)

. . go forth to a place

. go forward, proceed to or toward something

. come or go forth, with esp. ref. to purpose or result

. of combinations

. . cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

. fig. obj. persons, bring out of (מִן) distress, etc.

. bring out animals

. inanimate obj.

. fig. subj. י׳, bring forth from (מִן)

. be brought forth

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3318 yatsa' yaw-tsaw'

a primitive root; to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great

variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct

and proxim.:--X after, appear, X assuredly, bear out, X

begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come

(abroad, out, thereat, without), + be condemned,

depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact,

fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence,

out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out),

going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out,

lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, X

scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring

out, stand out, X still, X surely, take forth (out), at any

time, X to (and fro), utter.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָצָא (ya.tsa) — to come out: come.

: come/go_out/escape

1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart

1a2) to go forth (to a place)

1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something)

1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result)

1a5) to come out of

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

1b2) to bring out of

1b3) to lead out

1b4) to deliver

1c) (Hophal) to be brought out or forth

יָצָא (ya.tsa) — to come out: send.

: send/take_out/release

1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart

1a2) to go forth (to a place)

1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something)

1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result)

1a5) to come out of

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

1b2) to bring out of

1b3) to lead out

1b4) to deliver

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
HVqp3ms
for [the] tribe of [the] descendants of Dan to clans their it came out the lot seventh
הַגּוֹרָ֥לha.go.Ral the lot H1486 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
78× 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 pebble or small stone used for making decisions by casting lots. It symbolizes a portion or destiny assigned by chance, like the drawing of lots to determine an outcome. This concept is central to ancient Israelite decision-making practices.
Tyndale gloss
allotted
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גּוֹרָל (goral) refers to a 'lot' or 'portion,' often associated with decision-making through casting pebbles. It encompasses the idea of something assigned or apportioned, including land division and duties. The term can also imply recompense or retribution. The entries indicate that it is derived from a root meaning 'to be rough,' suggesting its connection to the physical stones used in the practice.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גּוֹרָל 77 n.m. & f. lot

lot for dividing land

lot for assigning to service, duty or punishment

thing assigned, apportioned, allotted

portion = recompence, retribution

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1486 גּוֹרָל lot

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1486 gowral go-rawl'

or (shortened) goral {go-ral'}; from an unused root meaning

to be rough (as stone); properly, a pebble, i.e. a lot (small

stones being used for that purpose); figuratively, a portion

or destiny (as if determined by lot):--lot.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גּוֹרָל (go.ral) — allotted.

1) lot

1a) lot-pebbles used for systematically making decisions

2) portion

2a) lot, portion (thing assigned by casting lots)

2b) recompense, retribution

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Lot

(Heb. goral, a “pebble”), a small stone used in casting lots (Num. 33:54; Jonah 1:7). The lot was always resorted to by the Hebrews with strictest reference to the interposition of God, and as a method of ascertaining the divine will (Prov. 16:33), and in serious cases of doubt (Esther 3:7). Thus the lot was used at the division of the land of Canaan among the serveral tribes (Num. 26:55; 34:13), at the detection of Achan (Josh. 7:14, 18), the election of Saul to be king (1 Sam. 10:20, 21), the distribution of…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(literally a pebble). The custom of deciding doubtful questions by lot is one of great extent and high antiquity. Among the Jews lots were used with the expectation that God would so control them as to give a right direction to them. They were very often used by God’s appointment. "As to the mode of casting lots, we have no certain information. Probably several modes were practiced." "Very commonly among the Latins little counters of wood were put into a jar with so narrow a neck that only one could come out at a time. After the jar had been filled with water and the contents shaken, the lots were determined by the order in which the bits of wood, representing the several parties, came out with the water. in other cases they were put into a wide open jar, and the counters were drawn out by the hand. Sometimes again they were cast in the manner of dice. The soldiers who cast lots for…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The son of Haran, and nephew of Abraham, followed his uncle from Ur, and afterwards from Haran, to settle in Canaan, Ge 11:31 12:4-6 13:1. Abraham always had a great affection for him, and when they could not continue longer together in Canaan, because they both had large flocks and their shepherds sometimes quarreled, Ge 13:5-7, he gave Lot the choice of his abode. Lot chose the plain of Sodom, which appears then to have been the most fertile parts of the land. Here he continued to dwell till the destruction of Sodom and the adjacent cities. He was a righteous man even in Sodom, 2Pe 2:7; but the calamities consequent upon his choice of this residence-his capture by eastern marauders, the molestation caused by his ungodly and…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Lotan, wrapt up; hidden; covered; myrrh; rosin

for [the] tribe of [the] descendants of Dan to clans their it came out the lot seventh
הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי׃ha.she.vi.'I seventh H7637 Particle
98× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for seventh, this term is an ordinal number used to describe something in the seventh position. It appears in the Bible as seventh time.
Amplified meaning
the final portion
Tyndale gloss
seventh
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שְׁבִיעִי (shbiy`iy) is an ordinal adjective meaning 'seventh.' It has masculine and feminine forms, שְׁבִיעִי for masculine and שְׁבִיעִית for feminine. The word is derived from the root meaning associated with the number seven, covering its use as a numerical order.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שְׁבִיעִי m. שְׁבִיעִית f. 97 adj.num.ord. seventh

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7637 שְׁבִיעִי m. שְׁבִיעִית f. adj. num. ord. seventh

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7637 shbiy`iy sheb-ee-ee'

or shbi iy {sheb-ee-ee'}; ordinal from 7657;

seventh:--seventh (time).

see HEBREW for 07657

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שְׁבִיעִי (she.vi.i) — seventh.

1) seventh

1a) ordinal number

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | Adj — Particle
HTd/Aomsa
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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