Nehemiah 10:12 — Word Study
WLCזַכּ֥וּר שֵׁרֵֽבְיָ֖ה שְׁבַנְיָֽה׃
BSAMicaMîykâʼ RehobRᵉchôb HashabiahChăshabyâh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| זַכּ֥וּר | Zaccur | Noun proper masculine |
| שֵׁרֵֽבְיָ֖ה | Sherebiah | Noun proper masculine |
| שְׁבַנְיָֽה׃ | Shebaniah | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, |
| KJV | Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, |
| ASV | Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, |
| YLT | Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, |
| WEB | Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, |
| BBE | Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, |
Where they part company is in the transliteration of names, but all versions agree on the names themselves without significant variation.
The verse consists of a simple enumeration of names, indicating the individuals involved in the covenant.
2 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
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 — Nehemiah 10:12
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 Covenant Renewalgenerated
Nehemiah 10:12 lists the names of individuals who sealed a covenant with Nehemiah, marking a significant moment in the restoration of the community after the Exile. These names are part of a larger list that emphasizes the collective commitment of the people to follow God's law, as seen in the surrounding verses, including Nehemiah 10:11 and Nehemiah 10:13.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nehemiah 8:7 | The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law as they stood in their places. |
| 2 | Nehemiah 9:4 | And the Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani—stood on the raised platform and cried out in a loud voice to the LORD their God. |
| 3 | Nehemiah 12:8 | The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, with his associates, led the songs of thanksgiving. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — זַכּ֥וּר, za.Kurgenerated
The name זַכּ֥וּר (zakkuwr) means "mindful" and is associated with several individuals in the Old Testament. The parsing as a noun proper masculine indicates that it refers to a specific person rather than a general concept. Zaccur's role in the rebuilding efforts in Nehemiah's time highlights his importance in the community's restoration.
The name appears in contexts related to the tribes of Israel, particularly in Numbers and Chronicles, indicating its significance in the historical narrative of the Israelites.
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 structure of the verse is straightforward, consisting of a noun phrase that serves as the subject. The names listed are presented in a simple enumeration, which emphasizes the collective identity of those who participated in the covenant.
Each name is a proper noun, indicating specific individuals, and the use of commas separates them clearly, maintaining a list format that is typical in genealogical or historical records.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates זַכּ֥וּר as μιξα, which does not carry a direct meaning in Greek but serves to represent the Hebrew name. This choice reflects an effort to maintain the identity of the individuals while adapting to the Greek language.
The names שֵׁרֵֽבְיָ֖ה and שְׁבַנְיָֽה are also rendered in the Septuagint, showing a consistent effort to preserve the original names in translation.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 10:12 lists three names: Zaccur, Sherebiah, and Shebaniah. These individuals were part of the group that made a covenant with Nehemiah, showing their commitment to the community's restoration after the Exile.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
They were individuals who participated in the covenant renewal with Nehemiah, playing significant roles in the restoration of the community.
Zaccur means "mindful" and reflects a person's awareness and commitment.
Sherebiah was a Levite who assisted Ezra and was involved in sealing the covenant with Nehemiah.
These names represent the leaders and participants in the covenant renewal, highlighting the community's dedication to following God's law.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How can I be mindful of my commitments to my community, like Zaccur was?
- In what ways can I support the spiritual renewal of my community, following the example of Sherebiah?
- What does it mean to seal a covenant in my own life today?
- How can I learn from the examples of these individuals in my spiritual journey?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 10:12 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentarySeraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Nehemiah 10 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges3–8, Priests: 9–13, Levites: 14–28, Chiefs of the peopleThe 21 names here given are those of the priestly houses. The list of Neh 12:1-3 agrees with it in 16 names. The number 21 is peculiar; in chap. 12 the number is larger by one. In Ezra 2, Nehemiah 7, only four priestly houses are recorded, viz. Jedaiah, Immer, Pashur and Harim, as having returned with Zerubbabel. Pashur is mentioned in Nehemiah 10:3; Harim in Nehemiah 10:5. The other priestly families had either developed themselves out of these first four, or had arrived from time to time from Babylon. That 21 and not 24 are recorded, is noteworthy. Various conjectures have been hazarded, e.g. that names have dropped out from the…
Read Cambridge on Nehemiah 10 →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
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Tyndale line
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah;
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Strictly literal
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
(10:13) Zaccur, Sherebyah, Shebanyah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
From the Latin
Zachur, Serebia, Sabania,
Simplified
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
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.
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 in the listing of names: זַכּ֥וּר שֵׁרֵֽבְיָ֖ה שְׁבַנְיָֽה׃. This agreement indicates a shared understanding of these key figures in the covenant renewal.
זַכּ֥וּר שֵׁרֵֽבְיָ֖ה שְׁבַנְיָֽה׃
3 of the 3 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.
Lexicons — every word in Nehemiah 10:12
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.
זַכּוּר (zakkuwr) means "mindful" and refers to several individuals in the Old Testament, including a Reubenite spy, a Simeonite, and Levites associated with the rebuilding of the wall in Nehemiah's time. The name appears in contexts related to the tribes of Israel, particularly in Numbers and Chronicles.
זַכּוּר n.pr.m.
a Reubenite
a Simeonite
Levites
companion of Ezra
contemp. of Nehemiah
base
H2139 זַכּוּר
2139 Zakkuwr zaw-koor'
from 2142; mindful; Zakkur, the name of seven
Israelites:--Zaccur, Zacchur.
see HEBREW for 02142
זַכּוּר (zak.kur) — Zaccur.
A man living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, only mentioned at Num.13.4;
father of: Shammua (H8051)
§ Zaccur or Zacchur = "mindful"
1) father of Shammua, the Reubenite spy
2) a Simeonite of the family of Mishma
3) a Merarite Levite, son of Jaaziah
4) son of Asaph the singer
5) the son of Imri who assisted Nehemiah in rebuilding the wall
6) a Levite, or family of Levites, who signed the covenant with Nehemiah
7) a Levite whose son or descendant Hanan was one of the treasurers over the treasuries appointed by Nehemiah
זַכּוּר (zak.kur) — Zaccur.
A man of the tribe of Simeon living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.4.26;
son of: Hammuel (H2536);
father of: Shimei (H8096K)
§ Zaccur or Zacchur = "mindful"
1) father of Shammua, the Reubenite spy
2) a Simeonite of the family of Mishma
3) a Merarite Levite, son of Jaaziah
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
zak'-ur (zakkur, perhaps "ventriloquist" (Gray, Nu, 137)):
(1) Father of Shammua the Reubenite spy (Nu 13:4).
(2) A Simeonite (1Ch 4:26); the King James Version "Zacchur."
(3) Levites: (a) a Merarite (1Ch 24:27); (b) a "son" of Asaph (1Ch 25:2,10; Ne 12:35); (c) Ne 10:12 (Hebrew verse 13), and probably the same as in Neb 13:13, father of Hanan.
(4) A marginal reading in Ezr 8:14 for Zabbud where Kethibh is really "Zabud".
See ZABBUD.
Zaccur
Mindful. (1.) Father of Shammua, who was one of the spies sent out by Moses (Num. 13:4).
(2.) A Merarite Levite (1 Chr. 24:27).
(3.) A son of Asaph, and chief of one of the courses of singers as arranged by David (1 Chr. 25:2, 10).
(mindful). Father of Shammua, the Reubenite spy. (Numbers 13:4) (B.C. 1451.) A Merarite Levite, son of Jaaziah. (1 Chronicles 24:27) Son of Asaph the singer. (1 Chronicles 25:2,10; Nehemiah 12:35) The son of Imri who assisted Nehemiah in rebuilding the city wall. (Nehemiah 3:2) (B.C. 446.) A Levite, or family of Levites, who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:18) (B.C. 410.) A Levite whose son or descendant Hanan was one of the treasurers over the treasuries appointed by Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 13:13)
of the male kind; mindful
שֵׁרֵֽבְיָה (Sherebyah) is a personal name meaning 'Jehovah has scorched.' It refers to a Levite who assisted Ezra during the Exile and Return, mentioned in Ezra 8:18 and Nehemiah 10:12. The name is derived from roots meaning 'heat' and 'Jah,' indicating a connection to divine intensity.
שֵׁרֵֽבְיָה n.pr.m. a Levite with Ezra (? י׳ hath sent burning heat)
base
H8274 שֵׁרֵֽבְיָה
8274 Sherebyah shay-rayb-yaw'
from 8273 and 3050; Jah has brought heat; Sherebjah, the name
of two Israelites:--Sherebiah.
see HEBREW for 08273
see HEBREW for 03050
שֵׁרֵֽבְיָה (she.re.ve.yah) — Sherebiah.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.8.18
§ Sherebiah = "Jehovah has scorched"
a Levite who assisted Ezra at the reading of the Law and who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah
שֵׁרֵֽבְיָה (she.re.ve.yah) — Sherebiah.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Neh.10.12
§ Sherebiah = "Jehovah has scorched"
a Levite who assisted Ezra at the reading of the Law and who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
sher-e-bi'-a, she-reb'-ya (sherebhyah, "God has sent burning heat"(?); the form is doubtful): A post-exilic priest and family. Sherebiah, who joined Ezra at the river Ahava (Ezr 8:18; the Septuagint omits), and had charge, along with eleven others, of the silver and gold and vessels for the Temple (Ezr 8:24, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus Saraia, Lucian, Sarabias). He aided in the exposition of the Law (Ne 8:7), was among those who made public confession (Ne 9:4) and sealed the covenant (Ne 10:12 (13)). His name also appears in Ne 12:8,24. In every passage…
(heat of Jehovah) a Levite in the time of Ezra. (Ezra 8:18,24) (B.C. 459.) When Ezra read the law to the people, Sherebiah was among the Levites who assisted him. (Nehemiah 8:7) He signed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:12)
singing with the Lord
שְׁבַנְיָה (Shbanyah) means "increased by Jehovah" and refers to several individuals in the Old Testament, particularly Levites and priests associated with the covenant in Nehemiah's time. The name is derived from roots meaning to grow or prosper, specifically linked to the divine name Jah. It appears in contexts related to the Divided Monarchy and the Exile and Return periods.
שְׁבַנְיָה(וּ) n.pr.m.
יָה:
Levites
priest
יָהוּ, priest
base
H7645 שְׁבַנְיָה(וּ), שְׁבַנְיָה, שְׁבַנְיָהוּ
7645 Shbanyah sheb-an-yaw'
or Shbanyahuw {sheb-an-yaw'-hoo}; from the same as 7644 and
3050; Jah has grown (i.e. prospered); Shebanjah, the name of
three or four Israelites:--Shebaniah.
see HEBREW for 07644
see HEBREW for 03050
שְׁבַנְיָהוּ (she.van.yah) — Shebaniah.
A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.15.24
§ Shebaniah = "increased by Jehovah"
1) a Levite who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah
2) a priest who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah
3) a 2nd Levite who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah
4) a priest appointed by David to blow with the trumpets before the ark of God
שְׁבַנְיָהוּ (she.van.yah) — Shebaniah.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Neh.9.4
§ Shebaniah = "increased by Jehovah"
1) a Levite who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah
2) a priest who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah
3) a 2nd Levite who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah
4) a priest appointed by David to blow with the trumpets before the ark of God
שְׁבַנְיָהוּ (she.van.yah) — Shebaniah.
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
Shebaniah
Whom Jehovah hides, or has made grow up. (1.) A Levite appointed to blow the trumpet before the ark of God (1 Chr. 15:24).
(2.) Another Levite (Neh. 9:4, 5).
(3.) A priest (Neh. 10:12).
(4.) A Levite (Neh. 10:4).
(increased by Jehovah). A Levite in the time of Ezra. (Nehemiah 9:4,5) He sealed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:10) (B.C. 459.) A priest or priestly family who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:4; 12:14) Called SHECHANIAH, SHECHANIAH in (Nehemiah 12:3) Another Levite who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:12) One of the priests appointed by David to blow with the trumpets before the ark of God. (1 Chronicles 15:24) (B.C. 1043.)
the Lord that converts, or recalls from captivity