Nehemiah 10:3 — Word Study
WLCפַּשְׁח֥וּר אֲמַרְיָ֖ה מַלְכִּיָּֽה׃
BSASeraiahSᵉrâyâh AzariahʻĂzaryâh JeremiahYirmᵉyâh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| פַּשְׁח֥וּר | Pashhur | Noun proper masculine |
| אֲמַרְיָ֖ה | Amariah | Noun proper masculine |
| מַלְכִּיָּֽה׃ | Malkijah | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, |
| KJV | Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah, |
| ASV | Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, |
| YLT | Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, |
| WEB | Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, |
| BBE | Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, |
All translations agree on the names listed in this verse.
The verse consists of a single main clause listing three names, emphasizing their importance without additional context.
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 10:3
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 List of Leaders in Nehemiahgenerated
Nehemiah 10:3 is part of a list of names that highlights key figures among the Israelites who returned from exile. These names represent various roles within the community, particularly among the priests and leaders, as they reestablish their identity and worship in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. This list serves to connect the present community with their ancestral heritage and responsibilities.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nehemiah 11:12 | and their associates who did the work at the temple—822 men; Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah; |
| 2 | Nehemiah 12:2–13 | Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, |
| 3 | Nehemiah 3:11 | Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab repaired another section, as well as the Tower of the Ovens. |
| 4 | Nehemiah 8:4 | Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for this occasion. At his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and at his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — פַּשְׁח֥וּר, pash.Churgenerated
The name פַּשְׁחוּר (pashchuwr) means 'freedom' and is associated with several individuals in the Old Testament. It identifies a priest and chief prince during the reign of Zedekiah, as well as a governor of the temple who opposed Jeremiah. The parsing indicates that it is a proper masculine noun, suggesting a specific individual rather than a common title.
Pashhur's actions, particularly his opposition to the prophet Jeremiah, contrast with the meaning of his name. This duality highlights the complexities of leadership and faithfulness 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 structure of this verse is simple, consisting of a noun phrase that serves as the subject. The names listed — פַּשְׁחוּר, אֲמַרְיָ֖ה, מַלְכִּיָּֽה — are presented in a straightforward manner, emphasizing their significance as leaders within the community.
The absence of a verb in this phrase suggests that the focus is solely on the identification of these individuals rather than on any actions they performed.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates פַּשְׁחוּר as σαραια, which may reflect a different tradition or pronunciation of the name. This choice indicates a possible adaptation of the Hebrew names for a Greek-speaking audience.
The other names do not appear in the provided Greek text, suggesting that the Septuagint may have had variations in how these names were transmitted or recorded.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 10:3 lists three names: Pashhur, Amariah, and Malchijah. These names likely represent important leaders or priests among the returning exiles, highlighting their roles in the community as they restored their identity and worship in Jerusalem.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The verse mentions Pashhur, Amariah, and Malchijah, who are likely leaders or priests in the Israelite community.
These names connect the present community with their ancestral heritage and roles as leaders in the restoration of Jerusalem.
Yes, these names appear in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, indicating their importance in Israel's history.
Listing these names serves to document the leadership and organization of the returning exiles, emphasizing their commitment to rebuilding their community.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the leadership roles of Pashhur, Amariah, and Malchijah in our own communities?
- How does knowing the names of these leaders help us understand the history of the Israelite people?
- In what ways can we honor the legacy of those who have led in faith before us?
- How can we apply the principles of leadership seen in this verse to our own lives?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 10:3 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
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,
Tyndale line
Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah,
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah;
Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah,
Pashur, Amariah, Malchiah,
Strictly literal
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
(10:4) Pashchui, Amaryah, Malkiyah,
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
From the Latin
Pheshur, Amarias, Melchias,
Simplified
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
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 lists the names as פַּשְׁחוּר אֲמַרְיָ֖ה מַלְכִּיָּֽה. The Septuagint matches two of the three names, indicating a degree of consistency between these ancient witnesses, though the exact rendering may differ.
פַּשְׁח֥וּר אֲמַרְיָ֖ה מַלְכִּיָּֽה׃
2 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 10:3
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.
פַּשְׁחוּר (pashchuwr) refers to a name meaning 'freedom' and is associated with several individuals in the Old Testament. Notably, it identifies a priest and chief prince during the reign of Zedekiah, as well as a governor of the temple who opposed Jeremiah. The entries indicate that Pashhur is linked to multiple figures, including a father of Gedaliah and a head of a family of returned exiles.
H6583 פַּשְׁחוּר . Je
. 21
. Ne
. father of one Gedaliah
. head of post-exil. family
6583 Pashchuwr pash-khoor'
probably from 6582; liberation; Pashchur, the name of four
Israelites:--Pashur.
see HEBREW for 06582
פַּשְׁחוּר (pash.chur) — Pashhur.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at 1Ch.9.12;
son of: Malchijah (H4441H);
father of: Zechariah (H2148X)
§ Pashur = "freedom"
1) a priest, son of Malchiah and one of the chief princes in the reign of king Zedekiah of Judah
2) a priest, son of Immer, chief governor of the temple, and the one who struck and then put the prophet Jeremiah into the stocks in the reign of king Jehoiakim of Judah
3) son of Malchijah, father of Zechariah, and ancestor of Adaiah who did the work of the temple in the time of Nehemiah. Probably same as 1
4) father of Gedaliah; probably the same as 1
5) head of a family of returned exiles
פַּשְׁחוּר (pash.chur) — Pashhur.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.10.3
§ Pashur = "freedom"
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
The Hebrew word אֲמַרְיָ֫הוּ (*Amaryah*) means 'Jehovah speaks' or 'Yah(u) has promised.' It refers to several individuals from the tribe of Levi, including a chief priest under Jehoshaphat and a Levite during the time of Ezra. The entries indicate that this name appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, highlighting its significance in priestly lineage.
אֲמַרְיָ֫הוּ, אֲמַרְיָה n.pr.m. (Yah(u) hath promised)
a Levite
also
.
chief priest under Jehosh.
Levite under Hezekiah
son of Hezekiah & great-grandfather of Zephaniah
a priest
a man of Judah
base
H568 אֲמַרְיָ֫הוּ, אֲמַרְיָה
568 'Amaryah am-ar-yaw'
or prolonged tAmaryahuw {am-ar-yaw'-hoo}; from 559 and 3050;
Jah has said (i.e. promised); Amarjah, the name of nine
Israelites:--Amariah.
see HEBREW for 0559
see HEBREW for 03050
אֲמַרְיָ֫הוּ (a.mar.yah) — Amariah.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.6.7;
son of: Meraioth (H4812);
father of: Ahitub (H0285H)
§ Amariah = "Jehovah speaks" or "Yah(u) has promised"
1) Zadok's grandfather
2) a head priest's son in Solomon's time
3) a chief priest under Jehoshaphat
4) Hezekiah's son, great-grandfather of Zephaniah
5) a Levite in Ezra's time
6) a Levite under Hezekiah
7) a priest in Nehemiah's time
אֲמַרְיָ֫הוּ (a.mar.yah) — Amariah.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.6.11;
son of: Azariah (H5838K);
father of: Ahitub (H0285I)
§ Amariah = "Jehovah speaks" or "Yah(u) has promised"
1) Zadok's grandfather
2) a head priest's son in Solomon's time
3) a chief priest under Jehoshaphat
4) Hezekiah's son, great-grandfather of Zephaniah
5) a Levite in Ezra's time
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
am-a-ri'-a ('amaryah and 'amaryahu, "the Lord has said"; compare HPN, 180, 285).
(1) A Levite in the line of Aaron-Eleazar; a son of Meraioth and grandfather of Zadok (1Ch 6:7,52) who lived in David's time. Compare Zadok (2Sa 15:27, etc.) also Ant, VIII, i, 3 and X, viii, 6.
(2) A Levite in the line of Kohath-Hebron referred to in 1Ch 23:19 and 24:23 at the time when David divided the Levites into courses.
Amariah
Said by Jehovah. (1.) One of the descendants of Aaron by Eleazar (1 Chr. 6:7,52). He was probably the last of the high priests of Eleazar’s line prior to the transfer of that office to Eli, of the line of Ithamar.
(2.) A Levite, son of Hebron, of the lineage of Moses (1 Chr. 23:19; 24:23).
(3.) A “chief priest” who took an active part in the reformation under Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 19:11); probably the same as mentioned in 1 Chr. 6:9.
(4.) 1 Chr. 6:11; Ezra 7:3. (5.) One of the high priests in the time of Hezekiah (
(the Lord says , i.e. promises). Father of Ahitub according to (1 Chronicles 6:7,52) and son of Meraioth, in the line of the high priests. The high priest in the reign of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 19:11) He was the son of Azariah. The head of a Levitical house of the Kohathites. (1 Chronicles 23:13; 24:23) The head of one of the twenty-four courses of priest. (2 Chronicles 31:15; Nehemiah 10:3; 12:2,13) One of the sons of Bani in the time of Ezra. (Ezra 10:42) A priest who returned with Zerubbabel. (Nehemiah…
1. Son of Meraioth, a descendant of Aaron in the line of Eleazar. He was the father of Ahitub, (See AHITUB 2.) and grandfather of Zadok, in whose person the high priesthood was restored to that line, 1Ch 6:7
2. High priest at a later period, a son of Azariah, and father of another Ahitub, 1Ch 6:11. In like manner, in the same list there are three persons named Azariah.
מַלְכִּיָּהוּ (Malkiyah) means 'my king is Yah' and refers to several individuals in the Old Testament, including a father of Pashhur and various priests and Levites. The name appears in contexts related to the Divided Monarchy and the Exile and Return periods. There are multiple figures named Malkiyah, each with distinct roles, such as a goldsmith and a leader involved in rebuilding efforts during Nehemiah's time.
מַלְכִּיָּהוּ, מַלְכִּיָּה n.pr.m. (my king is Yah)
father of Pashhur
a prince
priests
one of the sealed
a Levite
various men
base
H4441 מַלְכִּיָּהוּ, מַלְכִּיָּה (my king is Yah) . father of Pashhur
. a prince
. priests
. one of the sealed
. a Levite
. various men
4441 Malkiyah mal-kee-yaw'
or Malkiyahuw (Jer. 38:6), {mal-kee-yaw'-hoo}; from 4428 and
3050; king of (i.e. appointed by) Jah; Malkijah, the name of
ten Israelites:--Malchiah, Malchijah.
see HEBREW for 04428
see HEBREW for 03050
מַלְכִּיָּהוּ (mal.kiy.yah) — Malchijah.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.6.40;
son of: Jeatherai (H2979);
father of: Baaseiah (H1202)
§ Malchijah or Malchiah or Melchiah = "my king is Jehovah"
1) the father of Pashur in the time of Jeremiah
2) the son of Hammelech into whose dungeon Jeremiah was cast
3) the head of the 5th course of priests in the time of David
4) one of the priests who was at the reading of the law by Ezra, sealed the covenant with Nehemiah, and was at the dedication of the wall with Nehemiah
5) a Levite ancestor of Asaph and descendant of Levi through Gershon
6) son of Parosh who put away a foreign wife in the time of Ezra
7) son of Harim who put away a foreign wife and helped repair the wall and the Tower of Ovens in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm