Nehemiah 10:5 — Word Study
WLCחָרִ֥ם מְרֵמ֖וֹת עֹֽבַדְיָֽה׃
BSAHattushChaṭṭûwsh ShebaniahShᵉbanyâh MalluchMallûwk
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| חָרִ֥ם | Harim | Noun proper masculine |
| מְרֵמ֖וֹת | Meremoth | Noun proper masculine |
| עֹֽבַדְיָֽה׃ | Obadiah | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, |
| KJV | Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, |
| ASV | Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, |
| YLT | Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, |
| WEB | Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, |
| BBE | Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, |
Where they part company is in the names listed — see How Translations Differ.
The verse is a straightforward list of names, emphasizing the key individuals in the returning community.
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 10:5
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The List of Returneesgenerated
Nehemiah 10:5 is part of a list documenting the names of individuals who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. This list highlights the importance of community and leadership in the restoration of the Jewish people, as seen throughout the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nehemiah 3:11 | Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab repaired another section, as well as the Tower of the Ovens. |
| 2 | Nehemiah 3:4–21 | Next to them, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, made repairs. Next to him, Meshullam son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs; and next to him, Zadok son of Baana made repairs as well. |
| 3 | Nehemiah 12:3 | Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — חָרִ֥ם, cha.Rimgenerated
The name חָרִם (Harim) means 'dedicated' and is associated with a priest or family head who played a significant role in the post-exile community. The parsing indicates it is a proper masculine noun, identifying a specific individual or lineage.
This name appears multiple times in the Old Testament, particularly in the context of the exiles who returned with Zerubbabel. The connection to dedication suggests a commitment to God and service in the priestly role.
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 lists the subjects: חָרִ֥ם, מְרֵמ֖וֹת, and עֹֽבַדְיָֽה. This simple enumeration reflects the importance of each name in the context of the returning community.
The syntax tree shows that the entire phrase functions as the subject of the sentence, emphasizing the collective identity of those returning from exile.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates חָרִ֥ם as ατους, מְרֵמ֖וֹת as σεβανι, and עֹֽבַדְיָֽה as μαλουξ. This choice indicates a direct correspondence in names, showing continuity in the identity of these figures across the Hebrew and Greek texts.
The LXX maintains the same names, suggesting that the translators recognized their significance within the Jewish tradition.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 10:5 lists three individuals: Harim, Meremoth, and Obadiah. These names are part of a record of those who returned to Jerusalem after the exile, showing their roles in the restoration of the Jewish community.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
They were individuals who returned to Jerusalem from exile, playing significant roles in the rebuilding of the community.
Harim means 'dedicated' and refers to a priest or family head.
Meremoth was a priest involved in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem.
Obadiah means 'servant of Jehovah' and refers to a prophet and several other individuals in the Old Testament.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the dedication of individuals like Harim in our own community?
- How does understanding the roles of these returnees help us appreciate the restoration of Jerusalem?
- In what ways can we serve our community as these individuals did after the exile?
- What significance do names have in our own lives and communities today?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 10:5 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 Colleges5. Obadiah] It has been suggested that Iddo’s name has accidentally dropped out after Obadiah’s. (Cf. Nehemiah 12:4; Nehemiah 12:16.) If this were the case, the number of houses mentioned in this passage would agree with that in chap. 12.
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
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Tyndale line
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah;
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Harim, Merimoth, Obadiah,
Strictly literal
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
(10:6) Charim, Meremoth, 'Obadiah,
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
From the Latin
Harem, Merimuth, Obdias,
Simplified
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
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 on the names listed in this verse. The Septuagint's word order differs, but the names themselves are matched, indicating consistency in the identification of these individuals.
חָרִ֥ם מְרֵמ֖וֹת עֹֽבַדְיָֽה׃
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 10:5
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
חָרִם (Charim) refers to a name meaning 'dedicated' and is associated with various individuals in the Old Testament. It includes a priest during David's reign, heads of families of exiles who returned with Zerubbabel, and a ruler in Nehemiah's time. The entries indicate that Charim is linked to the concept of dedication and service in the priestly context.
חָרִם n.pr.m. (consecrated)
priest of the third course, David’s time
priest of time of Nehemiah
heads of families of returning exiles
a prince
base
H2766 חָרִם
2766 Charim khaw-reem'
from 2763; snub-nosed; Charim, an Israelite:--Harim.
see HEBREW for 02763
חָרִם (cha.rim) — Harim.
A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.8
§ Harim = "dedicated"
1) a priest in the time of David who had charge of the 3rd course
2) head of a family of exiles totalling 1017 who returned with Zerubbabel
3) another head of a family of exiles totalling 320 who returned with Zerubbabel
4) a priest in the time of Nehemiah
5) a ruler of the people under Nehemiah
חָרִם (cha.rim) — Harim.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.32
§ Harim = "dedicated"
1) a priest in the time of David who had charge of the 3rd course
2) head of a family of exiles totalling 1017 who returned with Zerubbabel
3) another head of a family of exiles totalling 320 who returned with Zerubbabel
4) a priest in the time of Nehemiah
5) a ruler of the people under Nehemiah
חָרִם (cha.rim) — Harim.
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
ha'-rim (charim): A family name.
(1) A non-priestly family that returned from captivity with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:32; Ne 7:35); mentioned among those who married foreign wives (Ezr 10:31); also mentioned among those who renewed the covenant (Ne 10:27).
(2) A priestly family returning with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:39; Ne 7:42; 12:3,15 (see REHUM)); members of this family covenanted to put away their foreign wives (Ezr 10:21; Ne 10:5). A family of this name appears as the…
Harim
Flat-nosed. (1.) The head of the second course of priests (1 Chr. 24:8). (2.) Ezra 2:32, 39; Neh. 7:35, 42. (3.) Neh. 3:11. (4.) 12:3. (5.) 10:5
(flat-nosed). A priest who had charge of the third division in the house of God. (1 Chronicles 24:8) (B.C. 1014.) Bene-Harim, probably descendants of the above, to the number of 1017, came from Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:39; Nehemiah 7:42) (B.C. 536.) It further occurs in a list of the families of priests "who went up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua," and of those who were their descendants in the next generation. (Nehemiah 12:16) Another family of Bene-Harim, 320 in number, came from the captivity in the same caravan. (Ezra 2:82; Nehemiah 7:35) (B.C. 536.) They also…
destroyed; dedicated to God
מְרֵמוֹת (Meremoth) refers to a name meaning "elevations" and is associated with two priests during the time of the Exile and Return, as well as a returning exile. The entries note that Meremoth was involved in rebuilding Jerusalem's wall and served in the temple, with references found in Ezra and Nehemiah.
מְרֵמוֹת n.pr.m.
priest, time of Zerub.
priest, time of Ezra and Neh.
one of those who had taken strange wives
base
H4822 מְרֵמוֹת
4822 Mremowth mer-ay-mohth'
plural from 7311; heights; Meremoth, the name of two
Israelites:--Meremoth.
see HEBREW for 07311
מְרֵמוֹת (me.re.mot) — Meremoth.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.8.33;
son of: Uriah (H0223H); also called Meraioth at Neh.12.15;
Also named: me.ra.vot (מְרָיוֹת "Meraioth" H4812H)
§ Meremoth = "elevations"
1) a priest, son of Uriah of the family of Koz active in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and in the 7th course of temple service in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah
2) a priest in the time of Zerubbabel
3) a returning exile of the family of Bani who had a foreign wife in the time of Ezra
מְרֵמוֹת (me.re.mot) — Meremoth.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.36
§ Meremoth = "elevations"
1) a priest, son of Uriah of the family of Koz active in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and in the 7th course of temple service in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah
2) a priest in the time of Zerubbabel
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
mer'-e-moth, me-re'-moth (meremoth, "heights"; Mereimoth):
(1) Son of Uriah (Ezr 8:33), who was head of the 7th course of priests appointed by David (1Ch 24:10, Hakkoz = Koz; compare Ne 3:4,21). The family of Koz were among those unable to prove their pedigree on the return from Babylon, and were therefore deposed as polluted (Ezr 2:61,62). Meremoth's division of the family must, however, have been scatheless, for he is employed in the temple after the return as weigher of the gold and the vessels (Ezr 8:33), a function reserved for priests alone (Ezr 8:24-28). He takes…
(elevations), Son of Uriah or Urijah the priest, of the family of Koz or Hakkoz, the head of the seventh course of priests as established by David. In (Ezra 8:33) Meremoth is appointed to weigh and register the gold and silver vessels belonging to the temple. In the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem under Nehemiah we find Meremoth taking an active part. (Nehemiah 3:4) A layman of the sons of Bani, who had married a foreign wife. (Ezra 10:36) A priest, or more probably a family of priests, who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:5)
bitterness; myrrh of death
עֹבַדְיָ֫הוּ (Obadyah) means 'servant of Jehovah' and refers to various individuals in the Old Testament, including the fourth of the twelve minor prophets. The entries note that he was a chief in Ahab's household, a Levite overseer, and a descendant of David, among others. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding the identity and roles of Obadiah.
עֹבַדְיָ֫הוּ, עֹבַדְיָה n.pr.m. (servant of Yah)
:
chief of Ahab’s household
father of one of the chiefs of Zebulun
a Levite overseer in time of Josiah
:
the prophet
a descendant of David
chief of tribe of Issachar
a Benjamite
a Levite
a Gadite chief
a prince in time of Jehoshaphat
priestly companion of Ezra
a doorkeeper
base
H5662 עֹבַדְיָ֫הוּ, עֹבַדְיָה
5662 `Obadyah o-bad-yaw'
or mObadyahuw {o-bad-yaw'-hoo}; active participle of 5647 and
3050; serving Jah; Obadjah, the name of thirteen
Israelites:--Obadiah.
see HEBREW for 05647
see HEBREW for 03050
עֹבַדְיָ֫הוּ (o.vad.yah) — Obadiah.
A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ki.18.3
§ Obadiah = "servant of Jehovah"
1) the 4th of the 12 minor prophets; nothing personal is known of him but it is probable that he was contemporary with Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel
1a) the prophetic book by him; prophesies against Edom
2) father of Ishmaiah, one of the chiefs of Zebulun in the time of David
3) a Merarite Levite overseer of the work of restoring the temple in the time of king Josiah of Judah
4) chief of the household of king Ahab of Israel; an devout worshipper of Jehovah who at risk to his own life hid over 100 prophets during the persecution of Jezebel
5) a descendant of David
6) a chief of the tribe of Issachar
7) a Benjamite, one of the 6 sons of Azel and a descendant of king Saul
8) a Levite, son of Shemaiah and a descendant of Jeduthun
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
o-ba-di'-a (`obhadhyah, more fully `obhadhyahu, "servant of Yahweh"):
(1) The steward or prime minister of Ahab, who did his best to protect the prophets of Yahweh against Jezebel's persecution. He met Elijah on his return from Zarephath, and bore to Ahab the news of Elijah's reappearance (1Ki 18:3-16).
(2) The prophet (Ob 1:1).
See OBADIAH, BOOK OF.
Obadiah
Servant of the Lord. (1.) An Israelite who was chief in the household of King Ahab (1 Kings 18:3). Amid great spiritual degeneracy he maintained his fidelity to God, and interposed to protect The Lord’s prophets, an hundred of whom he hid at great personal risk in a cave (4, 13). Ahab seems to have held Obadiah in great honour, although he had no sympathy with his piety (5, 6, 7). The last notice of him is his bringing back tidings to Ahab that Elijah, whom he had so long sought for, was at hand (9-16). “Go,” said Elijah to him, when he met him in the way, “go tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.”
(2.) A chief of the tribe of Issachar (1 Chr. 7:3).
(3.) A descendant of Saul (1 Chr. 8:38).
(servant of the Lord), A man whose sons are enumerated in the genealogy of the tribe of Judah. (1 Chronicles 3:21) (B.C. 470.) A descendant of Issachar and a chief man of his tribe. (1 Chronicles 7:3) (B.C. 1014.) One of the six sons of Azel, a descendant of Saul. (1 Chronicles 8:33; 9:44) (B.C. 720.) A Levite, son of Shemaiah, and descended from Jeduthun. (1 Chronicles 9:16; Nehemiah 12:25) The second of the lion-faced Gadites who joined David at Ziklag. (1 Chronicles 12:9) (B.C. 1054.) One of the Princes of Judah in the reign of Jehoshaphat. (
1. The chief officer of king Ahab’s household, who preserved the lives of one hundred prophets from the persecuting Jezebel, by concealing them in two caves and furnishing them with food, 1Ki 18:4.
2. The fourth of the minor prophets, supposed to have prophesied about 587 B. C. It cannot indeed be decided with certainty when he lived, but it is probable that he was contemporary with Jeremiah and Ezekiel, who denounced the same dreadful judgments on the Edomites, as the punishment of their pride, violence, and cruel insulting over the Jews after the destruction of their city. The prophecy, according to usher, was fulfilled about five years after the destruction of Jerusalem.
3. Eight or ten others of this name are mentioned in 1Ch 3:21 7:3 8:38 9:16,44 12:9 27:19