Nehemiah 11:29 — Word Study
WLCוּבְעֵ֥ין רִמּ֛וֹן וּבְצָרְעָ֖ה וּבְיַרְמֽוּת׃
BSAin En-rimmonʻÊyn Rimmôwn [spring of the pomegranate, a place in Judah] ZorahTsorʻâh [where Samson grew up] JarmuthYarmûwth [a Levitical city of Issachar, meaning heights]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וּבְעֵ֥ין | and in En | Conjunction, preposition, noun proper |
| רִמּ֛וֹן | Rimmon | Noun proper |
| וּבְצָרְעָ֖ה | and in Zorah | Conjunction, preposition, noun proper |
| וּבְיַרְמֽוּת׃ | and in Jarmuth | Conjunction, preposition, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | in En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, |
| KJV | And at En-rimmon, and at Zareah, and at Jarmuth, |
| ASV | and in En-rimmon, and in Zorah, and in Jarmuth, |
| YLT | and En-Rimmon, and in Zareah, and in Jarmuth, |
| WEB | in En Rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, |
| BBE | And in En-rimmon, and in Zorah, and in Jarmuth, |
The translations agree here, consistently rendering the locations without significant variation.
The verse is structured as a list of locations, each introduced by a preposition, highlighting the resettlement of the exiles.
3 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Cambridge, Whedon & 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 11:29
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 Towns of Judahgenerated
Nehemiah 11:29 lists towns where the returning exiles settled in Judah. This verse highlights the geographical distribution of the people as they reestablished their communities after the Babylonian exile. The mention of these towns emphasizes the restoration of the Jewish presence in the land, linking them to their historical and cultural roots.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua 15:32 | Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon—twenty-nine cities in all, along with their villages. |
| 2 | Joshua 15:33 | These were in the foothills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, |
| 3 | Joshua 19:41 | The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, |
| 4 | Judges 13:25 | And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. |
| 5 | Joshua 12:11 | the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 6 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — עֵין רִמּוֹן, u.ve.'Eingenerated
The phrase עֵין רִמּוֹן ('Ein Rimmon) combines a preposition and a proper noun. It translates to 'spring of the pomegranate' and refers to a specific location in Judah. The name suggests a place associated with water and fertility, indicating its importance as a settlement.
In this context, עֵין רִמּוֹן serves as a geographical marker, grounding the narrative in a physical space where the exiles resettled. It connects the community's identity to the land they returned to, reinforcing their historical claims.
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 verse consists of a series of prepositional phrases beginning with the conjunction וּ (and), which connects the locations. Each phrase specifies a town where the exiles settled: בְּעֵין רִמּוֹן, בְּצָרְעָה, and בְּיַרְמוּת.
The structure emphasizes the list of towns, showcasing the geographical breadth of the resettlement and the continuity of the Jewish presence in these locations.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 11:29 lists three towns: En-rimmon, Zorah, and Jarmuth, where the returning exiles settled in Judah. These towns highlight the areas where the Jewish people reestablished their communities after returning from exile.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
These towns represent the places where the returning exiles from Babylon settled, marking the restoration of Jewish life in their ancestral land.
En-rimmon, meaning 'spring of the pomegranate,' indicates a location that was likely fertile and significant for the returning community.
Zorah is known as the hometown of Samson, a prominent judge in Israel's history, linking the town to important biblical narratives.
Jarmuth is identified as a Levitical city, indicating its role in the religious life of the community and its allocation to the Levites.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the towns mentioned in this verse about the Jewish people's return from exile?
- How do these locations connect to the broader narrative of restoration in the Old Testament?
- In what ways do the histories of these towns reflect the identity of the Jewish community?
- How can understanding these geographical references enhance our reading of the Scriptures?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 11:29 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd at Hazar-shual, and at Beersheba, and in the villages thereof, No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Nehemiah 11 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges29. En-rimmon] In Joshua 15:32 we find this as two places, ‘Ain, and Rimmon;’ so also in Joshua 19:7; 1 Chronicles 4:32. Zareah] R.V. Zorah. Cf. Joshua 15:33, ‘in the lowland … Zorah.’ Jarmuth] Cf. Joshua 15:35; cf. Joshua 3:5.
Read Cambridge on Nehemiah 11 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible26-35. On Moladah, see Joshua 15:26. Beer-sheba — Joshua 15:28.Ziklag — 1 Samuel 27:6. Jarmuth — Joshua 15:35. Lachish — Joshua 10:3. Valley of Hinnom — Joshua 15:8. Geba — Joshua 18:24. Michmash — 1 Samuel 13:2.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Nehemiah 11 →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
in En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,
in En Rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth,
in En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,
in En Rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth,
Tyndale line
And at En-rimmon, and at Zareah, and at Jarmuth,
and in En-rimmon, and in Zorah, and in Jarmuth,
and in En-rimmon, and in Zorah, and in Jarmuth;
And at En-rimmon, and at Zareah, and at Jarmuth,
And in En-rimmon, and in Zareah, and in Iarmuth,
Strictly literal
and in En-Rimmon, and in Zorah, and in Jarmuth,
and En-Rimmon, and in Zareah, and in Jarmuth,
and En-Rimmon, and in Zareah, and in Jarmuth,
And at 'En-rimmon, and at Zor'ah, and at Yarmuth,
Enrimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,
From the Latin
And at Remmon, and at Saraa, and at Jerimuth,
Simplified
in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth,
And in En-rimmon, and in Zorah, and in Jarmuth,
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
וּבְעֵ֥ין רִמּ֛וֹן וּבְצָרְעָ֖ה וּבְיַרְמוּת׃ is consistent across the Masoretic Text, indicating no significant variation in the other witnesses regarding these specific locations.
וּבְעֵ֥ין רִמּ֛וֹן וּבְצָרְעָ֖ה וּבְיַרְמֽוּת׃
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 11:29
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.
עֵין רִמּוֹן n.pr.loc. in post-exil. Judah
base
H5884 עֵין רִמּוֹן
5884 `Eyn Rimmown ane rim-mone'
from 5869 and 7416; fountain of a pomegranate; En-Rimmon, a
place in Palestine:--En-rimmon.
see HEBREW for 05869
see HEBREW for 07416
עֵין רִמּוֹן (en rim.mon) — En-rimmon.
En-rimmon = "fount of the pomegranate"
one of the places that the returning exiles reinhabited in Judah
Another name of a.yin (עַ֫יִן "Ain" H5871H)
N-proper — Conjunction · preposition · noun properHC/R/Npl
at the beginning of many Hebrew words, signifies a spring or fountain.
A fountain compounded with many names of towns and places; as En- dor, En-gedi, En-eglaim, En-shemesh, that is, the fountain of Dor, etc.
עֵין רִמּוֹן n.pr.loc. in post-exil. Judah
base
H5884 עֵין רִמּוֹן
5884 `Eyn Rimmown ane rim-mone'
from 5869 and 7416; fountain of a pomegranate; En-Rimmon, a
place in Palestine:--En-rimmon.
see HEBREW for 05869
see HEBREW for 07416
עֵין רִמּוֹן (en rim.mon) — En-rimmon.
En-rimmon = "fount of the pomegranate"
one of the places that the returning exiles reinhabited in Judah
Another name of a.yin (עַ֫יִן "Ain" H5871H)
HNpl — Noun properHNpl
Rimmon
Pomegranate. (1.) A man of Beeroth (2 Sam. 4:2), one of the four Gibeonite cities. (See Josh. 9:17.)
(2.) A Syrian idol, mentioned only in 2 Kings 5:18.
(3.) One of the “uttermost cities” of Judah, afterwards given to Simeon (Josh. 15:21, 32; 19:7; 1 Chr. 4:32). In Josh. 15:32 Ain and Rimmon are mentioned separately, but in 19:7 and 1 Chr. 4:32 (comp. Neh. 11:29) the two words are probably to be combined, as forming together the name of one place…
a deity worshipped by the Syrians of Damascus, where there was a temple or house of Rimmon. (2 Kings 5:18) Rimmon is perhaps the abbreviated form of Hadad-rimmon, Hadad being the sun-god of the Syrians. Combining this with the pomegranate which was his symbol, Hadad-rimmon would then he the sun-god of the late summer, who ripens the pomegranate and other fruits.
exalted; pomegranate
צָרְעָה (Tsor`ah) refers to a location in the Shephelah of Judah, identified with the town of Zorah, which is associated with the biblical figures Manoah and Samson. The name is linked to the meaning 'hornet.' It appears in various forms, including Zareah and Zoreah, but all denote the same place.
צָרְעָה n.pr.loc. in the Shephelah of Judah
base
H6881 צָרְעָה
6881 Tsor`ah tsor-aw'
apparently another form for 6880; Tsorah, a place in
Palestine:--Zareah, Zorah, Zoreah.
see HEBREW for 06880
צׇרְעָה (tsor.ah) — Zorah.
§ Zareah or Zoreah or Zorah = "hornet"
a town in Dan, residence of Manoah and the home town of Samson
Conj | Prep | N-proper — Conjunction · preposition · noun properHC/R/Npl
zo'-ra (tsor`ah; Saraa): A city on the border of Dan, between Eshtaol and Ir-shemesh (Jos 19:41); the birthplace of Samson (Jud 13:2,25); near here too he was buried (Jud 16:31); from here some Danites went to spy out the land (Jud 18:2,11). In Jos 15:33 it is, with Eshtaol, allotted to Judah, and after the captivity it was reinhabited by the "children of Judah" (Ne 11:29, the King James Version "Zareah"). It was one of the cities fortified by Rehoboam (2Ch 11:10). It is probable that it is mentioned under the…
Zorah
Place of wasps, a town in the low country of Judah, afterwards given to Dan (Josh. 19:41; Judg. 18:2), probably the same as Zoreah (Josh. 15:33). This was Samson’s birthplace (Judg. 13:2, 25), and near it he found a grave (16:31). It was situated on the crest of a hill overlooking the valley of Sorek, and was fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chr. 11:10). It has been identified with Sur’ah, in the Wady Surar, 8 miles west of Jerusalem. It is noticed on monuments in the fifteenth century B.C. as attacked by the Abiri or Hebrews.
(hornet), a town in the allotment of the tribe of Dan, (Joshua 19:41) It is previously mentioned ch. (Joshua 15:33) in the catalogue of Judah, among the places in the district of the Shefelah (Authorized Version "Zoreah"), It was the residence of Manoah and the native place of Samson. It is mentioned among the places fortified by Rehoboam. (2 Chronicles 11:10) It is perhaps identical with the modern village of Sur’ah .
A city of Danites within the limits of Judah, 2Ch 11:12, called also Zoreah, Jos 15:33 19:40. Samson was a Zorite, or Zorathite, Jud 13:2,25 1Ch 2:54 4:2. It is now recognized in a secluded mountain village called Surah, on the edge of the hills north of Bethshemesh.
The road followed by Samson in going to Timnath leads down through rocky gorges, very likely to be haunted by wild beasts. It was here that he slew the lion, without the help of any weapon, Jud 14:5-7.
יַרְמוּת (yar-moot) refers to Jarmuth, which means "heights." It denotes two locations in Palestine: a Canaanite city with a king situated between Hebron and Lachish, and a Levitical city in Issachar assigned to the Gershonite Levites. The word is derived from H7311, indicating elevation.
יַרְמוּת n.pr.loc.
Canaanitish city, with a king, named between Hebron and Lachish
Levitical city in Issachar
base
H3412 יַרְמוּת
3412 Yarmuwth yar-mooth'
from 7311; elevation; Jarmuth, the name of two places in
Palestine:--Jarmuth.
see HEBREW for 07311
יַרְמוּת (yar.mut) — Jarmuth.
§ Jarmuth = "heights"
a Canaanitish city in the lowlands of Judah with a king and located between Hebron and Lachish
יַרְמוּת (yar.mut) — Jarmuth.
§ Jarmuth = "heights"
a Levitical city of Issachar allocated to the Gershonite Levites
Conj | Prep | N-proper — Conjunction · preposition · noun properHC/R/Npl
jar'-muth (yarmuth:
(1) A city of the Canaanites in the Shephelah (Jos 15:35) of Judah whose "king," Piram, joined the league of the "five kings" against Joshua (Jos 10:3-5), was defeated at Gibeon and slain at Makkedah (10:23). One of the 31 "kings" defeated in Joshua' s campaign (Jos 12:11). In Jos 15:35 it is mentioned in conjunction with Adullam, Socoh and Azekah, and in Ne 11:29 with Zorah, Zanoah and Adullam. Cheyne (Encyclopedia Biblica) suggests that the "Maroth" of Mic 1:12 may be a copyist's error for Jarmuth. In Eusebius, Onomasticon (OS2 132 31; 266 38)…
Jarmuth
Height. (1.) A town in the plain of Judah (Josh. 15:35), originally the residence of one of the Canaanitish kings (10:3, 5, 23). It has been identified with the modern Yarmuk, a village about 7 miles north-east of Beit-Jibrin.
(2.) A Levitical city of the tribe of Issachar (Josh. 21:29), supposed by some to be the Ramah of Samuel (1 Sam. 19:22).
(high). A town in the low country of Judah. (Joshua 16:35) Its king, Piram, was one of the five who conspired. to punish Gibeon for having made alliance with Israel, (Joshua 10:3,5) and who were routed at Beth-horon and put to death by Joshua at Makkedah. ver. 33. Its site is probably the modern Yarmuk . A city of Issachar allotted with its suburbs to the Gershonite Levites. (Joshua 21:29)
fearing, or seeing, or throwing down, death