Nehemiah 11:32 — Word Study
WLCעֲנָת֥וֹת נֹ֖ב עֲנָֽנְיָֽה׃
BSAin AnathothʻĂnâthôwth [at, near, city of answers to prayer] NobNôb [priestly city, city of the priests] AnaniahʻĂnanyâh [town, settlement, place of answered prayer]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| עֲנָת֥וֹת | Anathoth | Noun proper |
| נֹ֖ב | Nob | Noun proper |
| עֲנָֽנְיָֽה׃ | Ananiah | Noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, |
| KJV | And at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, |
| ASV | at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, |
| YLT | Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, |
| WEB | at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, |
| BBE | At Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, |
Where they part company is in the specific names of the cities mentioned — see How Translations Differ.
The structure is straightforward, listing locations without additional clauses.
4 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, AdamClarke, 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 11:32
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 Settlements of Benjamingenerated
Nehemiah 11:32 lists the cities where the descendants of Benjamin settled after the return from exile. These cities were important for the community's restoration and reflect the geographical distribution of the tribes in the land of Israel. The mention of Anathoth, Nob, and Ananiah highlights areas significant for their historical and spiritual connections, especially regarding the priesthood and prophetic heritage.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nehemiah 7:27 | the men of Anathoth, 128; |
| 2 | Joshua 21:18 | Anathoth, and Almon—four cities, together with their pasturelands. |
| 3 | Isaiah 10:30 | Cry aloud, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! O wretched Anathoth! |
| 4 | Jeremiah 1:1 | These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. |
| 5 | 1 Samuel 21:1 | Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — עֲנָתוֹת, a.na.Totgenerated
The name עֲנָתוֹת (Anathoth) is a proper noun referring to a city in Benjamin, about three miles northeast of Jerusalem. It is known as the birthplace of the prophet Jeremiah and is interpreted as 'answers to prayer'. This city was significant for its priestly connections, as it was allotted to priests.
In this verse, it serves as a geographical marker, indicating where certain descendants of Benjamin lived. The word's parsing as a noun proper emphasizes its identity as a specific location rather than a common noun.
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 main clause is established by a prepositional phrase: בְּעֲנָת֥וֹת, in Anathoth, which sets the location. This is followed by a noun phrase listing the other cities: נֹ֖ב and עֲנָֽנְיָֽה.
The structure indicates a straightforward listing of locations, with the preposition 'in' indicating the context of where the descendants of Benjamin resided.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 11:32 mentions three places where the descendants of Benjamin settled after returning from exile: Anathoth, Nob, and Ananiah. Anathoth is known as a city of answers to prayer, Nob is recognized as a priestly city, and Ananiah is a place associated with answered prayer.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Anathoth is significant as the birthplace of the prophet Jeremiah and a city allotted to priests, symbolizing a connection to prayer and prophecy.
Nob served as a center for priests and was important in the religious life of the Israelites, located near Jerusalem.
Ananiah means 'Jehovah clouds' and refers both to a person and a city, indicating a place of refuge and divine presence.
These cities reflect the distribution of the tribes in the land and the importance of priestly and prophetic heritage in Israel's history.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does the name Anathoth suggest about the city's role in prayer and prophecy?
- How do these settlements reflect the identity and heritage of the tribe of Benjamin?
- In what ways can we see the significance of priestly cities in our understanding of worship today?
- How might the historical context of these cities inform our reading of the Old Testament?
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 11:32 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 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 32. Ananiah] No city of this name is known.
Read AdamClarke on Nehemiah 11 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges32. Anathoth] See on Ezra 2:23. Nob] Cf. 1 Samuel 22:11. Ananiah] Only mentioned here. It has been by some identified with ‘beit-Hannina,’ a village two miles N. of Jerusalem.
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 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
in Anathoth, Nob, and Ananiah,
Tyndale line
And at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah;
And at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
Strictly literal
in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
'Anathoth, Nob, 'Ananyah,
at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
From the Latin
At Anathoth, Nob, Anania,
Simplified
in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
At Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
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 עֲנָת֥וֹת נֹ֖ב עֲנָֽנְיָֽה׃, and the Septuagint matches all three words, indicating agreement in the names of the locations.
עֲנָת֥וֹת נֹ֖ב עֲנָֽנְיָֽה׃
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 11:32
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.
עֲנָתוֹת (Anathoth) refers to a city in Benjamin, located about 3 miles northeast of Jerusalem, known as the birthplace of the prophet Jeremiah. It also denotes two individuals from the tribe of Benjamin. The name is interpreted as "answers to prayer." The entries consistently identify its geographical and personal significance.
עֲנָתוֹת and עֲנָתֹת n.pr.
loc. c. 3 miles NNE. from Jerusalem
m.
base
H6068 עֲנָתוֹת and עֲנָתֹת c. 3 miles NNE. from Jerusalem
6068 `Anathowth an-aw-thoth'
plural of 6067; Anathoth, the name of two Israelites, also of
a place in Pal:--Anathoth.
see HEBREW for 06067
עֲנָתוֹת (a.na.tot) — Anathoth.
Anathoth = "answers to prayer"
a city of Benjamin allotted to the priest; located approximately 3 miles (5 km) from Jerusalem; birthplace of the prophet Jeremiah
Also named: an.to.ti (עַנְּתֹתִי "Anathoth" H6069)
עֲנָתוֹת (a.na.tot) — Anathoth.
A man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, only mentioned at 1Ch.7.8;
son of: Becher (H1071);
brother of: Zemirah (H2160), Joash (H3135), Eliezer (H0461I), Elioenai (H0454I), Omri (H6018H), Jeremoth (H3406H), Abijah (H0029K) and Alemeth (H5964H)
§ Anathoth = "answers to prayer"
1) son of Becher and grandson of Benjamin
2) one of the heads of the people who signed the covenant with Nehemiah
3) a city of Benjamin allotted to the priest; located approximately 3 miles (5 km) from Jerusalem; birthplace of the prophet Jeremiah
עֲנָתוֹת (a.na.tot) — Anathoth.
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
an'-a-thoth (`anathoth; Anathoth): A town which lay between Michmash and Jerusalem (Isa 10:30), in the territory of Benjamin, assigned to the Levites (Jos 21:18). It was the native place of Abiathar (1Ki 2:26), and of the prophet Jer (Jer 1:1; 11:21 ff, etc.). Here lay the field which, under remarkable circumstances, the prophet purchased (Jer 32:7 ff). Two of David's distinguished soldiers, Abiezer (2Sa 23:27) and Jehu (1Ch 12:3), also hailed from Anathoth. It was again occupied by the Benjamites after the return…
Anathoth
The name of one of the cities of refuge, in the tribe of Benjamin (Josh. 21:18). The Jews, as a rule, did not change the names of the towns they found in Palestine; hence this town may be regarded as deriving its name from the goddess Anat. It was the native place of Abiezer, one of David’s “thirty” (2 Sam. 23:27), and of Jehu, another of his mighty men (1 Chr. 12:3). It is chiefly notable, however, as the birth-place and usual residence of Jeremiah (Jer. 1:1; 11:21-23; 29:27; 32:7-9). It suffered greatly from the army of Sennacherib, and only 128 men returned to it from the Exile (Neh. 7:27;
a priests’ city belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, with "suburbs." (Joshua 21:18; 1 Chronicles 6:60) Anathoth lay about three miles from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 10:30) The cultivation of the priests survives in tilled fields of grain, with figs and olives. There are the remains of walls and strong foundations, and the quarries still supply Jerusalem with building stones.
נֹב (nob) refers to an ancient priestly city located just north of Jerusalem. It is described as a high place and served as a station in an ideal Assyrian march. The word is linked to the concept of a 'fruit' in a broader sense, but primarily denotes this specific geographical location.
נֹב n.pr.loc.
ancient priestly city
just N. of Jerus., station in (ideal) Assyr. march
base
H5011 נֹב . ancient priestly city
. just N. of Jerus., station in (ideal) Assyr. march
5011 Nob nobe
the same as 5108; fruit; Nob, a place in Palestine:--Nob.
see HEBREW for 05108
נֹב (nov) — Nob.
§ Nob = "high place"
a priestly city in the Benjamin situated on some eminence north but near Jerusalem
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
nob (nobh; Codex Vaticanus Nomba; Codex Alexandrinus Noba, and other forms): An ancient priestly town to which David came on his way South when he fled from Saul at Gibeah (1Sa 21:1). Here he found refuge and succor with Ahimelech. This was observed by Doeg the Edomite, who informed the king, and afterward became the instrument of Saul's savage vengeance on the priests, and on all the inhabitants of the city (1Sa 22). The name occurs in Ne 11:32 in a list of cities, immediately after Anathoth. In Isaiah's ideal account of the Assyrians' march against Jerusalem, Nob is clearly placed South of Anathoth. Here, says the prophet, the Assyrian shall shake his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. It was a place, therefore, from which the Holy City and the…
Nob
High place, a city of the priests, first mentioned in the history of David’s wanderings (1 Sam. 21:1). Here the tabernacle was then standing, and here Ahimelech the priest resided. (See AHIMELECH.) From Isa. 10:28-32 it seems to have been near Jerusalem. It has been identified by some with el-Isawiyeh, one mile and a half to the north-east of Jerusalem. But according to Isa. 10:28-32 it was on the south of Geba, on the road to Jerusalem, and within sight of the city. This identification does not meet these conditions, and hence others (as Dean Stanley) think that it was the northern summit of Mount Olivet, the place where David “worshipped God” when fleeing from Absalom (2…
(high place) (1 Samuel 22:19; Nehemiah 11:32) a sacerdotal city in the tribe of Benjamin and situated on some eminence near Jerusalem. It was one of the places where the ark of Jehovah was kept for a time during the days of its wanderings. (2 Samuel 6:1) etc. But the event for which Nob was most noted in the Scripture annals was a frightful massacre which occurred there in the reign of Saul. (1 Samuel 22:17-19)
עֲנַנְיָה (Ananyah) means 'Jehovah has covered' and refers to both a man and a place in Palestine. The man Ananiah is mentioned in Nehemiah 3:23 as an ancestor of Azariah, involved in rebuilding the city wall during the Exile and Return. Additionally, Ananiah is noted as a city northwest of Jerusalem, to which some Benjamite exiles returned.
H6055 עֲנַנְיָה
6055 `Ananyah an-an-yaw'
from 6049 and 3050; Jah has covered; Ananjah, the name of an
Israelite and of a place in Palestine:--Ananiah.
see HEBREW for 06049
see HEBREW for 03050
עֲנַנְיָה (a.nan.yah) — Ananiah.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.3.23;
father of: Maaseiah (H4641P)
§ Ananiah = "Jehovah clouds"
1) ancestor of Azariah who assisted in rebuilding the city wall in the time of Nehemiah
2) a city northwest of Jerusalem to which some Benjamite exiles returned
עֲנַנְיָה (a.nan.yah) — Ananiah.
§ Ananiah = "Jehovah clouds"
a city northwest of Jerusalem to which some Benjamite exiles returned
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
an-a-ni'-a `ananyah, ("Yah has covered"):
(1) Grandfather of Azariah. He assisted in repairing the walls of Jerusalem after his return from the exile (Ne 3:23).
(2) A town of Benjamin mentioned in connection with Nob and Hazor (Ne 11:32). It is commonly identified with Beit Hanina, between three and four miles North-Northwest from Jerusalem.
Ananiah
Protected by Jehovah, the name of a town in the tribe of Benjamin between Nob and Hazor (Neh. 11:32). It is probably the modern Beit Hanina, a small village 3 miles north of Jerusalem.
a place, named between Nob and Hazor, in which the Benjamites lived after their return from captivity. (Nehemiah 11:32)