Nehemiah 11:35 — Word Study
WLCלֹ֥ד וְאוֹנ֖וֹ גֵּ֥י הַחֲרָשִֽׁים׃
BSALodLôd [a city in Palestine] and OnoʼÔwnôw [vigorous, a city in Benjamin] and in the Valleygayʼ [a deep and narrow gorge]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| לֹ֥ד | Lod | Noun proper |
| וְאוֹנ֖וֹ | and Ono | Conjunction, noun proper |
| גֵּ֥י | valley of | Noun common, both singular construct |
| הַחֲרָשִֽׁים׃ | the craftsmen | Particle, noun gentilic masculine plural absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Lod, and Ono; and in the Valley of the Craftsmen. |
| KJV | Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. |
| ASV | Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. |
| YLT | Lod, and Ono, the valley of the artificers. |
| WEB | Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. |
| BBE | Lod and Ono, the valley of expert workers. |
Where they part company is in the specifics of the locations mentioned, but they all agree on the general meaning.
The sentence is straightforward, listing locations with a simple conjunction and a prepositional phrase.
5 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Poole, AdamClarke, 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 11:35
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 Cities and Regions of Resettlementgenerated
Nehemiah 11:35 identifies specific cities and regions where the returning exiles settled after the Babylonian captivity. It emphasizes the importance of these locations in the context of rebuilding the community and its infrastructure, particularly highlighting areas known for skilled laborers.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nehemiah 7:37 | the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721; |
| 2 | 1 Chronicles 8:12 | The sons of Elpaal: Eber, Misham, Shemed (who built Ono and Lod with its villages), |
| 3 | 1 Chronicles 4:14 | Meonothai was the father of Ophrah, and Seraiah was the father of Joab, the father of those living in Ge-harashim, which was given this name because its people were craftsmen. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — הַחֲרָשִׁים, ha.charashimgenerated
The term חָרָשׁ (charash) refers to a skilled craftsman or artisan, someone proficient in working with materials such as wood or metal. This word encompasses various roles, including carpenters and engravers, indicating a high level of skill and artistry.
The plural form הַחֲרָשִׁים (ha.charashim) denotes multiple craftsmen, suggesting a community of skilled workers who contributed to the rebuilding efforts. The parsing as a noun gentilic masculine plural indicates that these individuals were recognized for their craftsmanship.
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 of the verse lists the locations: לֹד וְאוֹנ֖וֹ (lod ve.ono) followed by a prepositional phrase indicating where they are: גֵּ֥י הַחֲרָשִֽׁים (gei ha.charashim). The structure highlights the geographical significance and the skilled labor present in these areas.
The word order emphasizes the cities first, followed by the valley, suggesting a focus on the importance of these locations in the context of the returning exiles.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 11:35 lists the cities of Lod and Ono, along with the Valley of the Craftsmen, highlighting important locations where skilled workers lived and contributed to the rebuilding of the community.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Lod and Ono were important cities in the territory of Benjamin, known for their geographical and historical significance.
The craftsmen were skilled workers who played a vital role in the rebuilding efforts after the Babylonian exile.
The Valley of the Craftsmen indicates a specific area where skilled labor was concentrated, essential for the restoration of the community.
This verse contributes to the narrative by detailing the specific locations where the returning exiles settled, emphasizing the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its surroundings.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can I learn from the dedication of craftsmen in rebuilding their community?
- How does the mention of specific locations enhance my understanding of the historical context?
- In what ways can I apply the skills I have to contribute to my community?
- What significance do these cities hold in relation to the overall story of the Israelites' return?
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 11:35 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 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleOr, in the valley, &c. Or this is another place called Ge-haharasim.
Read Matthew Poole on Nehemiah 11 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 35. Lod, and Ono] These towns were built by the sons of Elpaal, 1 Chronicles 8:12. The valley of craftsmen.] See 1 Chronicles 4:14. Probably this latter town was built in this valley.
Read AdamClarke on Nehemiah 11 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges35. Lod, and Ono] Cf. Nehemiah 6:2; Ezra 2:33; 1 Chronicles 8:12. the valley of craftsmen] R.V. marg. ‘Or, Gehaharashim’. See 1 Chronicles 4:14, ‘Joab the father of Gehaharashim (marg. Or, the valley of craftsmen); for they were craftsmen.’ The R.V. treats the expression in that passage as a proper name, in the present as a term descriptive of a locality. The LXX. transliterates γῇἀρασείμ: the Vulg. gives ‘valle artificum.’
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
Lod, and Ono; and in the Valley of the Craftsmen.
Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
Lod, and Ono; and in the Valley of the Craftsmen.
in Lod, Ono, and the Valley of the Craftsmen.
Tyndale line
Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
Lod, and Ono, the valley of artificers.
Lod and Ono, in the carpenters valley.
Strictly literal
Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
Lod, and Ono, the valley of the artificers.
Lod, and Ono, the Valley of the Craftsmen.
Lod, and Ono, the valley of the carpenters.
Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
From the Latin
And Ono the valley of craftsmen.
Simplified
Lod, Ono, and in the Valley of Craftsmen.
Lod and Ono, the valley of expert workers.
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 reads לֹ֥ד וְאוֹנ֖וֹ גֵּ֥י הַחֲרָשִֽׁים׃, while the Septuagint does not preserve a corresponding text for this verse, indicating a lack of complete alignment in the translation.
לֹ֥ד וְאוֹנ֖וֹ גֵּ֥י הַחֲרָשִֽׁים׃
2 of the 4 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 11:35
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.
לֹד (lod) refers to a location in Palestine, specifically a city approximately 11 miles southeast of Joppa, known as Lydda in Greek. The name is derived from an uncertain root and is associated with the meaning 'travail.' It appears in various contexts related to its geographical significance.
לֹד n.pr.loc. = Λυδδα, Lydda, c. 11 miles SE. fr. Jaffa, toward Jerusalem
base
H3850 לֹד
3850 Lod lode
from an unused root of uncertain signification; Lod, a place
in Palestine:--Lod.
לֹד (lod) — Lod.
Lod = "travail"
a city approx 11 miles (17 km) southeast of Joppa in the plain of Sharon in the territory of Benjamin
Also named: Ludda (Λύδδα "Lydda" G3069)
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
אוֹנוֹ (Ownow) refers to a location in Palestine, specifically a city in Benjamin, described as 'vigorous.' The entries indicate it may also refer to a valley associated with craftsmen. The word is derived from a root that suggests strength, but there is no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
אוֹנוֹ n.pr.loc. (vigorous, for אונון) city in Benjamin
base
H207 אוֹנוֹ
207 'Ownow o-no'
or (shortened) ;Onow {o-no'}; prolonged from 202; strong;
Ono, a place in Palestine:--Ono.
see HEBREW for 0202
אוֹנוֹ (o.no) — Ono.
Ono = "vigorous"
city in Benjamin
2) a valley (of craftsman)
Also named: ke.phi.rim (כְּפִירִים "Hakkephirim" H3715B)
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
o'-no ('ono; Codex Vaticanus Onan; Codex Alexandrinus Ono, and other forms): A town mentioned along with Lod as fortified by certain Benjamites (1Ch 8:12). The Mishna (Arakhin ix.6) says that Joshua fortified it, but there is no such early notice of it in Scripture. It was occupied by Benjamites after the return from exile (Ezr 2:33; Ne 7:37; 11:35). In one of the villages in the plain of Ono, Sanballat and his friends vainly tried to inveigle Nehemiah into a conference (6:2). It is represented by the modern Kefr `Ana, which lies to the Northwest of Lydda. In 1 Esdras 5:22, the name appears as "Onus."
W. Ewing
Ono
A town of Benjamin, in the “plain of Ono” (1 Chr. 8:12; Ezra 2:33); now Kefr ‘Ana, 5 miles north of Lydda, and about 30 miles north-west of Jerusalem. Not succeeding in their attempts to deter Nehemiah from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, Sanballat and Tobiah resorted to strategem, and pretending to wish a conference with him, they invited him to meet them at Ono. Four times they made the request, and every time Nehemiah refused to come. Their object was to take him prisoner.
(strong), one of the towns of Benjamin, is first found in (1 Chronicles 8:12) A plain was attached to the town called "the plain of Ono" (Nehemiah 6:2) perhaps identical with the valley of craftsmen" (Nehemiah 11:35)
גַּיְא (gay) means 'valley' and specifically refers to a steep, narrow gorge. It is likely derived from a root meaning related to height. The term appears in various combinations with names of locations, indicating specific valleys, such as Topheth and Zeboim. There are no significant disagreements among the lexicons regarding its meaning.
גַּיְא n.m. valley
base
H1516 גַּיְא valley
1516 gay' gah'-ee
or (shortened) gay {gah'-ee}; probably (by transmutation)
from the same root as 1466 (abbreviated); a gorge (from its
lofty sides; hence, narrow, but not a gully or
winter-torrent):--valley.
see HEBREW for 01466
גַּיְא (gay) — Valley.
valley, a steep valley, narrow gorge
Another name of to.phet (תֹּ֫פֶת "Topheth" H8612)
גַּיְא (gay) — (Iphtahel) Valley.
valley, a steep valley, narrow gorge
Combined with yiph.tach-el (יִפְתַּח־אֵל " of Iphtahel" H3317)
גַּיְא (gay) — (Zeboim) Valley.
valley, a steep valley, narrow gorge
Combined with tse.vo.im (צְבֹעִים " of Zeboim" H6650H)
גַּיְא (gay) — (Salt) Valley.
valley, a steep valley, narrow gorge
Combined with me.lach (מֶ֫לַח " of Salt" H4417H)
גַּיְא (gay) — Ge.
§ valley, a steep valley, narrow gorge
גַּיְא (gay) — (Zephathah) Valley.
valley, a steep valley, narrow gorge
Combined with tse.pha.tah (צְפַ֫תָה "Zephathah" H6859)
גַּיְא (gay) — Valley (Gate).
§ valley, a steep valley, narrow gorge
גַּיְא (gay) — (Hamon-gog) Valley.
valley, a steep valley, narrow gorge
N-cs — Noun common · both singular constructHNcbsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
חָרָשׁ (charash) refers to a craftsman or artificer, encompassing roles such as engraver, carpenter, and worker in various materials. The word is derived from a root meaning to fabricate or work skillfully. It can also figuratively describe someone skilled in destruction, like warriors. The entries consistently highlight its connection to craftsmanship without notable disagreement.
חָרָשׁ n.m. graver, artificer
base
H2796 חָרָשׁ graver, artificer
2796 charash khaw-rawsh'
from 2790; a fabricator or any material:--artificer, (+)
carpenter, craftsman, engraver, maker, + mason, skilful, (+)
smith, worker, workman, such as wrought.
see HEBREW for 02790
חָרָשׁ, חֲרָשִׁים (cha.rash) — artificer.
1) craftsman, artisan, engraver, graver, artificer
1a) graver, artificer
1b) skilful to destroy (warriors) (fig.)
HTd/Ngmpa — Particle · noun gentilic masculine plural absoluteHTd/Ngmpa