Nehemiah 12:15 — Word Study
WLCלְחָרִ֣ם עַדְנָ֔א לִמְרָי֖וֹת חֶלְקָֽי׃
BSAof HarimChârim [dedicated, a priestly family] AdnaʻAdnâʼ [rest, a plea] of MeraiothMᵉrâyôwth [rebellious, a priestly clan] HelkaiChelqay△ [a chief, a leader]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| לְחָרִ֣ם | of Harim | Preposition, noun proper masculine |
| עַדְנָ֔א | Adna | Noun proper masculine |
| לִמְרָי֖וֹת | of Meraioth | Preposition, noun proper masculine |
| חֶלְקָֽי׃ | Helkai | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; |
| KJV | Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; |
| ASV | of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; |
| YLT | of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; |
| WEB | of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; |
| BBE | Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; |
Where they part company is in the arrangement of the names, but the content remains consistent across translations.
The structure consists of two main clauses, each listing a priestly family and their representative, indicating a clear organization in the genealogy.
2 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 4 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
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 12:15
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 Priestly Families of Nehemiahgenerated
Nehemiah 12:15 lists the names of priests who returned from exile, emphasizing the restoration of the priestly order in Jerusalem. This verse is part of a genealogy that reestablishes the identity and roles of these families in the post-exilic community, highlighting their importance in religious life and worship.
Cross References
The Key Word — חָרִם, le.cha.Rimgenerated
The name חָרִם (Charim) means 'dedicated' and refers to a priestly family that returned with Zerubbabel. This family played a significant role in the restoration of the temple and the community after the exile.
The parsing as a proper masculine noun indicates its use as a name rather than a common noun, linking it directly to the identity of the priestly clan.
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 lists the names of the priestly families, with each name followed by a description of their significance. The structure is straightforward, presenting a series of noun phrases connected by prepositional phrases.
The order emphasizes the lineage and roles of these families, with the prepositional phrases indicating their connection to the priestly line.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates חָרִם as αρεμ, which retains the meaning of 'dedicated'. This choice aligns with the Hebrew meaning, indicating the translators' intention to preserve the significance of the priestly heritage.
The Greek rendering does not introduce new interpretations but maintains the original intent of the Hebrew text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 12:15 lists the names of priests who returned from exile, including Harim and Adna, as well as Meraioth and Helkai. These names highlight the importance of these families in the restoration of the Jewish community and their roles in temple service.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The names represent priestly families that played crucial roles in the restoration of worship and community life after the exile.
Harim is a priestly family known for their dedication, while Meraioth refers to a clan associated with rebellion, highlighting the diverse backgrounds of those returning.
Genealogy establishes the legitimacy and continuity of the priestly line, which was essential for the restoration of temple worship.
Helkai means 'my portion is Jehovah,' indicating a connection to divine service and leadership among the priests.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How does understanding the priestly lineage enhance our appreciation of the restoration period in Jerusalem?
- What can we learn from the dedication of these families as we consider our own commitments to community and service?
- In what ways can we honor our spiritual heritage in our current practices?
- How do the names and meanings of these individuals reflect the broader themes of restoration and identity in the Old Testament?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 12:15 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryOf Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Nehemiah 12 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(12-26) List of representatives of Zerubbabel’s priests in the days of Joiakim; to which is added an account of the Levites in his day. Between these there is an interpolation (Nehemiah 12:22-23).
Read Charles John Ellicott on Nehemiah 12 →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
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
of Harim, Adna; of Meremoth, Helkai;
Tyndale line
Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
Vnder Harim, Adna, vnder Maraioth, Helkai,
Strictly literal
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
Of Charim, 'Adna; of Merayoth, Chelkai;
Adna was the leader of Harim, Helkai the leader of Meremoth,
From the Latin
Of Haram, Edna: of Maraioth, Helci:
Simplified
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
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 wording of this verse, with all four names matched directly. This consistency reinforces the reliability of the genealogical record.
לְחָרִ֣ם עַדְנָ֔א לִמְרָי֖וֹת חֶלְקָֽי׃
4 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 12:15
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.
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun proper masculineHR/Npm
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
עַדְנָא (Adna) refers to a name meaning 'rest' or 'pleasure.' It identifies two individuals in the Old Testament: one from the family of Pahath-moab who returned with Ezra and married a foreign wife, and a priest from the lineage of Harim during the days of Joiakim. The name appears in Ezra 10:30 and Nehemiah 12:15.
H5733 עַדְנָא
5733 `Adna' ad-naw'
from 5727; pleasure; Adna, the name of two
Israelites:--Adna.
see HEBREW for 05727
עַדְנָא (ad.na) — Adna.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.30
§ Adna = "rest" or "pleasure"
1) one of the family of Pahath-moab who returned with Ezra and married a foreign wife
2) a priest, descendant of Harim in the days of Joiakim, the son of Jeshua
עַדְנָא (ad.na) — Adna.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.12.15
§ Adna = "rest" or "pleasure"
1) one of the family of Pahath-moab who returned with Ezra and married a foreign wife
2) a priest, descendant of Harim in the days of Joiakim, the son of Jeshua
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
ad'-na (`adhna', "pleasure"; Aidaine):
(1) An Israelite in Ezra's time who, having married a foreign wife, divorced her. He belonged to Pahath-moab (Ezr 10:30).
(2) A priest of the family of Harum, during the high-priesthood of Joiakim son of Jethua (Ne 12:12-15).
(rest, pleasure). One of the family of Pahath-moab, who returned with Ezra and married a foreign wife. (Ezra 10:30) (B.C. 459.) A priest, descendant of Harim in the days of Joiakim, the son of Jeshua. (Nehemiah 12:15) (B.C. 500.)
pleasure; delight
מְרָיוֹת (Merayoth) is a plural form meaning 'rebellious' and refers to individuals from the priestly lineage of Aaron. It identifies a man from the tribe of Levi, noted for his connections to Ahitub and Zadok, and is mentioned in contexts related to the Divided Monarchy and the Exile. The name appears in 1 Chronicles 6:6 and Ezra 8:33.
מְרָיוֹת n.pr.m.
descendant of Aaron
grandfather of Ahitub and great-grandfather of Zadok
as son of Ahitub and father of Zadok
name of a priestly house
base
H4812 מְרָיוֹת
4812 Mrayowth mer-aw-yohth'
plural of 4811; rebellious; Merajoth, the name of two
Israelites:--Meraioth.
see HEBREW for 04811
מְרָיוֹת (me.ra.vot) — Meraioth.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.6.6;
son of: Zerahiah (H2228);
father of: Amariah (H0568)
§ Meraioth = "rebellious"
1) grandfather of Ahitub, descendant of Eleazar the son of Aaron, and the head of a priestly house
2) son of Ahitub, father of Zadok, descendant of Eleazar the son of Aaron, and the head of a priestly house
3) head of a family of priests represented by Helkai in the time of Joiakim, the son of Jeshua
מְרָיוֹת (me.ra.vot) — Meraioth.
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;
Another name of me.re.mot (מְרֵמוֹת "Meremoth" H4822G)
§ Meraioth = "rebellious"
1) grandfather of Ahitub, descendant of Eleazar the son of Aaron, and the head of a priestly house
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun proper masculineHR/Npm
Meraioth
Rebellions. (1.) Father of Amariah, a high priest of the line of Eleazar (1 Chr. 6:6, 7, 52).
(2.) Neh. 12:15, a priest who went to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel. He is called Meremoth in Neh. 12:3.
(rebellious). A descendant of Eleazar the son of Aaron and head of a priestly house. (1 Chronicles 6:61; 7:62) It is apparently another Meraioth who comes in between Zadok and Ahitub in the genealogy of Azariah. (1 Chronicles 9:11; Nehemiah 11:11) The head of one of the houses of priests, which in the time of Joiakim the son of Jeshua was represented by helkai. (Nehemiah 12:15)
bitterness; rebellious; changing
חֶלְקָ֑י (Chelqay) is a Hebrew name meaning 'my portion is Jehovah.' It refers to an Israelite priest mentioned in Nehemiah 12:15, who lived during the time of Joiakim. The name is derived from the root meaning 'apportioned,' indicating a connection to divine allocation.
חֶלְקָ֑י n.pr.m. priest, time of Joiakim son of Jeshua, Ne 12:15
ref
H2517 חֶלְקָ֑י, חֶלְקַי
2517 Chelqay khel-kah'ee
from 2505; apportioned; Chelkai, an Israelite:--Helkai.
see HEBREW for 02505
חֶלְקָ֑י (chel.qay) — Helkai.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.12.15
§ Helkai = "my portion is Jehovah"
chief of Meremoth's priestly family in the time of Joiakim
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
hel'-ka-i, hel'-ki, hel-ka'-i (chelqay, perhaps an abbreviation for Helkiah, "Yah is my portion." Not in the Septuagint's Codex Vaticanus; Codex L: Chelkias (Ne 12:15)): The head of a priestly house in the days of Joiakim.
Helkai
Smooth-tongued, one of the chief priests in the time of Joiakim (Neh. 12:15).
same as Helek
→ A priest Ne 12:15