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Nehemiah 4:8 — Word Study

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WLCוַיִּקְשְׁר֤וּ כֻלָּם֙ יַחְדָּ֔ו לָב֖וֹא לְהִלָּחֵ֣ם בִּירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וְלַעֲשׂ֥וֹת ל֖וֹ תּוֹעָֽה׃

BSAand fightlâcham [to wage war, to cause confusion]

Word
Listen & take awayNehemiah 4
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 8 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (to.'Ah) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Nehemiah 4:8quick helps
In a sentenceThe conspirators united to attack Jerusalem and create trouble.
Who is speakingThe narrative describes the actions of a group conspiring against Jerusalem.
Where we areThis verse is part of a larger account of opposition faced during the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls.
The hard wordתּוֹעָֽה
Take awayTheir plan was to cause confusion and hinder the rebuilding efforts.
6 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them › clause verbרָאָה The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

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 4:8

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 — Opposition to the Rebuilding of Jerusalemgenerated

7When Sanballat and Tobiah, together with the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites, heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they were furious,
8and all of them conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem and create a hindrance.
9So we prayed to our God and posted a guard against them day and night.
10Meanwhile, the people of Judah said: “The strength of the laborer fails, and there is so much rubble that we will never be able to rebuild the wall.”

Nehemiah 4:8 describes a coalition of adversaries who conspired against Jerusalem as the people worked to rebuild its walls. This conspiracy arose in response to the progress made in repairing the city, revealing the tensions and challenges faced by the Jewish community during this period. The verse highlights the unity of the conspirators in their intent to disrupt the restoration efforts.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 2:1–3Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
2Psalm 83:3–11With cunning they scheme against Your people and conspire against those You cherish,
3Isaiah 8:9–10Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!
4Acts 23:12–13When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
5Jeremiah 20:10For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our vengeance upon him.”

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 5 references, hung on the phrase they belong to

hinder itJeremiah 20:10

The Key Word וַיִּקְשְׁר֤וּ, vai.yik.she.Rugenerated

The verb קָשַׁר (qashar) means to conspire or bind together, indicating a deliberate alliance formed for a specific purpose. In this context, it signifies the collective plotting of the adversaries against Jerusalem.

The parsing as a sequential imperfect third person masculine plural indicates that this action was ongoing and involved multiple individuals acting in concert. The use of this verb emphasizes the intentionality behind their actions.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the phrase conspired.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb וַיִּקְשְׁר֤וּ governs the entire verse, indicating the conspiratorial action. The structure includes a noun phrase as the subject, followed by several prepositional phrases that detail the actions and intentions of the conspirators.

The sentence is built around the verb, with additional phrases providing context about the conspirators' unity and their target, Jerusalem. This structure highlights the coordinated effort against the city.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates וַיִּקְשְׁר֤וּ with εἶδον (eidon), which means 'to see'. This choice may imply an awareness of the conspirators' actions rather than a direct translation of 'conspired'.

This translation choice suggests a focus on the observation of the conspiracy rather than the act itself, indicating a different interpretive angle by the translators.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Nehemiah 4:8 tells us that all the enemies of Jerusalem joined together to plot against the city. They aimed to fight and create confusion, trying to hinder the rebuilding efforts that were taking place.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that they conspired?

To conspire means to plot together with others for a common purpose, often in secrecy, indicating a united effort against Jerusalem.

Why were they fighting against Jerusalem?

They were likely motivated by a desire to prevent the restoration of Jerusalem and to maintain their own power and influence in the region.

What was the significance of Jerusalem at this time?

Jerusalem was the capital of Judah and a central place of worship, making its rebuilding crucial for the Jewish community's identity and faith.

How did the people respond to this conspiracy?

The narrative indicates that the people prayed to God and took measures to guard against the threats posed by their enemies.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What are some ways I can stand firm against opposition in my own life, like the people of Jerusalem?
  2. How can I work together with others to achieve a common goal, especially in challenging circumstances?
  3. In what areas of my life do I need to seek God's help to overcome obstacles?
  4. How can understanding the historical context of Jerusalem's rebuilding help me appreciate its significance today?

Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 4:8 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And conspired all of them together,.... All the above men and people entered into a confederacy and combination: to come and to fight against Jerusalem; to bring an army with them, and by force cause

Read John Gill on Nehemiah 4 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. No JFB commentary on these verses.

Read Robert Jamieson on Nehemiah 4 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Nehemiah 4:8 And conspired all of them together to come [and] to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.Ver. 8. And conspired all of them together] All of them, and together; and yet this was not unity, but conspiracy; such as is that among devils, Mark 5:9, among Antichristians, Revelation 17:13, among Turks, who have as little dissension in their religion as any. But well may that garment have no seam that hath no shape. The army of Nineveh was quiet, Nahum 1:12, no falling out nor complaining in their hosts; hence their king marched on, passed through. But so did not these conspirators, because they met with those that were no less well combined and far better resolved than…

Read John Trapp on Nehemiah 4 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(8) And conspired.—Not fearing the Persian authority, they resolved to attack the city; but it will be seen that they soon abandoned that project. To hinder it.—Rather, to do it hurt.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Nehemiah 4 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

8. and conspired all of them] R.V. and they conspired all of them. R.V. makes a stronger pause at the close of Neh 4:7, substituting a semicolon for the comma. ‘Conspired.’ The word here used is the usual term for secret treachery. to come and to fight] R.V. to come and fight. Literally ‘to come fight’ without the copula. This idiom, which occurs again in Nehemiah 9:15; Nehemiah 9:23 (cf. 1 Chronicles 12:31; 2 Chronicles 20:11), combines the thought of the two infinitives, the latter being epexegetic of the former. It is equivalent ‘to come for the purpose of fighting.’ and to hinder it] R.V. and to cause confusion therein. More literally ‘and to cause confusion to him.’ The masc. pronoun…

Read Cambridge on Nehemiah 4 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

8. To come… to fight… to hinder — None of these purposes, however, seem to have been carried out by the conspiring parties. The Hebrew here for hinder, is, literally to do to it a disturbance.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Nehemiah 4 →

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

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

and all of them conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem and create a hindrance.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

and they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion among us.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

and all of them conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem and create a hindrance.

NETBNew English Translation2006

All of them conspired together to move with armed forces against Jerusalem and to create a disturbance in it.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein.

RVARevised Version, American1894

and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And conspired all together to come and to fight against Ierusalem, and to hinder them.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

and conspired all of them together to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

and they conspire, all of them together, to come in to fight against Jerusalem, and to do to it injury.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

and they conspire, all of them together, to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to do to it injury.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

(4:2) And they conspired all of them together to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to do it an injury.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

They all conspired together, and they came to fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And they all assembled themselves together, to come, and to fight against Jerusalem, and to prepare ambushes.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

They all plotted together to come and attack Jerusalem and to throw everything into confusion.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And they made designs, all of them together, to come and make an attack on Jerusalem, causing trouble there.

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.

וַandclauseverbיִּקְשְׁר֤וּthey.conspirednoun phrase · subjectכֻלָּof.themם֙alladverbialיַחְדָּ֔וtogetherprepositional phrase · prepositionalלָtoclauseverbב֖וֹאcomeprepositional phrase · prepositionalprepositional phraseלְtoclauseverbהִלָּחֵ֣םwage.warprepositional phrase · prepositionalבִּagainstירוּשָׁלִָ֑םJerusalemוְandprepositional phraseלַtoclauseverbעֲשׂ֥וֹתmakeprepositional phrase · prepositionalל֖forוֹitobjectתּוֹעָֽהconfusion

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 in the wording of this verse, with all nine words matched. This consistency indicates that the core message of the verse has been preserved across these traditions.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וַיִּקְשְׁר֤וּ כֻלָּם֙ יַחְדָּ֔ו לָב֖וֹא לְהִלָּחֵ֣ם בִּירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וְלַעֲשׂ֥וֹת ל֖וֹ תּוֹעָֽה׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַיִּקְשְׁר֤וּεἶδονכֻלָּם֙ἀνέστηνיַחְדָּ֔וκαὶלָב֖וֹאπρὸςלְהִלָּחֵ֣םἐντίμουςבִּירוּשָׁלִָ֑םπρὸςוְלַעֲשׂ֥וֹתκαὶל֖וֹπρὸςתּוֹעָֽה׃τοῦ

9 of the 9 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.

Nehemiah 4:8קָשַׁרand they coand they conspiקָשַׁרכֹּלall of themall of themכֹּליַ֫חַדtogethertogetherיַ֫חַדבּוֹאto cometo comeבּוֹאלָחַםto wage warto wage warלָחַםיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫against Jeragainst Jerusalיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫עָשָׂהand to makeand to makeעָשָׂהוֹfor itfor itוֹתּוֹעָהconfusionconfusionתּוֹעָהכָּלַלto perfectto perfectכָּלַליָחַדbe joinedbe joinedיָחַדיְרוּשְׁלֵםJerusalemJerusalemיְרוּשְׁלֵםיָרָאto shootto shootיָרָאתָּעָהto go astrto go astrayתָּעָהקֶ֫שֶׁרconspiracyconspiracyקֶ֫שֶׁרזִמְרִיZimriZimriזִמְרִיעֵדָהcongregaticongregationעֵדָהעֲבֹדָהserviceserviceעֲבֹדָהיָעַדto appointto appointיָעַדרוּןto overcomto overcomeרוּןשֶׁ֫מֶשׁsunsunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁעַמּוֹןAmmonAmmonעַמּוֹןפְּלִשְׁתִּי(Sea of th(Sea of the) Phפְּלִשְׁתִּימָלַךְto reignto reignמָלַךְחוֹמָהwallwallחוֹמָהמְלָאכָהworkworkמְלָאכָהתּוֹעֵבַהabominatioabominationתּוֹעֵבַה
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Nehemiah 4:8

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.

and they conspired all of them together to come to wage war against Jerusalem and to make for it confusion
וַיִּקְשְׁר֤וּvai.yik.she.Ru and they conspired H7194 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
44× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this verb means to tie or bind something, like when God bound Isaac in Genesis 22:9. It can also mean to conspire or make an alliance, as in 2 Samuel 15:31. The KJV translates it as bind or conspire.
Tyndale gloss
to conspire
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

קָשַׁר (qashar) is a Hebrew verb meaning to bind or tie together, both physically and mentally, as in forming a league or conspiring. The entries describe its various uses, including binding fast or being bound up, and it appears in different grammatical forms. Notably, it is used in the context of relationships, such as the life of Jonathan being bound to David's.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

קָשַׁר vb. bind, league together, conspire

Qal

bind

league together, conspire

Niph. the life of Jonathan was bound up with the life of D.

Pi.

bind on (as ornament)

bind fast

Pu. = Qal 1 c.

Hithp. conspire

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7194 קָשַׁר bind, league together, conspire .. bind

. league together, conspire

. the life of Jonathan was bound up with the life of D.

. . bind on (as ornament)

. bind fast

. = Qal 1 c.

. conspire

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7194 qashar kaw-shar'

a primitive root: to tie, physically (gird, confine, compact)

or mentally (in love, league):--bind (up), (make a)

conspire(-acy, -ator), join together, knit, stronger, work

(treason).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

קָשַׁר (qa.shar) — to conspire.

1) to bind, tie, bind together, league together, conspire

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to bind, confine

1a2) to league together, conspire

1b) (Niphal) to be bound, be bound up

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to bind on

1c2) to bind fast

1c3) to bind, tie

1c4) to bind to oneself

1d) (Pual) robust, vigorous (participle)

1e) (Hithpael) to conspire

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Hc/Vqw3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
Hc/Vqw3mp
and they conspired all of them together to come to wage war against Jerusalem and to make for it confusion
כֻלָּם֙khu.Lam all of them H3605 Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all

. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;

hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a

plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any

(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as

many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNcmsc/Sp3mp — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HNcmsc/Sp3mp
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and they conspired all of them together to come to wage war against Jerusalem and to make for it confusion
יַחְדָּ֔וyach.Dav together H3162 Adverb
141× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This adverb means together, describing people doing something in unity, like in Psalm 133:1.
Tyndale gloss
unitedness
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יַ֫חַד (yachad) refers to the concept of unitedness or being together. It can function as a noun meaning 'unitedness' and as an adverb meaning 'together.' The word is built from a root that emphasizes unity and is used in various contexts in the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יַ֫חַד 45 n.[m.] unitedness

as subst.

elsewhere always in acc. as adv. in union, together

base

יָחְדָּו 92 adv. together

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3162a יַ֫חַד unitedness . as subst.

. elsewhere always in acc. as adv. in union, together

H3162b יָחְדָּו adv. together

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3162 yachad yakh'-ad

from 3161; properly, a unit, i.e. (adverb) unitedly:--alike,

at all (once), both, likewise, only, (al-)together, withal.

see HEBREW for 03161

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יַ֫חַד (ya.chad) — unitedness.

1) union, unitedness

יָחְדָּו (yach.dav) — together.

adv

together

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HD — Adverb
HD
and they conspired all of them together to come to wage war against Jerusalem and to make for it confusion
לָב֖וֹאla.Vo' to come H935 Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
2,573× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to go or come, and is used in many contexts, such as entering a place or approaching someone, as seen in the book of Genesis. It can also mean to abide or apply, and is translated in various ways in the KJV Bible. This term is related to the name Lebo Hamath.
Tyndale gloss
Lebo
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בּוֹא (bo) is a Hebrew verb meaning to come or go in, with a wide range of applications including entering, arriving, and bringing in. It can refer to both physical movement and abstract concepts like events coming to pass. The verb appears in various forms, such as Qal (to come), Hiphil (to cause to come), and Hophal (to be brought). There is no significant disagreement among lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בּוֹא 2569 vb. come in, come, go in, go

Qal

come in

come (approach, arrive)

go, i.e. walk, associate with

go from speaker, but with limit of motion given

Hiph.

cause to come in, bring in (conduct, lead, obj. persons and animals)

cause to come, bring, bring near, etc. (animate obj.)

Hoph.

be brought in (of pers. and things)

be brought

be introduced, put

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H935 בּוֹא come in, come, go in, go .. come in

. come (approach, arrive)

. go, i.e. walk, associate with

. go from speaker, but with limit of motion given

. . cause to come in, bring in (conduct, lead, obj. persons and animals)

. cause to come, bring, bring near, etc. (animate obj.)

. . be brought in (of pers. and things)

. be brought

. be introduced, put

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

935 bow' bo

a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of

applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, +

besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X

certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out,

upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ,

(cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be

fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war),

grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention,

pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken

(in age), X surely, take (in), way.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בּוֹא (bo) — to come (in): come.

: come/go_in

1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to enter, come in

1a2) to come

1a2a) to come with

1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy)

1a2c) to come to pass

1a3) to attain to

1a4) to be enumerated

1a5) to go

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to lead in

1b2) to carry in

1b3) to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon

1b4) to bring to pass

1c) (Hophal)

1c1) to be brought, brought in

1c2) to be introduced, be put

לְב֥וֹא (bo) — Lebo-(Hamath).

This name means to go in, enter

Combined with cha.mat (חֲמָת "Hamath" H2574)

בּוֹא (bo) — to come (in): towards.

: towards/entrance

1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to enter, come in

1a2) to come

1a2a) to come with

1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy)

1a2c) to come to pass

1a3) to attain to

1a4) to be enumerated

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Vqcc — Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
HR/Vqcc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kum: The translation of many Hebrew and Greek words. In the phrase "The Spirit of Yahweh came mightily upon him" (Jud 14:6,19; 15:14; 1Sa 10:10; 11:6; 16:13), the word is tsaleah; Jud 14:6; 15:14 "came mightily," which is the uniform translation of the Revised Version (British and American) (compare Jud 13:25 "to move," i.e. to disturb or stir up). In Jud 6:34; 1Ch 12:18; 2Ch 24:20, it is labhesh, "to clothe"; the Revised Version, margin "The Spirit .... clothed itself with Gideon" and .... "with Zechariah,"…

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and they conspired all of them together to come to wage war against Jerusalem and to make for it confusion
לְהִלָּחֵ֣םle.hi.la.Chem to wage war H3898 Preposition · verb niphal infinitive construct common
177× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means to feed on or consume something, often referring to eating food or battling against someone. It's used in stories like David's battles and the Israelites' struggles in the wilderness.
Amplified meaning
to wage war, to cause confusion
Tyndale gloss
to fight
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word לָחַם (lacham) has two primary meanings: to fight or do battle, and to eat or use as food. It is a primitive root that conveys both the act of engaging in combat and the act of consuming food. The entries indicate that the word can imply destruction in the context of battle.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[לָחַם] 171 vb. fight, do battle

Qal fight, do battle

Niph. engage in battle (recipr.), sometimes wage war

base

[לָחַם] vb. use as food, eat

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3898a לָחַם fight, do battle .fight, do battle

. engage in battle (recipr.), sometimes wage war

H3898b לָחַם use as food, eat

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3898 lacham law-kham'

a primitive root; to feed on; figuratively, to consume; by

implication, to battle (as destruction):--devour, eat, X ever,

fight(-ing), overcome, prevail, (make) war(-ring).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לָחַם (la.cham) — to fight.

1) to fight, do battle, make war

1a) (Qal) to fight, do battle

1b) (Niphal) to engage in battle, wage war

לָחַם (la.cham) — to feed on.

(Qal) to eat, use as food

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Niphal-Impv-2mp — Preposition · verb niphal infinitive construct common
HR/VNcc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

War

The Israelites had to take possession of the Promised Land by conquest. They had to engage in a long and bloody war before the Canaanitish tribes were finally subdued. Except in the case of Jericho and Ai, the war did not become aggressive till after the death of Joshua. Till then the attack was always first made by the Canaanites. Now the measure of the iniquity of the Canaanites was full, and Israel was employed by God to sweep them away from off the face of the earth. In entering on this new stage of the war, the tribe of Judah, according to divine direction, took the lead.

In the days of Saul and David the people of Israel engaged in many wars with the nations around, and after the division of the kingdom into two they often warred with each other. They had to defend themselves also against the inroads of the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians. The whole history of…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The most important topic in connection with war is the formation of the army which is destined to carry it on. [ARMY] In (1 Kings 9:22) at a period (Solomon’s reign) when the organization of the army was complete, we have apparently a list of the various gradations of rank in the service, as follows: "Men of war" = privates ; "servants," the lowest rank of officers --lieutenants ; "princes" = captains ; "captains," perhaps = staff officers ; "rulers of the chariots and his horsemen" = cavalry officers . Formal proclamations of war were not interchanged between the belligerents. Before entering the enemy’s district spies were seat to ascertain the character of the country and the preparations of its inhabitants for resistance. (Numbers 13:17;

One of the evil fruits of the fall, and an appalling manifestation of the depravity of mankind, Ge 6:11-13 Isa 9:5 Jas 4:1-2, often rendered apparently inevitable by the assaults of enemies, or commanded by God for their punishment. See AMALEKITES and CANAAN.

By this scourge, subsequently to the conquest of Canaan, God chastised both his own rebellious people and the corrupt and oppressive idolaters around them. In many cases, moreover, the issue was distinctly made between the true God and idols; as with the Philistines, 1Sa 17:43-47; the Syrians, 1Ki 20:23-30; the Assyrians,

→ Averted Jos 22:11-34

→ Enemy harangued by the general of the opposing side 2Ki 18:19-36; 2Ch 13:4-12

→ Of extermination Nu 31:7-17; De 2:33,34; 3:6; 20:13-18;

and they conspired all of them together to come to wage war against Jerusalem and to make for it confusion
בִּירוּשָׁלִָ֑םbi.ru.sha.Lim against Jerusalem H3389 Preposition · noun proper
643× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Jerusalem is the capital city of Palestine, also known as the city of peace. It was the chief city of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
Tyndale gloss
Jerusalem
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫͏ם (Yruwshalaim) refers to Jerusalem, the capital city of Palestine. The name is thought to derive from terms meaning 'founded peaceful' and is linked to its two main hills. It is described as the chief city of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫͏ם, יְרוּשָׁלַ֫יִם 644 n.pr.loc. Jerusalem

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3389 יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫͏ם, יְרוּשָׁלַ֫יִם Jerusalem

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3389 Yruwshalaim yer-oo-shaw-lah'-im

rarely Yruwshalayim {yer-oo- shaw-lah'-yim}; a dual (in

allusion to its two main hills (the true pointing, at least of

the former reading, seems to be that of 3390)); probably from

(the passive participle of) 3384 and 7999; founded peaceful;

Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of

Palestine:--Jerusalem.

see HEBREW for 03390

see HEBREW for 03384

see HEBREW for 07999

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם (ye.ru.sha.laim) — Jerusalem.

§ Jerusalem = "teaching of peace"

the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Npl — Preposition · noun proper
HR/Npl
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

je-roo'-sa-lem:

I. THE NAME

1. In Cuneiform

2. In Hebrew

3. In Greek and Latin

4. The Meaning of Jerusalem

5. Other Names

II. GEOLOGY, CLIMATE AND SPRINGS

1. Geology

2. Climate and Rainfall

3. The Natural Springs

III. THE NATURAL SITE

1. The Mountains Around

2. The Valleys

3. The Hills

IV. GENERAL TOPOGRAPHY OF JERUSALEM

1. Description of Josephus

2. Summary of the Names of the Five Hills

3. The Akra

4. The Lower City

5. City of David and Zion

V. EXCAVATIONS AND ANTIQUITIES

1. Robinson

2. Wilson, and the Palestine Exploration Fund (1865)

3. Warren and Conder

4. Maudslay

5. Schick

6. Clermont-Ganneau

7. Bliss and Dickie

8. Jerusalem Archaeological Societies

VI. THE CITY'S WALLS AND GATES

1. The Existing Walls

2. Wilson's Theory

3. The Existing Gates

4. Buried Remains of Earlier Walls

5. The Great Dam of the Tyropoeon

6. Ruins of Ancient Gates

7. Josephus' Description of the Walls

8. First Wall

9. Second Wall

10. Third Wall

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Jerusalem

Called also Salem, Ariel, Jebus, the “city of God,” the “holy city;” by the modern Arabs el-Khuds, meaning “the holy;” once “the city of Judah” (2 Chr. 25:28). This name is in the original in the dual form, and means “possession of peace,” or “foundation of peace.” The dual form probably refers to the two mountains on which it was built, viz., Zion and Moriah; or, as some suppose, to the two parts of the city, the “upper” and the “lower city.” Jerusalem is a “mountain city enthroned on a mountain fastness” (comp. Ps. 68:15, 16; 87:1; 125:2; 76:1, 2; 122:3). It stands on the edge of one of the highest table-lands in Palestine, and is surrounded on the south-eastern, the southern, and the western sides by deep and precipitous ravines.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(the habitation of peace), Jerusalem stands in latitude 31 degrees 46’ 35" north and longitude 35 degrees 18’ 30" east of Greenwich. It is 32 miles distant from the sea and 18 from the Jordan, 20 from Hebron and 36 from Samaria. "In several respects," says Dean Stanley, "its situation is singular among the cities of Palestine. Its elevation is remarkable; occasioned not from its being on the summit of one of the numerous hills of Judea, like most of the towns and villages, but because it is on the edge of one of the highest table-lands of the country. Hebron indeed is higher still by some hundred feet, and from the south, accordingly (even from Bethlehem), the approach to Jerusalem is by a slight descent. But from any other side the ascent is perpetual; and to the traveller approaching the city from the east or west it must always have presented the appearance beyond any other capital…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The chief city of the Holy Land, and to the Christian the most illustrious in the world. It is situated in 31 degrees 46’43" N. lat., and 35 degrees 13’ E. long. on elevated ground south of the center of the country, about thirty-seven miles from the Mediterranean, and about twenty-four from the Jordan. Its site was early hallowed by God’s trial of Abraham’s faith, Ge 22:1-24 2Ch 3:1. It was on the border of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah, mostly within the limits of the former, but reckoned as belonging to the latter, because conquered by it, Jos 15:8 18:16,28 Jud 1:18. The most ancient name of the city was Salem, Ge…

and they conspired all of them together to come to wage war against Jerusalem and to make for it confusion
וְלַעֲשׂ֥וֹתve.la.'a.Sot and to make H6213 Conjunction · preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
2,629× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to make or do something, and is used over 2,600 times in the Bible. It is first used in Genesis 1:7 to describe God's creation of the world and is also used in Exodus 31:5 to describe the work of skilled craftsmen.
Tyndale gloss
to make
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עָשָׂה (asah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to do or make, encompassing a wide range of actions such as producing, preparing, and observing. It can refer to both concrete and abstract activities, including making offerings and attending to tasks. The verb also has forms indicating passive meanings, such as being made or offered. Notably, the Piel form refers to pressing or squeezing.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָשָׂה 2622 vb. do, make

Qal 2524

do (1560 t.)

deal with

oft. in phr. do kindness with

abs. act, act with effect

make (670 t.)

produce, yield

prepare, esp. of dressing and cooking food

make offering

attend to, put in order

observe, celebrate, religious festival

acquire property of various kinds

appoint priests

bring about of י׳’s effecting a deliverance

use

spend, pass, days of life

Niph.

97be done

be made, of concr. things

be produced from vine

be prepared, of food

be offered

be observed, passover

be used

Pu. I was made

base

[עָשָׂה] vb. Pi. press, squeeze

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6213a עָשָׂה do, make .. . do (1560 + t.)

. deal with

. oft. in phr. do kindness with

. abs. act, act with effect

. . make (670 + t.)

. produce, yield

. prepare, esp. of dressing and cooking food

. make offering

. attend to, put in order

. observe, celebrate, religious festival

. acquire property of various kinds

. appoint priests

. bring about of י׳’s effecting a deliverance

. use

. spend, pass, days of life

. . be done

. . be made, of concr. things

. be produced from vine

. be prepared, of food

. be offered

. be observed, passover

. be used

. I was made

H6213b עָשָׂה Pi. press, squeeze

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6213 `asah aw-saw'

a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and

widest application (as follows):--accomplish, advance,

appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth,

bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal

(with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in)

execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, (fight-)ing man, +

finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go

about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ((a feast)), X

indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain,

make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare,

bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure,

provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin,

spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be

(warr-)ior, work(-man), yield, use.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָשָׂה (a.sah) — to make: do.

: do/perform

1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to do, work, make, produce

1a1a) to do

1a1b) to work

1a1c) to deal (with)

1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect

1a2) to make

1a2a) to make

1a2b) to produce

1a2c) to prepare

1a2d) to make (an offering)

1a2e) to attend to, put in order

1a2f) to observe, celebrate

1a2g) to acquire (property)

1a2h) to appoint, ordain, institute

1a2i) to bring about

1a2j) to use

1a2k) to spend, pass

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be done

1b2) to be made

1b3) to be produced

1b4) to be offered

1b5) to be observed

1b6) to be used

1c) (Pual) to be made

עָשָׂה (a.sah) — to press.

(Piel) to press, squeeze

עָשָׂה (a.sah) — to make.

: make(OBJECT)

1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to do, work, make, produce

1a1a) to do

1a1b) to work

1a1c) to deal (with)

1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect

1a2) to make

1a2a) to make

1a2b) to produce

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HC/R/Vqcc — Conjunction · preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
HC/R/Vqcc
and they conspired all of them together to come to wage war against Jerusalem and to make for it confusion
ל֖וֹlo for it H9033 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

וֹ (o) — him.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp3ms — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp3ms
and they conspired all of them together to come to wage war against Jerusalem and to make for it confusion
תּוֹעָֽה׃to.'Ah confusion H8442 Noun common · feminine singular absolute
2× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The word for error in Hebrew means a moral mistake or impiety, and can also refer to confusion or disturbance, as seen in various KJV translations.
Tyndale gloss
error
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

תּוֹעָה (tow`ah) refers to concepts of wandering and error, particularly in moral and religious contexts. It encompasses confusion and disturbance, indicating a deviation from the right path or truth. The term is linked to a feminine active participle form of another Hebrew root, suggesting a dynamic aspect of error or moral failure.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

תּוֹעָה n.f. wandering, error

error in morals and religion

confusion, disturbance

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8442 תּוֹעָה wandering, error . error in morals and religion

. confusion, disturbance

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8442 tow`ah to-aw'

feminine active participle of 8582; mistake, i.e. (morally)

impiety, or (political) injury:--error, hinder.

see HEBREW for 08582

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

תּוֹעָה (to.ah) — error.

1) error, wandering, impiety, perversions

1a) error (in morals and religion)

1b) confusion, disturbance

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNcfsa — Noun common · feminine singular absolute
HNcfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kon-fu'-zhun (bosheth, "shame, paleness," kelimmah, "blushing," tohu; akatastasia, sugchusis): In the Old Testament bosheth (1Sa 20:30; Ps 109:29 the King James Version) and kelimmah (Ps 44:15; Isa 30:3) are the words most frequently translated "confusion"; tohu, "wastiness," "emptiness" is so translated (Isa 24:10; 34:11; 41:29), also qalon, "lightness," "contempt" (Job 10:15 = ignominy, the American Standard Revised Version) and tebhel, "profanation" (Le 18:23; 20:12); ra`ash, "shaking," "trembling,"…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Of tongues Ge 11:1-9

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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