Nehemiah 7:15 — Word Study
WLCבְּנֵ֣י בִנּ֔וּי שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּשְׁמֹנָֽה׃ ס
BSAthe descendantsbên [sons, children, or posterity] of BinnuiBinnûwy [built up, or Bani, six hundred forty and eight, or six hundred and forty-eight] 648shêsh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּנֵ֣י | [the] descendants of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| בִנּ֔וּי | Binnui | Noun proper masculine |
| שֵׁ֥שׁ | six | Adj |
| מֵא֖וֹת | hundred | |
| אַרְבָּעִ֥ים | forty | |
| וּשְׁמֹנָֽה׃ ס | and eight | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the descendants of Binnui, 648; |
| KJV | The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight. |
| ASV | The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight. |
| YLT | Sons of Binnui: six hundred forty and eight. |
| WEB | The children of Binnui: six hundred forty-eight. |
| BBE | The children of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight. |
The translations agree on the key elements of the verse, particularly regarding the descendants of Binnui and their total count.
The structure is straightforward, with a main clause followed by a numeral phrase indicating the count of descendants.
3 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott, 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 7:15
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 Census of Returning Exilesgenerated
Nehemiah 7:15 is part of a larger list that records the names and numbers of the people who returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian exile. This verse specifically notes the descendants of Binnui, emphasizing the importance of lineage and heritage among the returning exiles, as seen throughout the book of Nehemiah and its parallel in Ezra 2:10.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ezra 2:10 | the descendants of Bani, 642; |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בְּנֵ֣י, be.Neigenerated
The word בֵּן (ben) translates as 'son' or 'descendant' and indicates familial relationships. It is a common noun in the masculine plural construct, showing a collective group of descendants. This word is foundational in genealogies, as it signifies not just immediate offspring but also broader family lines.
In this verse, it connects Binnui to his descendants, emphasizing their role in the community's restoration. The use of this term illustrates the continuity of family lines among the returned exiles.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The verse is rendered in the Berean Standard Bible as well as the KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE, all agreeing on the key elements of the descendants of Binnui and their total count.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause centers around the subject בְּנֵ֣י (be.Nei), which introduces the descendants, followed by a predicate that identifies them as the descendants of בִנּ֔וּי (Binnui). The numeral phrase שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּשְׁמֹנָֽה (six hundred forty and eight) quantifies the group.
The structure emphasizes the importance of lineage and the specific count of descendants, which is a common feature in genealogical lists.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בְּנֵ֣י as υἱοὶ (huioi), meaning 'sons' or 'children', which aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning. This choice reflects a direct connection to familial lineage.
However, the translation of בִנּ֔וּי does not appear in the Septuagint, indicating a potential gap in the Greek rendering of this specific name.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 7:15 lists the descendants of Binnui, totaling 648 individuals. This count highlights the importance of family lineage among those returning to Jerusalem from exile.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Binnui was an Israelite noted for his role in helping to rebuild Jerusalem's wall under Nehemiah, and his name means 'built up'.
The count of descendants emphasizes the restoration of community and heritage among the exiles returning to Jerusalem.
The term 'descendants' includes sons, children, or posterity, indicating a broad family lineage.
This verse fits into the larger narrative of Nehemiah, which focuses on the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the re-establishment of the Jewish community after exile.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean to be part of a lineage or family in your own life?
- How can understanding the importance of heritage influence your community today?
- In what ways can you contribute to the rebuilding or restoration of your community?
- What lessons can we learn from the descendants of Binnui about the importance of family and community?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 7:15 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThese are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem
Read Robert Jamieson on Nehemiah 7 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(5-73) The genealogical reckoning of the people, as the first step towards increasing the population of the metropolis, is determined on, not without express Divine suggestion; the allusion to this inspiration from God, is, as in Nehemiah 2:12, very emphatic. The original register of Zerubbabelis found and copied. The express language of both Ezra and Nehemiah makes it plain that this is no other than the list of those who came up with Zerubbabel and Joshua after the decree of Cyrus, in B.C. 538. Nehemiah’s own census follows, in Nehemiah 11. The exposition, especially as compared with Ezra 2, has been given on that chapter.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Nehemiah 7 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges15. Binnui] = Bani in Ezra: cf. Nehemiah 10:14; 1Es 5:12.
Read Cambridge on Nehemiah 7 →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
the descendants of Binnui, 648;
The children of Binnui: six hundred forty-eight.
the descendants of Binnui, 648;
the descendants of Binnui, 648;
Tyndale line
The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight.
The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight.
The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight.
The children of Binnui, six hundred and forty eight.
The sonnes of Binnui, sixe hundreth and eight and fourtie.
Strictly literal
The children of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight.
Sons of Binnui: six hundred forty and eight.
sons of Binnui, six hundred forty-eight;
The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight.
The descendants of Binnui, 648.
From the Latin
The children of Bannui, six hundred forty-eight.
Simplified
the sons of Binnui, 648;
The children of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight.
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 בְּנֵ֣י בִנּ֔וּי שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּשְׁמֹנָֽה׃ without variation, while the Septuagint matches only 2 out of the 6 words. This indicates that the core elements are preserved in the Hebrew text.
בְּנֵ֣י בִנּ֔וּי שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּשְׁמֹנָֽה׃ ס
2 of the 6 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 7:15
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.
בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'male child' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including descendants, young animals, and even figurative uses like sparks or arrows. It can refer to members of a tribe or class and is used in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, such as in 1 Chronicles 24:26. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to build' and implies a connection to family or lineage.
בֵּן 4870 n.m. son
son, male child, born of a woman
children (male and female)
youth, young men
the young of animals
of plant shoots
fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows
member of a guild, order or class
of animals son of (the) herd
ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.
n. relat. of age
base
בְּנוֹ 1 Ch 24:26, 27 as n.pr.m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son, cf. VB & Be Öt.
done
H1121a בֵּן son . son, male child, born of a woman
. children (male and female)
. youth, young men
. the young of animals
. of plant shoots
. fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows
. . member of a guild, order or class
. of animals son of (the) herd
. ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.
. n. relat. of age
H1121b בְּנוֹ as n. pr. m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son
1121 ben bane
from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the
widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship,
including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition,
etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-)
(Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to,
(+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born,
bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X
came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of
first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, +
kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+)
people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, +
spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous
one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
see HEBREW for 01129
see HEBREW for 01
see HEBREW for 0251
בֵּן (ben) — son: child.
: child/son
בְּנוֹ (be.no) — Beno.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.26;
son of: Jaaziah (H3269);
brother of: Shoham (H7719), Zaccur (H2139I) and Ibri (H5681)
§ Beno = "his son"
the sons of Jaaziah and the sons of Merari by Jaahziah (his son)
בֵּן (ben) — son: descendant/people.
: descendant, people, tribe, nation
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : child/son
בֵּן (ben) — son: young animal.
: calf/lamb/young(ANIMAL)
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : descendant
בֵּן (ben) — son: type of.
: rebel/son(Belial)
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : people/men/nation/tribe
בֵּן (ben) — son.
: [inheriting]son/heir
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
בֵּן (ben) — son: warrior.
: warrior/son(strong)
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural constructHNcmpc
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…
בִּנּוּי (Binnui) means "built up" and refers to a man from the time of the Exile and Return. He is noted as an exile returnee with Zerubbabel and a Levite during Ezra's time, with several individuals sharing this name, some of whom took foreign wives. The name appears in various contexts, particularly in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
בִּנּוּי n.pr.m.
head of family that returned with Zerubbabel
a Levite of Ezra’s time
Israelites of Ezra’s time
base
H1131 בִּנּוּי
1131 Binnuwy bin-noo'-ee
from 1129; built up; Binnui, an Israelite:--Binnui.
see HEBREW for 01129
בִּנּוּי (bin.nuy) — Binnui.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.10; also called Binnui at Neh.7.15;
Another spelling of ba.ni (בָּנִי "Bani" H1137Q)
§ Binnui = "built up"
1) an exile returnee with Zerubbabel, son of Henadad, who assisted at the reparation of the wall of Jerusalem, under Nehemiah
2) a Levite in time of Ezra, father of Noadiah
3) another Levite in time of Ezra, who took a foreign wife
4) still another Levite in time of Ezra, who took a foreign wife
בִּנּוּי (bin.nuy) — Binnui.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.8.33;
father of: Noadiah (H5129)
§ Binnui = "built up"
1) an exile returnee with Zerubbabel, son of Henadad, who assisted at the reparation of the wall of Jerusalem, under Nehemiah
2) a Levite in time of Ezra, father of Noadiah
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
(familyship). A Levite, father of Noadiah. (Ezra 8:33) One who had taken a foreign wife. (Ezra 10:30) Another Israelite who had also taken a foreign wife. (Ezra 10:38) Altered from BANI in the corresponding list in Ezra. (Nehemiah 7:15) A Levite, son of Henadad, who assisted at the reparation of the wall of Jerusalem, under Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 3:24; 10:9)
building
The Hebrew word שֵׁשׁ, transliterated as shesh, means 'six' and can function as both a cardinal and ordinal number, indicating the sixth position. It is a primitive number that signifies an excess beyond five, as noted in the entries. The Aramaic equivalent is שֵׁת (shet).
שֵׁשׁ, שִׁשָּׁה 216 n.m. et f. six
base
H8337 שֵׁשׁ, שִׁשָּׁה six
8337 shesh shaysh
masculine shishshah {shish-shaw'}; a primitive number; six
(as an overplus (see 7797) beyond five or the fingers of the
hand); as ord. sixth:--six((-teen, -teenth)), sixth.
see HEBREW for 07797
שֵׁשׁ (shesh) — six.
1) six
1a) six (cardinal number)
1b) sixth (ordinal number)
1c) in combination with other numbers
Aramaic equivalent: shet (שֵׁת "six" H8353)
Adj — AdjHAcbsc
מֵאָה (me'ah) means 'hundred' in Hebrew. It can refer to a simple number, a component of a larger number, or a fraction representing one one-hundredth. The entries consistently describe its use as a numeral without significant disagreement.
מֵאָה 583 n.f. hundred
as simple number
as part of larger number
a hundredth part
base
H3967 מֵאָה hundred . as simple number
. as part of larger number
. a hundredth part
3967 me'ah may-aw'
or metyah {may-yaw'}; properly, a primitive numeral; a
hundred; also as a multiplicative and a
fraction:--hundred((-fold), -th), + sixscore.
מֵאָה (me.ah) — hundred.
1) hundred
1a) as simple number
1b) as part of larger number
1c) as a fraction-one one-hundredth (1/100)
Aramaic equivalent: me.ah (מְאָה "hundred" H3969)
HAcfpa — HAcfpa
hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).
See NUMBER.
אַרְבָּעִים (arba`iym) simply means 'forty' in Hebrew. It is a multiple of the number 702 and is consistently defined across various lexicons. There are no significant disagreements among the entries regarding its meaning.
אַרְבָּעִים a forty
base
H705 אַרְבָּעִים a forty
705 'arba`iym ar-baw-eem'
multiple of 702; forty:---forty.
see HEBREW for 0702
אַרְבָּעִים (ar.ba.im) — forty.
forty
HAcmpa — HAcmpa
שְׁמֹנֶה (shmoneh) means 'eight' and can also denote 'eighth' as an ordinal number. It is derived from the idea of plumpness, suggesting a surplus beyond seven, which is considered a perfect number. The term appears in various contexts, including combinations with other numbers.
שְׁמֹנֶה, (less oft. שְׁמוֹנֶה), שְׁמֹנָה 109 n.m. et f. eight
base
H8083 שְׁמֹנֶה, (less oft. שְׁמוֹנֶה), שְׁמֹנָה eight
8083 shmoneh shem-o-neh'
or shmowneh {shem-o-neh'}; feminine shmonah {shem-o-naw'}; or
shmownah {shem-o-naw'}; apparently from 8082 through the idea
of plumpness; a cardinal number, eight (as if a surplus above
the "perfect" seven); also (as ordinal)
eighth:--eight((-een, -eenth)), eighth.
see HEBREW for 08082
שְׁמֹנֶה (she.mo.neh) — eight.
1) eight, eighth
1a) eight (as cardinal number)
1b) eighth (as ordinal number)
1c) in combination with other numbers
HC/Acbsa — ConjunctionHC/Acbsa