Nehemiah 7:19 — Word Study
WLCבְּנֵ֣י בִגְוָ֔י אַלְפַּ֖יִם שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָֽה׃ ס
BSAthe descendantsbên [children, sons] of BigvaiBigvay [an Israelite who returned to Jerusalem, two thousand sixty-seven, two thousand threescore and seven] 2,067ʼeleph
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּנֵ֣י | [the] descendants of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| בִגְוָ֔י | Bigvai | Noun proper masculine |
| אַלְפַּ֖יִם | two thousand | Adj |
| שִׁשִּׁ֥ים | sixty | |
| וְשִׁבְעָֽה׃ ס | and seven | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067; |
| KJV | The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven. |
| ASV | The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven. |
| YLT | Sons of Bigvai: two thousand sixty and seven. |
| WEB | The children of Bigvai: two thousand sixty-seven. |
| BBE | The children of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven. |
Where they part company is in the phrasing of the number — see How Translations Differ.
A straightforward main clause followed by a numeral phrase, typical of genealogical listings.
3 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott, AdamClarke & 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 7:19
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 Return from Exilegenerated
Nehemiah 7:19 is part of a list detailing the families of those who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian Exile. This verse specifically mentions the descendants of Bigvai, contributing to the overall census that highlights the rebuilding of the community and its lineage. This context is essential for understanding the restoration of Israelite identity and heritage after a period of displacement.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ezra 2:14 | the descendants of Bigvai, 2,056; |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בְּנֵ֣י, be.Neigenerated
The word בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'descendant' and encompasses a range of meanings, including child, grandson, or even figurative uses like qualities. In this verse, it indicates the familial connection of the descendants of Bigvai to their ancestral lineage.
As a noun in the masculine plural construct, it emphasizes the collective identity of Bigvai's descendants. This word is often used in genealogies to show family relationships and inheritance, highlighting the importance of lineage in the Israelite community.
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 structure of the verse consists of a noun phrase subject, בְּנֵ֣י בִגְוָ֔י (the descendants of Bigvai), followed by a numeral phrase that indicates the count, אַלְפַּ֖יִם שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָֽה (2,067).
The straightforward structure reflects the typical format of genealogical records in Hebrew, where the subject is identified first, followed by the numerical count of descendants.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בְּנֵ֣י as υἱοὶ (huioi), meaning 'sons' or 'descendants', which aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning, maintaining the familial connection.
The choice of βαγοι for בִגְוָ֔י indicates a direct transliteration rather than a translation of meaning, suggesting the Septuagint translators aimed to preserve the original name.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 7:19 lists the descendants of Bigvai, totaling 2,067 individuals. This verse is part of a larger record that documents the families returning to Jerusalem after the Exile, emphasizing the restoration of the community.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Bigvai was an Israelite who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile, possibly as a head of a family.
The number 2,067 represents the total count of Bigvai's descendants returning to Jerusalem.
Lineage is crucial for establishing identity, inheritance, and community within the Israelite society after the Exile.
This verse contributes to the larger narrative of restoration and rebuilding in Nehemiah, highlighting the importance of repopulating Jerusalem with its rightful inhabitants.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does this verse tell us about the importance of family and lineage in the Israelite community?
- How can understanding the context of returning exiles help us appreciate the significance of this census?
- What role does the concept of restoration play in our own lives today?
- How can we apply the lessons of heritage and community from this verse in our own families?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 7:19 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 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 19. The children of Bigval, two thousand threescore and seven] Some MSS. read two thousand and sixty-six, as in Ezra 2:14.
Read AdamClarke 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 Bigvai, 2,067;
The children of Bigvai: two thousand sixty-seven.
the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;
the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;
Tyndale line
The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven.
The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven.
The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven.
The children of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty seven.
The sonnes of Biguai, two thousand three score and seuen.
Strictly literal
The children of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven.
Sons of Bigvai: two thousand sixty and seven.
sons of Bigvai, two thousand sixty-seven;
The children of Bigvai, two thousand sixty and seven.
The descendants of Bigvai, 2,067.
From the Latin
The children of Beguai, two thousand sixty-seven.
Simplified
the sons of Bigvai, 2,067.
The children of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven.
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 five words matched. This demonstrates a consistent transmission of the text regarding the descendants of Bigvai.
בְּנֵ֣י בִגְוָ֔י אַלְפַּ֖יִם שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָֽה׃ ס
5 of the 5 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 7:19
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…
בִּגְוַי (Bigvay) refers to a man, likely of foreign origin, associated with the return from exile under Zerubbabel. He is mentioned in Ezra 2:2, 2:14, and Nehemiah 10:16, possibly as a head of a family or a chief of the people. The name is interpreted to mean "in my bodies."
בִּגְוַי n.pr.m. (happy?)
a companion of Zerubbabel
a chief of the people in Nehemiah’s time
base
H902 בִּגְוַי
902 Bigvay big-vah'ee
probably of foreign origin; Bigvai, an Israelite:--Bigvai.
בִּגְוַי (big.vay) — Bigvai.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.2
§ Bigvai = "in my bodies"
an exile who returned under Zerubbabel, perhaps the head of a family
בִּגְוַי (big.vay) — Bigvai.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.14
§ Bigvai = "in my bodies"
an exile who returned under Zerubbabel, perhaps the head of a family
בִּגְוַי (big.vay) — Bigvai.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.10.16
§ Bigvai = "in my bodies"
an exile who returned under Zerubbabel, perhaps the head of a family
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
big'-va-i (bighway; Baogei, Bagoua):
(1) The head of one of the families who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:2; Ne 7:7), having a large number of his retainers (2,056, according to Ezr 2:14; 2,067, according to Ne 7:19), besides 72 males later under Ezra (Ezr 8:14).
(2) One of those who subscribed the covenant with Nehemiah (Ne 10:16).
(happy). "Children of Bigvai," 2056 (Neh. 2067) in number, returned from the captivity with Zerubbabel, (Ezra 2:14; Nehemiah 7:19) and 72 of them at a later date with Ezra. (Ezra 8:14) (B.C. 536.) Apparently one of the chiefs of Zerubbabel’s expedition, (Ezra 2:2; Nehemiah 7:7) whose family afterwards signed the covenant. (Nehemiah 10:16) (B.C. 410.)
in my body
אֶ֫לֶף (eleph) means 'thousand' in Hebrew. It can refer to the numeral itself or denote a company or clan, particularly a group of men under one leader. The word is built from the concept of a thousand, and it is associated with the ox's head, which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
אֶ֫לֶף n.m. thousand
base
H505 אֶ֫לֶף thousand
505 'eleph eh'-lef
prop, the same as 504; hence (the ox's head being the first
letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral)
a thousand:--thousand.
see HEBREW for 0504
אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) — thousand.
: thousand
1) a thousand
1a) as numeral
2) a thousand, company
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops
אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) — thousand: clan.
: clan
1) a thousand
1a) as numeral
2) a thousand, company
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops
Adj — AdjHAcbda
thou'-zand ('eleph; chilioi).
See NUMBER.
שִׁשִּׁים (shishshiym) means 'sixty' in Hebrew. It is a numeral derived from the root associated with the number 8337. The term is used in various contexts in the Old Testament to denote the quantity of sixty, also referred to as 'three score.' There is an Aramaic equivalent, שִׁתִּין (shit.tin), which also means sixty.
שִׁשִּׁים 59 n.indecl. sixty
base
H8346 שִׁשִּׁים sixty
8346 shishshiym shish-sheem'
multiple of 8337; sixty:--sixty, three score.
see HEBREW for 08337
שִׁשִּׁים (shish.shim) — sixty.
sixty, three score
Aramaic equivalent: shit.tin (שִׁתִּין "sixty" H8361)
HAcmpa — HAcmpa
siks'-ti (shishshim; hexekonta).
See NUMBER.
שֶׁ֫בַע (sheba`) means 'seven' and is a cardinal number. It can also imply 'seven times' or refer to a week. The term appears in various contexts, including combinations like 17 or 700. Its Aramaic equivalent is שִׁבְעָה (shiv.ah), also meaning 'seven'.
שֶׁ֫בַע, שִׁבְעָה 394 n.m. et f. seven
base
H7651 שֶׁ֫בַע, שִׁבְעָה seven
7651 sheba` sheh'-bah
or (masculine) shibrah {shib-aw'}; from 7650; a primitive
cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also
(adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by
extension, an indefinite number:--(+ by) seven(-fold),-s,
(-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare 7658.
see HEBREW for 07650
see HEBREW for 07658
שֶׁ֫בַע (she.va) — seven.
1) seven (cardinal number)
1a) as ordinal number
1b) in combination-17, 700 etc
Aramaic equivalent: shiv.ah (שִׁבְעָה "seven" H7655)
HC/Acbsa — ConjunctionHC/Acbsa
sev'-'-n (shebha`; hepta).
See NUMBER.
Seven
This number occurs frequently in Scripture, and in such connections as lead to the supposition that it has some typical meaning. On the seventh day God rested, and hallowed it (Gen. 2:2, 3). The division of time into weeks of seven days each accounts for many instances of the occurrence of this number. This number has been called the symbol of perfection, and also the symbol of rest. “Jacob’s seven years’ service to Laban; Pharaoh’s seven fat oxen and seven lean ones; the seven branches of the golden candlestick; the seven trumpets and the seven priests who sounded them; the seven days’ siege of Jericho; the seven churches, seven spirits, seven stars, seven seals, seven vials, and many others, sufficiently prove the importance of this sacred number” (see Lev. 25:4;
The frequent recurrence of certain numbers in the sacred literature of the Hebrews is obvious to the most superficial reader, but seven so far surpasses the rest, both in the frequency with which it recurs and in the importance of the objects with which it is associated, that it may fairly be termed the representative symbolic number. The influence of the number seven was not restricted to the Hebrews; it prevailed among the Persians, ancient Indians, Greeks and Romans. The peculiarity of the Hebrew view consists in the special dignity of the seventh, and not simply in that of seen. The Sabbath being the seventh day suggested the adoption of seven as the coefficient, so to say, for their appointment of all sacred periods; and we thus find the 7th month ushered in by the Feast of Trumpets, and signalized by the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Great Day of Atonement; 7…
As from the beginning this was the number of days in the week, so it often has in Scripture a sort of emphasis attached to it, and is very generally used as a round or perfect number. Clean beasts were taken into the ark by sevens, Ge 7:1-24. The years of plenty and famine in Egypt were marked by sevens, Ge 41:1-57. With the Jews, not only was there a seventh day Sabbath, but every seventh year was a Sabbath, and after every seven times seven years came a jubilee. Their great feasts of unleavened bread and of tabernacles were observed for seven days; the number of animals in many of their sacrifices was limited to seven. The golden candlestick had seven branches. Seven priests with seven trumpets went around the walls of Jericho seven days, and seven times on the seventh day. In…