Nehemiah 7:26 — Word Study
WLCאַנְשֵׁ֤י בֵֽית־ לֶ֙חֶם֙ וּנְטֹפָ֔ה מֵאָ֖ה שְׁמֹנִ֥ים וּשְׁמֹנָֽה׃ ס
BSAofBêyth Lechem BethlehemBêyth Lechem [house of bread, a place of abundance] and NetophahNᵉṭôphâh [a town of droppings, possibly a place of fertility] 188mêʼâh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אַנְשֵׁ֤י | [the] men of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| בֵֽית־ | Beth- | Noun proper |
| לֶ֙חֶם֙ | -lehem | Noun proper |
| וּנְטֹפָ֔ה | and Netophah | Conjunction, noun proper |
| מֵאָ֖ה | one hundred | Adj |
| שְׁמֹנִ֥ים | eighty | |
| וּשְׁמֹנָֽה׃ ס | and eight | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188; |
| KJV | The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight. |
| ASV | The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, a hundred fourscore and eight. |
| YLT | Men of Beth-Lehem and Netophah: a hundred eighty and eight. |
| WEB | The men of Bethlehem and Netophah: one hundred eighty-eight. |
| BBE | The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, a hundred and eighty-eight. |
Where they part company is in the phrasing of the towns mentioned.
The structure is straightforward, with a main clause followed by a numeral phrase indicating the total count.
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 7:26
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 the Exilesgenerated
Nehemiah 7:26 is part of a larger record detailing the return of the exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem. This verse specifically enumerates the men from Bethlehem and Netophah, contributing to the overall count of those who returned to rebuild their homeland. The mention of these towns highlights their significance in the context of the returning community.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ezra 2:21–22 | the men of Bethlehem, 123; |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — אִישׁ, 'an.Sheigenerated
The word אִישׁ ('ish) means 'man' and can refer to an individual or a group of people. In this verse, it denotes the male inhabitants of the specified towns, emphasizing their role in the community of returnees.
The parsing shows that it is a masculine plural noun in construct form, indicating a collective group. This usage reflects the social structure of the community during the period of return.
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 finite verb is absent in this verse, as it is a simple enumeration. The structure consists of a noun phrase followed by a conjunction and another noun phrase, culminating in a numeral phrase that indicates the total count.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the subjects, the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, before the count, highlighting their importance in the context of the returning exiles.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates אִישׁ as υἱοὶ (sons), which indicates a broader familial or tribal connection. This choice may reflect a cultural emphasis on lineage.
The translation of בֵֽית־לֶ֙חֶם֙ as Βηθλεέμ retains the original meaning, showing continuity in the identification of this significant location.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 7:26 lists the men from Bethlehem and Netophah, totaling 188. This verse is part of a census that records the returning exiles from Babylon.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Bethlehem means 'house of bread', indicating a place of abundance, while Netophah means 'dropping', possibly referring to a fertile area.
The count reflects the population of returning exiles, essential for rebuilding the community and the city of Jerusalem.
Bethlehem and Netophah were among the towns that contributed to the population of the returning exiles, highlighting their historical and cultural importance.
Ezra 2:21–22 also mentions the men of Bethlehem, showing continuity in the records of the returning exiles.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does the significance of the towns mentioned tell us about the history of Israel?
- How can understanding the context of these names help us appreciate the return from exile?
- In what ways do numbers play a role in understanding community and identity in the Bible?
- How does the record of these men contribute to the overall narrative of Nehemiah?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 7:26 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 Colleges26. the men of Beth-lehem and Netophah] = ‘the children of Beth-lehem … the men of Netophah’ in Ezra.
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 men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;
The men of Bethlehem and Netophah: one hundred eighty-eight.
the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;
The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;
Tyndale line
The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight.
The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, a hundred fourscore and eight.
The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight.
The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, a hundred and eighty eight.
The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, an hundreth foure score and eight.
Strictly literal
The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, a hundred and eighty-eight.
Men of Beth-Lehem and Netophah: a hundred eighty and eight.
men of Beth-Lehem and Netophah, one hundred eighty-eight;
The men of Beth-lechem and Netophah, one hundred eighty and eight.
The men from Bethlehem and Netophah, 188.
From the Latin
The children of Bethlehem, and Netupha, a hundred eighty-eight.
Simplified
the people from Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;
The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, a hundred and eighty-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 and the Septuagint show some alignment, but only two of the seven words match directly in the Septuagint. The Septuagint's word order and articles differ from the Hebrew, indicating a different syntactical approach.
אַנְשֵׁ֤י בֵֽית־ לֶ֙חֶם֙ וּנְטֹפָ֔ה מֵאָ֖ה שְׁמֹנִ֥ים וּשְׁמֹנָֽה׃ ס
2 of the 7 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 7:26
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.
אֱנוֹשׁ (enowsh) refers to man or mankind, often used in a poetic context. It denotes a mortal individual, distinguishing humans from more dignified terms for man. The word encompasses both singular and collective meanings, indicating people or persons in general. Its Aramaic equivalent is אֱנָשׁ (e.nash), also meaning 'man'.
אֱנוֹשׁ n.m. man, mankind, mostly poet.
of individ.
coll. men
man, mankind
base
H582 אֱנוֹשׁ man, mankind, mostly poet.
582 'enowsh en-oshe'
from 605; properly, a mortal (and thus differing from the
more dignified 120); hence, a man in general (singly or
collectively):--another, X (blood-)thirsty, certain,
chap(-man); divers, fellow, X in the flower of their age,
husband, (certain, mortal) man, people, person, servant, some
( X of them), + stranger, those, + their trade. It is often
unexpressed in the English versions, especially when used in
apposition with another word . Compare 376.
see HEBREW for 0605
see HEBREW for 0120
see HEBREW for 0376
אֱנוֹשׁ (e.nosh) — human.
1) man, mortal man, person, mankind
1a) of an individual
1b) men (collective)
1c) man, mankind
Aramaic equivalent: e.nash (אֱנָשׁ "man" H0606)
HNcmpc — 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…
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם (Beyth Lechem) means 'house of bread' and refers to two locations in ancient Palestine: one in Judah, known as the birthplace of David, and another in Zebulun, northwest of Nazareth. The word is built from the roots for 'house' and 'bread'.
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם 41 n.pr.loc.
in Judah, 2 hours south of Jerusalem; birth-place of David
in Zeb., 7 m. NW. of Nazareth
base
H1035 בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם . in Judah, 2 hours south of Jerusalem; birth-place of David
. in Zeb., 7 m. NW. of Nazareth
1035 Beyth Lechem bayth leh'-khem
from 1004 and 3899; house of bread; Beth- Lechem, a place in
Palestine:--Beth-lehem.
see HEBREW for 01004
see HEBREW for 03899
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם (bet le.chem) — Bethlehem.
§ Beth-lehem = "house of bread (food)"
a city in Judah, birthplace of David
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם (bet le.chem) — Bethlehem.
§ Beth-lehem = "house of bread (food)"
a place in Zebulun
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
Beth
Occurs frequently as the appellation for a house, or dwelling-place, in such compounds as the words immediately following:
the most general word for a house or habitation. It has the special meaning of a temple or house of worship Beth is more frequently employed in compound names of places than any other word.
House, forms a part of many compounds names of places, and sometimes means the place or dwelling; and at others the temple. This word becomes Beit in modern Arabic.
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם (Beyth Lechem) means 'house of bread' and refers to two locations in ancient Palestine: one in Judah, known as the birthplace of David, and another in Zebulun, northwest of Nazareth. The word is built from the roots for 'house' and 'bread'.
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם 41 n.pr.loc.
in Judah, 2 hours south of Jerusalem; birth-place of David
in Zeb., 7 m. NW. of Nazareth
base
H1035 בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם . in Judah, 2 hours south of Jerusalem; birth-place of David
. in Zeb., 7 m. NW. of Nazareth
1035 Beyth Lechem bayth leh'-khem
from 1004 and 3899; house of bread; Beth- Lechem, a place in
Palestine:--Beth-lehem.
see HEBREW for 01004
see HEBREW for 03899
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם (bet le.chem) — Bethlehem.
§ Beth-lehem = "house of bread (food)"
a city in Judah, birthplace of David
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם (bet le.chem) — Bethlehem.
§ Beth-lehem = "house of bread (food)"
a place in Zebulun
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
נְטֹפָה (Ntophah) refers to a location in Judah, meaning 'dropping' or 'dripping.' It is associated with a town resettled by exiles returning from Babylon. The word is derived from the root word for distillation, נָטַף (nātaph), which is linked to the concept of dripping.
נְטֹפָה n.pr.loc. in Judah (dropping, dripping)
base
H5199 נְטֹפָה
5199 Ntophah net-o-faw'
from 5197; distillation; Netophah, a place in
Palestine:--Netophah.
see HEBREW for 05197
נְטֹפָה (ne.to.phah) — Netophah.
Netophah = "dropping"
a town in Judah resettled by the exiles returning from Babylon with Zerubbabel
Also named: ne.to.pha.ti (נְטֹפָתִי "Netophathite" H5200)
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
ne-to'-fa (neTophah; Septuagint Netopha, Nephota, and other variants): The birthplace of two of David's heroes, Maharai and Heleb (2Sa 23:28,29), also of Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, one of the captains who came to offer allegiance to Gedaliah (2Ki 25:23; Jer 40:8). "The villages of the Netophathites" are mentioned (1Ch 9:16) as the dwellings of certain Levites and (Ne 12:28, the King James Version "Netophathi") of certain "sons of the singers."
The first mention of the place itself is in Ezr 2:22;
Netophah
Distillation; dropping, a town in Judah, in the neighbourhood, probably, of Bethlehem (Neh. 7:26; 1 Chr. 2:54). Two of David’s guards were Netophathites (1 Chr. 27:13, 15). It has been identified with the ruins of Metoba, or Um Toba, to the north-east of Bethlehem.
(distillation), a town the name of which occurs only in the catalogue of those who returned with Zerubbabel from the captivity. (Ezra 2:22; Nehemiah 7:26) 1 Esdr. 5:18. But, though not directly mentioned till so late a period, Netophah was really a much older place. Two of David’s guard, (1 Chronicles 17:13,15) were Netophathites. The "villages of the Neophathites" were the residence of the Levites. (1 Chronicles 9:16) From another notice we learn that the particular Levites who inhabited these villages were singers. (Nehemiah 12:28) To judge from (Nehemiah 7:26) the…
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)
Adj — AdjHAcfsa
hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).
See NUMBER.
שְׁמֹנִים (shmoniym) means eighty, derived from the root for eight. It serves as both a cardinal number (eighty) and an ordinal number (eightieth), and can also combine with other numbers. The entries confirm its usage in contexts related to counting.
שְׁמֹנִים 38 n.pl.indecl. an eighty
base
H8084 שְׁמֹנִים an eighty
8084 shmoniym shem-o-neem'
or shmowniym {shem-o-neem'}; mult. from 8083; eighty, also
eightieth:--eighty(-ieth), fourscore.
see HEBREW for 08083
שְׁמֹנִים (she.mo.nim) — eighty.
1) eighty, fourscore
1a) eighty (as cardinal number)
1b) eightieth (as ordinal number)
1c) in combination with other numbers
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