Nehemiah 7:41 — Word Study
WLCבְּנֵ֣י פַשְׁח֔וּר אֶ֕לֶף מָאתַ֖יִם אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָֽה׃ ס
BSAthe descendantsbên [children, sons, or posterity] of PashhurPashchûwr [a priestly family, a thousand two hundred forty-seven, a large number] 1,247ʼeleph
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּנֵ֣י | [the] descendants of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| פַשְׁח֔וּר | Pashhur | Noun proper masculine |
| אֶ֕לֶף | one thousand | Adj |
| מָאתַ֖יִם | two hundred | |
| אַרְבָּעִ֥ים | forty | |
| 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 Pashhur, 1,247; |
| KJV | The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven. |
| ASV | The children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven. |
| YLT | sons of Pashur: a thousand two hundred forty and seven; |
| WEB | The children of Pashhur: one thousand two hundred forty-seven. |
| BBE | The children of Pashhur, a thousand, two hundred and forty-seven. |
Where they part company is in the rendering of the numbers — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence presents a clear main clause followed by a numeral phrase indicating the count of descendants.
2 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott & 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 7:41
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 Returned Exilesgenerated
Nehemiah 7:41 presents a record of the people who returned from exile, emphasizing the importance of lineage and community restoration. The list serves to document the families that reestablished themselves in Jerusalem, reflecting the fulfillment of God's promise to bring His people back to their land after captivity. This census is part of a larger narrative that underscores the rebuilding of the Jewish community and the temple, as mentioned in Nehemiah 2:17.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Chronicles 9:12 | Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah; Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer; |
| 2 | 1 Chronicles 24:9 | the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, |
| 3 | Ezra 2:38 | the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247; |
| 4 | Ezra 10:22 | From the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בְּנֵ֣י, be.Neigenerated
The word בְּנֵי (be.Nei) is a masculine plural noun derived from בֵּן (ben), meaning 'son' or 'descendant'. It indicates familial relationships, often referring to children or descendants in a broader sense, such as a lineage or tribe.
In this verse, it introduces the descendants of a specific family, highlighting their identity and connection to Pashhur, a priestly figure. This word is significant in genealogical contexts, as it establishes the heritage of the returning exiles.
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 structure of the verse is straightforward, with a noun phrase serving as the subject: בְּנֵי פַשְׁח֔וּר (the descendants of Pashhur), followed by a numeral phrase indicating the count: אֶ֕לֶף מָאתַ֖יִם אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָֽה (1,247). This clear structure emphasizes the identity of the family and their numerical significance.
The Hebrew word order places the descendants first, highlighting their importance in the context of the returning exiles. The numeral phrase follows, providing a precise count of the descendants.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בְּנֵי as υἱοὶ (huioi), meaning 'sons'. This choice reflects a consistent understanding of familial lineage in both the Hebrew and Greek texts.
The word for Pashhur in the Septuagint is φασσουρ (fassour), aligning closely with the Hebrew and indicating a direct translation of the name without alteration.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 7:41 lists the descendants of Pashhur, totaling 1,247 individuals. This count highlights the importance of family lineage among the returning exiles, reflecting the restoration of the Jewish community after their return from captivity.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Pashhur was a priest mentioned in the Bible, known for putting the prophet Jeremiah in stocks, and his name means 'freedom'.
The number shows the size of the family returning from exile, emphasizing the restoration and continuity of the Jewish community.
It refers not only to immediate children but also to the broader lineage, connecting families to their ancestral roots.
It contributes to the overall theme of restoration and rebuilding of the Jewish community after exile, documenting the families that returned.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean to be part of a lineage or family in my own life?
- How can I appreciate the significance of community and heritage in my faith?
- In what ways can I contribute to the restoration and growth of my community?
- How does understanding my ancestry impact my identity today?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 7:41 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two. No JFB commentary on these verses.
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 →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 Pashhur, 1,247;
The children of Pashhur: one thousand two hundred forty-seven.
the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;
the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;
Tyndale line
The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.
The children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.
The children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.
The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred and forty seven.
The sonnes of Pashur, a thousande, two hundreth and seuen and fourtie.
Strictly literal
The children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred and forty-seven.
sons of Pashur: a thousand two hundred forty and seven;
sons of Pashur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven;
The children of Pashchur, one thousand two hundred forty and seven.
The descendants of Pashhur, 1,247.
From the Latin
The children of Phashur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.
Simplified
the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;
The children of Pashhur, a thousand, two hundred and forty-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 largely agree in this verse, with four of the six words matched. The Septuagint's word order differs, but it retains the essential meaning of the Hebrew text.
בְּנֵ֣י פַשְׁח֔וּר אֶ֕לֶף מָאתַ֖יִם אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָֽה׃ ס
4 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 7:41
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…
פַּשְׁחוּר (pashchuwr) refers to a name meaning 'freedom' and is associated with several individuals in the Old Testament. Notably, it identifies a priest and chief prince during the reign of Zedekiah, as well as a governor of the temple who opposed Jeremiah. The entries indicate that Pashhur is linked to multiple figures, including a father of Gedaliah and a head of a family of returned exiles.
H6583 פַּשְׁחוּר . Je
. 21
. Ne
. father of one Gedaliah
. head of post-exil. family
6583 Pashchuwr pash-khoor'
probably from 6582; liberation; Pashchur, the name of four
Israelites:--Pashur.
see HEBREW for 06582
פַּשְׁחוּר (pash.chur) — Pashhur.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at 1Ch.9.12;
son of: Malchijah (H4441H);
father of: Zechariah (H2148X)
§ Pashur = "freedom"
1) a priest, son of Malchiah and one of the chief princes in the reign of king Zedekiah of Judah
2) a priest, son of Immer, chief governor of the temple, and the one who struck and then put the prophet Jeremiah into the stocks in the reign of king Jehoiakim of Judah
3) son of Malchijah, father of Zechariah, and ancestor of Adaiah who did the work of the temple in the time of Nehemiah. Probably same as 1
4) father of Gedaliah; probably the same as 1
5) head of a family of returned exiles
פַּשְׁחוּר (pash.chur) — Pashhur.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.10.3
§ Pashur = "freedom"
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
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 — AdjHAcbsa
thou'-zand ('eleph; chilioi).
See NUMBER.
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)
HAcfda — HAcfda
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
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…