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Numbers 32:2 — Word Study

Depth

WLCוַיָּבֹ֥אוּ בְנֵֽי־ גָ֖ד וּבְנֵ֣י רְאוּבֵ֑ן וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ אֶל־ מֹשֶׁה֙ וְאֶל־ אֶלְעָזָ֣ר הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְאֶל־ נְשִׂיאֵ֥י הָעֵדָ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר׃

BSASo the Gaditesbên [children of Gad] and Reubenitesbên [descendants of Reuben] camebôwʼ toʼêl MosesMôsheh [the Israelite leader] EleazarʼElʻâzâr [God has helped] the priestkôhên [one who serves God and leads others in worship] and the leadersnâsîyʼ [high-ranking officials, captains] of the congregationʻêdâh [a gathering of people, the community] and saidʼâmar [to speak, command, or proclaim]

Word
Listen & take awayNumbers 32
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 2 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 (le.Mor) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Numbers 32:2quick helps
In a sentenceThe Gadites and Reubenites approached Moses and the leaders to present their request.
Who is speakingThe Gadites and Reubenites, two tribes of Israel.
Where we areThe moment of negotiation between the tribes and their leaders.
The hard wordנְשִׂיאֵ֥י
Take awayThe tribes are actively seeking a decision from their leaders.
2 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson & more — read them › clause verbבּוֹא 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 — Numbers 32:2

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 Request of the Gadites and Reubenitesgenerated

1Now the Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, surveyed the lands of Jazer and Gilead, and they saw that the region was suitable for livestock.
2So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, and said,
3“Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,
4which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, are suitable for livestock—and your servants have livestock.”

Numbers 32:2 describes the Gadites and Reubenites approaching Moses and the priest Eleazar, along with the leaders of the congregation, to discuss their desire for land suitable for their livestock. This passage highlights their initiative and the importance of leadership in guiding the community's decisions.


Cross References


The Key Word נְשִׂיאֵ֥י, ne.si.'Eigenerated

The word נְשִׂיאֵ֥י (ne.si.'Ei) is a noun meaning 'leaders' or 'princes', derived from the root meaning 'to lift up'. This term indicates individuals in positions of authority, often responsible for guiding and making decisions for the community.

In this verse, it refers specifically to the leaders of the congregation, emphasizing their role as high-ranking officials who would play a crucial part in the discussions regarding the land request made by the Gadites and Reubenites.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The verse is presented in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the term leaders to describe the נְשִׂיאֵ֥י.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verbs יָּבֹ֥אוּ (they came) and יֹּאמְר֤וּ (they said) govern the main actions of the sentence, with multiple noun phrases indicating the subjects and objects of those actions. The structure emphasizes the sequential nature of their approach and request.

The Hebrew word order places the subjects, Gadites and Reubenites, prominently at the beginning, highlighting their initiative in approaching Moses and the leaders.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates יָּבֹ֥אוּ as προσελθόντες (proselthontes), meaning 'having approached'. This choice emphasizes the act of coming forward to engage in dialogue.

The Greek word ἄρξοντας (arxontas) for נְשִׂיאֵ֥י indicates leaders or rulers, maintaining the sense of authority present in the Hebrew text.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Numbers 32:2 tells us that the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses and Eleazar the priest, along with the leaders of the congregation, to present their case. They were looking for land suitable for their livestock, showing their proactive approach in seeking a decision.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

Who were the Gadites and Reubenites?

The Gadites and Reubenites were two of the twelve tribes of Israel, descended from Gad and Reuben, sons of Jacob.

What was the purpose of their approach to Moses?

They sought permission to settle in lands that were suitable for their large herds and flocks.

What role did Eleazar play in this context?

Eleazar was the priest who assisted Moses and played a key role in guiding the spiritual and communal decisions of the Israelites.

Why is the term 'leaders' significant?

The term 'leaders' signifies those in authority who were responsible for making important decisions for the community, reflecting the structure of leadership within Israel.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What can we learn from the way the Gadites and Reubenites approached their leaders?
  2. How do we seek guidance in our own communities when making important decisions?
  3. What qualities should we look for in leaders, based on the roles of Moses and Eleazar?
  4. How can we ensure that our voices are heard in discussions that affect our community?

Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Numbers 32:2 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses,.... The children of Gad are mentioned first, though Reuben was the firstborn, and had a standard under which Gad pitched: it

Read John Gill on Numbers 32 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, No JFB commentary on these verses.

Read Robert Jamieson on Numbers 32 →

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

So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, and said,

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying,

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, and said,

NETBNew English Translation2006

the Gadites and the Reubenites came and addressed Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community. They said,

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,

RVARevised Version, American1894

the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,

NWBWebster's Bible1833

The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying,

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Then the children of Gad, and the childre of Reuben came, and spake vnto Moses and to Eleazar the Priest, and vnto the princes of the Congregation, saying,

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the assembly, saying,

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

and the sons of Gad, and the sons of Reuben, come in and speak unto Moses, and unto Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the company, saying:

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

and the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben come in and speak to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came, and said unto Moses, and unto Elazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, as followeth,

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

So the descendants of Gad and Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the community. They said,

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

They came to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and the princes of the multitude, and said:

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

So they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the Israelite leaders and said,

BBEBible in Basic English1949

The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the meeting,

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.

וַandclauseverbיָּבֹ֥אוּthey.camenoun phrase · subjectnoun phraseבְנֵֽיthe.descendantsגָ֖דof.Gadוּandnoun phraseבְנֵ֣יthe.descendantsרְאוּבֵ֑ןof.Reubenוַandclauseverbיֹּאמְר֤וּthey.saidprepositional phrase · prepositionalprepositional phraseאֶלtoמֹשֶׁה֙Mosesוְandprepositional phraseאֶלtonoun phraseאֶלְעָזָ֣רEleazarnoun phraseהַtheכֹּהֵ֔ןpriestוְandprepositional phraseאֶלtonoun phraseנְשִׂיאֵ֥יthe.leadersnoun phraseהָofעֵדָ֖הthe.congregationprepositional phrase · prepositionalלֵ(cmp)clauseverbאמֹֽרsaying

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text presents the verse as the Gadites and Reubenites coming to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation. The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text in terms of word correspondence, maintaining the same characters and structure, though it has its own word order. The Samaritan Pentateuch differs from the Masoretic Text by including the phrase 'half the tribe of Manasseh,' which is not present in the Masoretic Text. The Dead Sea Scrolls fragment 4Q27 contains only five words from the verse, which are also found in the Masoretic Text, but the fragment is incomplete and has been supplemented by an editor for clarity.

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

וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ בְנֵֽי־ גָ֖ד וּבְנֵ֣י רְאוּבֵ֑ן וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ אֶל־ מֹשֶׁה֙ וְאֶל־ אֶלְעָזָ֣ר הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְאֶל־ נְשִׂיאֵ֥י הָעֵדָ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַיָּבֹ֥אוּπροσελθόντεςבְנֵֽי־υἱοὶגָ֖דρουβηνוּבְנֵ֣יυἱοὶרְאוּבֵ֑ןγαδוַיֹּאמְר֤וּεἶπανאֶל־πρὸςמֹשֶׁה֙μωυσῆνוְאֶל־πρὸςאֶלְעָזָ֣רελεαζαρהַכֹּהֵ֔ןἱερέαוְאֶל־πρὸςנְשִׂיאֵ֥יἄρξονταςהָעֵדָ֖הσυναγωγῆςלֵאמֹֽר׃λέγοντες

15 of the 15 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.

Samaritan Pentateuchthe Torah as the Samaritan community kept it

ויבאו בני גד ובני ראובן וחצי שׁבט המנשׁה ויאמרו אל משׁה ואל אלעזר הכהן ואל נשׂיאי העדה לאמר

3 words differ from the Masoretic Text: חצי (half), שׁבט (rod), מנשׁה (Manasseh)

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q27a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[ויבואו] [בני] [גד] [ובני] [ראובן]

5 words of the verse are on this fragment — 5 supplied entire by an editor.

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.

Numbers 32:2בּוֹאand they caand they cameבּוֹאבֵּן[the] desce[the] descendanבֵּןגָּדGadGadגָּדבֵּןand [the] dand [the] desceבֵּןרְאוּבֵןReubenReubenרְאוּבֵןאָמַרand they saand they saidאָמַראֶלtotoאֶלמֹשֶׁהMosesMosesמֹשֶׁהאֶלand toand toאֶלאֶלְעָזָרEleazarEleazarאֶלְעָזָרכֹּהֵןthe priestthe priestכֹּהֵןאֶלand toand toאֶלנָשִׂיא[the] leade[the] leaders oנָשִׂיאעֵדָהthe congregthe congregatioעֵדָהאָמַרsayingsayingאָמַרבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהגּוּדto raidto raidגּוּדמָשָׁהto drawto drawמָשָׁהאֵלgodgodאֵלרָאָהProviderProviderרָאָהבֵּןson: childson: childבֵּןכָּהַןto ministeto ministerכָּהַןנָשָׂאto lift: rto lift: raiseנָשָׂאעֵדwitnesswitnessעֵדעֵדָהwitnesswitnessעֵדָהרְאוּבֵןReubenReubenרְאוּבֵןפָּלַלto prayto prayפָּלַליִרְמְיָ֫הJeremiahJeremiahיִרְמְיָ֫העַמּוֹןAmmonAmmonעַמּוֹןכֹּהthusthusכֹּהיהוהYHWH/GodYHWH/Godיהוהשֶׁ֫מֶשׁsunsunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁחֲצִיhalfhalfחֲצִי
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 Numbers 32:2

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 came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
וַיָּבֹ֥אוּvai.ya.Vo.'u and they came H935 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
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
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
Hc/Vqw3mp
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
בְנֵֽי־ve.nei- [the] descendants of H1121 Noun common · masculine plural construct
4,943× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means a son or descendant, and can also refer to a grandson, nation, or quality. It appears in 1 Chronicles 24, describing a Levite named Beno. The word is used to show family relationships and inheritance.
Amplified meaning
children of Gad
Tyndale gloss
son: child
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

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

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

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)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural construct
HNcmpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

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…

and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
גָ֖דgad Gad H1410 Noun proper masculine
72× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Gad was the seventh son of Jacob and the founder of the tribe of Gad, which was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. He was also the name of a prophet during David's time.
Tyndale gloss
Gad
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גָּד (Gad) refers to a son of Jacob and Zilpah, as well as the tribe descended from him. The name means 'troop' and is associated with a prophet during David's time. Gad is first mentioned in Genesis 30:11 and is noted for his role in David's reign, including contributions to musical arrangements and involvement in census events.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גָּד 71 n.pr.m. (fortunatus?)

son of Jacob and Zilpah

a prophet in David's time

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1410 גָּד . son of Jacob and Zilpah

. a prophet in David's time

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1410 Gad gawd

from 1464; Gad, a son of Jacob, including his tribe and its

territory; also a prophet:--Gad.

see HEBREW for 01464

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גָּד (gad) — Gad.

A man of the tribe of Gad living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.30.11;

son of: Israel (H3478) and Zilpah (H2153);

brother of: Asher (H0836);

half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144);

father of: Ziphion (H6837), Haggi (H2291), Shuni (H7764), Ezbon (H0675), Eri (H6179), Arod (H0720) and Areli (H0692)

§ Gad = "troop"

1) seventh son of Jacob by Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, and full brother of Asher.

2) the tribe descended from Gad

3) a prophet during the time of David; appears to have joined David when in the hold; reappears in connection with the punishment for taking a census; also assisted in the arrangements for the musical service of the "house of God"

גָּד (gad) — Gad.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNpm — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Gad

Fortune; luck. (1.) Jacob’s seventh son, by Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, and the brother of Asher (Gen. 30:11-13; 46:16, 18). In the Authorized Version of 30:11 the words, “A troop cometh: and she called,” etc., should rather be rendered, “In fortune [R.V., ‘Fortunate’]: and she called,” etc., or “Fortune cometh,” etc.

The tribe of Gad during the march through the wilderness had their place with Simeon and Reuben on the south side of the tabernacle (Num. 2:14). The tribes of Reuben and Gad continued all through their history to follow the pastoral pursuits of the patriarchs (Num. 32:1-5).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(a troop). Jacob’s seventh son, the first-born of Zilpah, Leah’s maid, and whole-brother to Asher. (Genesis 30;11-13; 46:16,18) (B.C. 1753-1740.) "The seer," or "the king’s seer," i.e. David’s (1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 29:25) was a "prophet" who appears to have joined David when in the old. (1 Samuel 22:5) (B.C. 1061.) He reappears in connection with the punishment inflicted for the numbering of the people. (2 Samuel 24:11-19; 1 Chronicles 21:9-19) He wrote a book of the Acts of David, (1 Chronicles 29:29) and also assisted in the arrangements for the…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Prosperity, fortune,

1. Son of Jacob and Zilpah, Leah’s servant, Ge 30:11. Leah called him Gad, and said, "A troop cometh." Compare Ge 49:19; but many Hebrew scholars prefer the rendering, good fortune or prosperity cometh. The tribe of Gad came out of Egypt in number forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty, Ge 46:16 Nu 1:24. After the defeat of the kings Og and Sihon, Gad and Reuben desired to have their allotment east of Jordan, alleging their great number of cattle. Moses granted their request, on condition that they should accompany their brethren, and assist in conquering the land west of Jordan, Nu 32:1-42. The…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

a band; a troop

and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
וּבְנֵ֣יu.ve.Nei and [the] descendants of H1121 Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct
4,943× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means a son or descendant, and can also refer to a grandson, nation, or quality. It appears in 1 Chronicles 24, describing a Levite named Beno. The word is used to show family relationships and inheritance.
Amplified meaning
descendants of Reuben
Tyndale gloss
son: child
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

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

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

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)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-mp — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct
HC/Ncmpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

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…

and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
רְאוּבֵ֑ןre.'u.Ven Reuben H7205 Noun proper masculine
72× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob and Leah, and the ancestor of the tribe of Reuben. He is mentioned in Genesis as the brother of Simeon, Levi, and Judah, and the father of Hanoch and Pallu.
Tyndale gloss
Reuben
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רְאוּבֵן (Reuben) refers to the eldest son of Jacob and Leah, meaning 'behold a son.' He is the ancestor of the tribe of Reuben, which is mentioned in the context of the Old Testament. The name is derived from the imperative of the verb for 'see' and the word for 'son.' Reuben is first mentioned in Genesis 29:32.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

רְאוּבֵן 71 n.pr.m. Reuben

eldest son of Jacob and Leah

as name of clan or tribe

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7205 רְאוּבֵן Reuben

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7205 R'uwben reh-oo-bane'

from the imperative of 7200 and 1121; see ye a son; Reuben, a

son of Jacob:--Reuben.

see HEBREW for 07200

see HEBREW for 01121

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רְאוּבֵן (re.u.ven) — Reuben.

A man of the tribe of Reuben living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.29.32;

son of: Israel (H3478) and Leah (H3812);

brother of: Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783);

half-brother of: Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144);

father of: Hanoch (H2585J), Pallu (H6396), Hezron (H2696) and Carmi (H3756)

§ Reuben = "behold a son"

1) the eldest son of Jacob by Leah

2) the tribe descended from Reuben

3) the territory inhabited by the tribe of Reuben

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNpm — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

roo'-ben, ru'-ben (re'ubhen; Rhouben): The eldest son of Jacob, born to him by Leah in Paddan-aram (Ge 29:32).

1. Jacob's Oldest Son:

This verse seems to suggest two derivations of the name. As it stands in Massoretic Text it means "behold a son"; but the reason given for so calling him is "The Lord hath looked upon my affliction," which in Hebrew is ra'ah be`onyi, literally, "He hath seen my affliction." Of his boyhood we have only the story of the mandrakes (Ge 30:14). As the firstborn he should really have been leader among his father's sons. His birthright was forfeited by a deed of peculiar infamy (Ge 35:22), and as far as we know his tribe never took the lead in Israel. It is named first, indeed, in

Reuben

Behold a son!, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah (Gen. 29:32). His sinful conduct, referred to in Gen. 35:22, brought down upon him his dying father’s malediction (48:4). He showed kindness to Joseph, and was the means of saving his life when his other brothers would have put him to death (37:21,22). It was he also who pledged his life and the life of his sons when Jacob was unwilling to let Benjamin go down into Egypt. After Jacob and his family went down into Egypt (46:8) no further mention is made of Reuben beyond what is recorded in ch. 49:3,4.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(behold a son), Jacob’s firstborn Child, (Genesis 29:32) the son of Leah. (B.C. 1753.) The notices of the patriarch Reuben give, on the whole a favorable view of his disposition. To him and him alone the preservation of Joseph’s life appears to have been due and afterward he becomes responsible for his safety. (Genesis 37:18-30; 42:37) Of the repulsive crime which mars his history, and which turned the blessing of his dying father into a curse --his adulterous connection with Bilhah-- we know from the Scriptures only the fact. (Genesis 35:22) He was of an ardent, impetuous, unbalanced but not ungenerous nature; not crafty and cruel, as were Simeon and Levi, but rather, to use the metaphor of the dying patriarch, boiling up…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Behold, a son! The eldest son of Jacob and Leah, so-called in reference to the sentiment of his mother, "The Lord hath looked on my affliction," Ge 29:32. Reuben, having defiled his father’s concubine Bilhah, lost his birthright and all the privileges of primogeniture, the preeminence in the family being given to Judah, and the double portion to the two sons of Joseph, Ge 35:22 48:5 49:3,4,8,10 1Ch 5:1,2. He shared in his brother’s jealousy of Joseph, and yet interposed to save his life at Dothan with the design of restoring him privately to his father, Ge 37:18-30. See also his well-meant proposal in Ge 42:27. His…

and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
וַיֹּאמְר֤וּvai.yo.me.Ru and they said H559 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
5,309× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to say or speak, and it's used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to command, promise, or think, and it's translated in the KJV as 'answer', 'appoint', or 'command'.
Amplified meaning
to speak, command, or proclaim
Tyndale gloss
to say
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָמַר (amar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to say' or 'to utter,' with a broad range of uses including to promise, command, or even boast. It appears in various forms, such as in the Qal (to say), Niphal (to be told), and Hiphil (to avow). The entries highlight its versatility in both spoken and internal contexts, though no specific verse is noted.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say

Qal

Say

Say in the heart (= think)

Promise

Command (esp. late)

Niph. be said, told

Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)

Hithp. act proudly, boast

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H559 אָמַר utter, say .. Say

. Say in the heart (= think)

. Promise

. Command (esp. late)

. be said, told

. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)

. act proudly, boast

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

559 'amar aw-mar'

a primitive root; to say (used with great

latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call,

certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment),

commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X

expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise,

publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X

suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech),

utter, X verily, X yet.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָמַר (a.mar) — to say.

1) to say, speak, utter

1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend

1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called

1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly

1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch

Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
Hc/Vqw3mp
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
אֶל־'el- to H413 Preposition
5,518× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means 'to' or 'toward', showing direction or movement. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus, to indicate where someone is going. The KJV translates it in various ways, like 'about', 'according to', or 'against'.
Tyndale gloss
to(wards)
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֶל (el) is primarily a preposition indicating motion towards or direction to a person or place. It can also imply entering a limit, presence at a location, or a hostile direction (against). Additionally, it may express concepts such as concerning, in addition to, or according to. The entries highlight its versatility in both physical and metaphorical contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph),

prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).of motion to or unto a person or place

Where the limit is actually entered, into

Of direction towards anything

Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

Of rule or standard according to (rare)

Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H413 אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), . of motion to or unto a person or place

. Where the limit is actually entered, into

. Of direction towards anything

. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

. Of rule or standard according to (rare)

. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

413 'el ale

(but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el});

a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but

occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or

among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after,

against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and,

by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of,

over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether,

with(-in).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶל (el) — to(wards).

1) to, toward, unto (of motion)

2) into (limit is actually entered)

2a) in among

3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion)

4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character)

5) in addition to, to

6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of

7) according to (rule or standard)

8) at, by, against (of one's presence)

9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep — Preposition
HR
and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
מֹשֶׁה֙mo.Sheh Moses H4872 Noun proper masculine
766× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Moses, the Israelite leader, was born to Amram and Jochebed and led the Exodus from Egypt. He received the law from God and is considered a key figure in the Bible. Moses means 'drawn' in Hebrew.
Amplified meaning
the Israelite leader
Tyndale gloss
Moses
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מֹשֶׁה (Mosheh) refers to Moses, the prominent Hebrew leader, prophet, and lawgiver. The name is derived from the root meaning 'drawing out,' indicating his rescue from water. He is a key figure in the Old Testament, first mentioned in Exodus 2:10, and is known for leading the Israelites during the Exodus.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מֹשֶׁה 767 n.pr.m. Moses, the great Hebrew leader, prophet and lawgiver

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4872 מֹשֶׁה Moses, the great Hebrew leader, prophet and lawgiver

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4872 Mosheh mo-sheh'

from 4871; drawing out (of the water), i.e. rescued; Mosheh,

the Israelite lawgiver:--Moses.

see HEBREW for 04871

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מֹשֶׁה (mo.sheh) — Moses.

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Exo.2.10;

son of: Amram (H6019) and Jochebed (H3115);

brother of: Aaron (H0175) and Miriam (H4813); married to Zipporah (H6855);

father of: Gershom (H1647) and Eliezer (H0461H); also called Manasseh at Jdg.18.30(?)

§ Moses = "drawn"

the prophet and lawgiver, leader of the exodus

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mo'-zez, mo'-ziz (mosheh; Egyptian mes, "drawn out," "born"; Septuagint Mouse(s)). The great Hebrew national hero, leader, author, law-giver and prophet.

I. LIFE

1. Son of Levi

2. Foundling Prince

3. Friend of the People

4. Refuge in Midian

5. Leader of Israel

II. WORK AND CHARACTER

1. The Author

2. The Lawgiver

3. The Prophet

LITERATURE

The traditional view of the Jewish church and of the Christian church, that Moses was a person and that the narrative with which his life-story is interwoven is real history, is in the main sustained by commentators and critics of all classes.

It is needless to mention the old writers among whom these questions were hardly under discussion. Among the advocates of the current radical criticism may be mentioned Stade and Renan, who minimize the historicity of the Bible narrative at this point. Renan thinks the narrative "may be very probable." Ewald, Wellhausen…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Moses

Drawn (or Egypt. mesu, “son;” hence Rameses, royal son). On the invitation of Pharaoh (Gen. 45:17-25), Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt. This immigration took place probably about 350 years before the birth of Moses. Some centuries before Joseph, Egypt had been conquered by a pastoral Semitic race from Asia, the Hyksos, who brought into cruel subjection the native Egyptians, who were an African race. Jacob and his retinue were accustomed to a shepherd’s life, and on their arrival in Egypt were received with favour by the king, who assigned them the “best of the land”, the land of Goshen, to dwell in. The Hyksos or “shepherd” king who thus showed favour to Joseph and his family was in all probability the Pharaoh Apopi (or Apopis).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(Heb. Mosheh , "drawn," i.e. from the water; in the Coptic it means "saved from the water"), the legislator of the Jewish people, and in a certain sense the founder of the Jewish religion. The immediate pedigree of Moses is as follows: Levi was the father of: Gershon -- Kohath -- Merari Kohath was the father of: Amram = Jochebed Amram = Jochebed was the father of: Hur = Miriam -- Aaron = Elisheba -- Moses = Zipporah Aaron = Elisheba was the father of: Nadab -- Abihu -- Eleazar -- Ithamar Eleazar was the father of: Phineas Moses = Zipporah was the father of: Gershom -- Eliezer Gershom was the father of: Jonathan The history of Moses naturally divides itself into three periods of 40 years each. Moses was born at Goshen, In Egypt, B.C. 1571. The story of his birth is thoroughly Egyptian in its scene. His mother made extraordinary efforts for his preservation from the general destruction of…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The name of the illustrious prophet and legislator of the Hebrews, who led them from Egypt to the Promised Land. Having been originally imposed by a native Egyptian princess, the word is no doubt Egyptian in its origin, and Josephus gives its true derivation—from the two Egyptian words, MO, water, and USE, saved. With this accords the Septuagint form, MOUSES. The Hebrews by a slight change accommodated it to their own language, as they did also in the case of some other foreign words; calling it MOSHIE, from the verb MASHA, to draw. See Ex 2:10. Moses was born about 15.71 B. C., the son of Amram and Jochebed, of the tribe of Levi, and the younger brother of Miriam and Aaron. His history is too extensive to permit insertion here, and in general too well known to need it. It is enough simply to remark, that it is divided into three…

and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
וְאֶל־ve.'el- and to H413 Conjunction · preposition
5,518× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means 'to' or 'toward', showing direction or movement. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus, to indicate where someone is going. The KJV translates it in various ways, like 'about', 'according to', or 'against'.
Tyndale gloss
to(wards)
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֶל (el) is primarily a preposition indicating motion towards or direction to a person or place. It can also imply entering a limit, presence at a location, or a hostile direction (against). Additionally, it may express concepts such as concerning, in addition to, or according to. The entries highlight its versatility in both physical and metaphorical contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph),

prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).of motion to or unto a person or place

Where the limit is actually entered, into

Of direction towards anything

Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

Of rule or standard according to (rare)

Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H413 אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), . of motion to or unto a person or place

. Where the limit is actually entered, into

. Of direction towards anything

. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

. Of rule or standard according to (rare)

. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

413 'el ale

(but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el});

a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but

occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or

among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after,

against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and,

by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of,

over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether,

with(-in).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶל (el) — to(wards).

1) to, toward, unto (of motion)

2) into (limit is actually entered)

2a) in among

3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion)

4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character)

5) in addition to, to

6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of

7) according to (rule or standard)

8) at, by, against (of one's presence)

9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HC/R — Conjunction · preposition
HC/R
and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
אֶלְעָזָ֣ר'el.'a.Zar Eleazar H499 Noun proper masculine
72× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Eleazar means God has helped, and was the name of several Israelites, including a high priest and one of David's warriors.
Amplified meaning
God has helped
Tyndale gloss
Eleazar
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֶלְעָזָר (El`azar) means "God has helped" and refers to several individuals in the Old Testament, including a high priest, a Levite, and a warrior of David. It is derived from the roots for "God" and "helper". The entries highlight various figures named Eleazar, such as the son of Aaron and the son of Abinadab, who played significant roles in Israel's history.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶלְעָזָר n.pr.m. (God has helped)

Eleazar the priest

son of Abinadab

one of David’s heroes

a Levite

priest of the time of Ezra

one of the line of Parosh

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H499 אֶלְעָזָר (God has helped) . Eleazar the priest

. son of Abinadab

. one of David’s heroes

. a Levite

. priest of the time of Ezra

. one of the line of Parosh

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

499 'El`azar el-aw-zawr'

from 410 and 5826; God (is) helper; Elazar, the name of seven

Israelites:--Eleazar.

see HEBREW for 0410

see HEBREW for 05826

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶלְעָזָר (el.a.zar) — Eleazar.

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Exo.6.23;

son of: Aaron (H0175) and Elisheba (H0472);

brother of: Nadab (H5070), Abihu (H0030) and Ithamar (H0385); married to daughter_of_Putiel (H6317H);

father of: Phinehas (H6372)

§ Eleazar = "God has helped"

1) the high priest son of Aaron

2) Abinadab's son who cared for the ark

3) the priest who rebuilt and dedicated the restored walls of Jerusalem in time of Ezra

4) one of David's mighty warriors

5) a Levite

6) one of the line of Parosh

אֶלְעָזָר (el.a.zar) — Eleazar.

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Sa.7.1;

son of: Abinadab (H0041);

brother of: Uzzah (H5798A) and Ahio (H0283)

§ Eleazar = "God has helped"

1) the high priest son of Aaron

2) Abinadab's son who cared for the ark

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

el-e-a'-zar, e-le-a'-zar ('el-`azar; Eleazar, "God is helper"):

(1) The 3rd son of Aaron by Elisheba (Ex 6:23; Nu 3:2).

He married one of the daughters of Putiel, who bore him Phinehas (Ex 6:25). With his father and 3 brothers he was consecrated to the priest's office (Ex 28:1). After the destruction of Nadab and Abihu, he occupied a more important position, and he and Ithamar "ministered in the priest's office in the presence of Aaron their father" (Le 10:6 f; Nu 3:4; 1Ch 24:2 ff). He was given the oversight of the…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Eleazar

God has helped. (1.) The third son of Aaron (Ex. 6:23). His wife, a daughter of Putiel, bore him Phinehas (Ex. 6:25). After the death of Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:12; Num. 3:4) he was appointed to the charge of the sanctuary (Num. 3:32). On Mount Hor he was clothed with the sacred vestments, which Moses took from off his brother Aaron and put upon him as successor to his father in the high priest’s office, which he held for more than twenty years (Num. 20:25-29). He took part with Moses in numbering the people (26:3, 4), and assisted at the inauguration of…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(help of God). Third son of Aaron. After the death of Nadab and Abihu without children, (Leviticus 10:6; Numbers 3:4) Eleazar was appointed chief over the principal Levites. (Numbers 3:32) With his brother Ithamar he ministered as a priest during their father’s lifetime, and immediately before his death was invested on Mount Hor with the sacred garments, as the successor of Aaron in the office of high priest. (Numbers 20:28) (B.C. 1452.) One of his first duties was in conjunction with Moses to superintend the census of the people. (Numbers 26:3) After the conquest of Canaan by Joshua he took part in the distribution of…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

1. The third son of Aaron, and high priest after him, Ex 6:23; Nu 20:25-28. The high priesthood continued in his family through seven generations; till the time of Eli, when we find it transferred to the line of Ithamar. In the reigns of Saul and David, it was restored to the line of Eleazar, and so continued till after the captivity.

2. A son of Abinadab, honored with the charge of the ark while it was in his father’s house, 1Sa 7:1.

3. One of David’s champions, 2Sa 23:9; 1Ch 11:11-18.

and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
הַכֹּהֵ֔ןha.ko.Hen the priest H3548 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
750× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, a priest is a person who serves God and leads others in worship, like the Levitical priests in Exodus. They were responsible for making sacrifices and following God's laws. This term is also used to describe Jesus as a priest-king.
Amplified meaning
one who serves God and leads others in worship
Tyndale gloss
priest
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כֹּהֵן (kohen) means 'priest' and is derived from the active participle of a related root. It encompasses various types of priests, including Levitical, Aaronic, and even pagan priests, as well as chief rulers or principal officers. The term is used in contexts referring to both Jewish and non-Jewish priestly roles.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּהֵן 750 n.m. priest

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3548 כֹּהֵן priest

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3548 kohen ko-hane'

active participle of 3547; literally, one officiating, a

priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a

layman):--chief ruler, X own, priest, prince, principal

officer.

see HEBREW for 03547

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּהֵן (ko.hen) — priest.

1) priest, principal officer or chief ruler

1a) priest-king (Melchizedek, Messiah)

1b) pagan priests

1c) priests of Jehovah

1d) Levitical priests

1e) Zadokite priests

1f) Aaronic priests

1g) the high priest

Aramaic equivalent: ka.hen (כָּהֵן "priest" H3549)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

prest (kohen, "priest," "prince," "minister"; hiereus archiereus; for hiereus megas, of Heb 10:21, see Thayer's Lexicon, under the word hiereus:

I. NATURE OF THE PRIESTLY OFFICE

1. Implies Divine Choice

2. Implies Representation

3. Implies Offering Sacrifice

4. Implies Intercession

II. THE TWO GREAT PRIESTS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, MELCHIZEDEK AND AARON

III. PRIESTLY FUNCTIONS AND CHARACTER

1. A Strictly Religious Order

2. Priestism Denied

3. The High Priest's Qualifications

4. Symbolism of Aaron's Rod

IV. CONSECRATION OF AARON AND HIS SONS (EXODUS 29; LEVITICUS 8)

1. Symbolism of Consecration

2. Type and Archetype

LITERATURE

A priest is one who is duly authorized to minister in sacred things, particularly to offer sacrifices at the altar, and who acts as mediator between men and God. In the New Testament the term is applied to priests of the Gentiles…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Priest

The Heb. kohen, Gr. hierus, Lat. sacerdos, always denote one who offers sacrifices.

At first every man was his own priest, and presented his own sacrifices before God. Afterwards that office devolved on the head of the family, as in the cases of Noah (Gen. 8:20), Abraham (12:7; 13:4), Isaac (26:25), Jacob (31:54), and Job (Job 1:5).

The name first occurs as applied to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18). Under the Levitical arrangements the office of the priesthood was limited to the tribe of Levi, and to only one family of that tribe, the family of Aaron. Certain laws respecting the qualifications of priests are given in Lev. 21:16-23. There are ordinances also regarding the…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The English word is derived from the Greek presbyter , signifying an "elder" (Heb. cohen). Origin. --The idea of a priesthood connects itself in all its forms, pure or corrupted, with the consciousness, more or less distinct of sin. Men feel that they have broken a law. The power above them is holier than they are, and they dare not approach it. They crave for the intervention of some one of whom they can think as likely to be more acceptable than themselves. He must offer up their prayers, thanksgivings, sacrifices. He becomes their representative in "things pertaining unto God." He may become also (though this does not always follow) the representative of God to man. The functions of the priest and prophet may exist in the same person. No trace of a hereditary or caste priesthood meets us in the worship of the patriarchal age. Once and once only does the word cohen meet us as…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

One who officiated in the public worship of God, especially in making expiation for sin, being "ordained for men in things pertaining to God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins." In the Old Testament, the priesthood was not annexed to a certain family till after the promulgation of the law by Moses. Before that time, the firstborn of each family, the fathers, the princes, the kings, were priests in their own cities and in their own houses. Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, and Job, Abimelech and Laban, Isaac and Jacob offered personally their own sacrifices. In the solemnity of the covenant made by the Lord with his people, at the foot of Mount Sinai, Moses performed the office of mediator, and young men were chosen from among Israel to perform the office of priests, Ex 24:5. But after the Lord had chosen the tribe of Levi to…

and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
וְאֶל־ve.'el- and to H413 Conjunction · preposition
5,518× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means 'to' or 'toward', showing direction or movement. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus, to indicate where someone is going. The KJV translates it in various ways, like 'about', 'according to', or 'against'.
Tyndale gloss
to(wards)
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֶל (el) is primarily a preposition indicating motion towards or direction to a person or place. It can also imply entering a limit, presence at a location, or a hostile direction (against). Additionally, it may express concepts such as concerning, in addition to, or according to. The entries highlight its versatility in both physical and metaphorical contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph),

prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).of motion to or unto a person or place

Where the limit is actually entered, into

Of direction towards anything

Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

Of rule or standard according to (rare)

Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H413 אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), . of motion to or unto a person or place

. Where the limit is actually entered, into

. Of direction towards anything

. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

. Of rule or standard according to (rare)

. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

413 'el ale

(but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el});

a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but

occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or

among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after,

against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and,

by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of,

over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether,

with(-in).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶל (el) — to(wards).

1) to, toward, unto (of motion)

2) into (limit is actually entered)

2a) in among

3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion)

4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character)

5) in addition to, to

6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of

7) according to (rule or standard)

8) at, by, against (of one's presence)

9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HC/R — Conjunction · preposition
HC/R
and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
נְשִׂיאֵ֥יne.si.'Ei [the] leaders of H5387 Noun common · masculine plural construct
134× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a leader or a high-ranking official, like a king or a captain. It can also describe a rising mist, as seen in Isaiah 60:13. In the Bible, it often symbolizes power and authority.
Amplified meaning
high-ranking officials, captains
Tyndale gloss
leader
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָשִׂיא (nasiy') refers to an exalted figure, such as a chief, prince, or ruler, and also denotes a rising mist or vapor. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to lift up.' Its meanings encompass leadership roles and atmospheric phenomena, as noted in various lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָשִׂיא 128 n.m. one lifted up, i.e. a chief prince

base

[נָשִׂיא] n.[m.] rising mist, vapour

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5387a נָשִׂיא one lifted up, i.e. a chief prince H5387b נָשִׂיא rising mist, vapour

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5387 nasiy' naw-see'

or nasi8 {naw-see'}; from 5375; properly, an exalted one,

i.e. a king or sheik; also a rising mist:--captain, chief,

cloud, governor, prince, ruler, vapour.

see HEBREW for 0nasi8

see HEBREW for 05375

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָשִׂיא (na.si) — leader.

one lifted up, chief, prince, captain, leader

נָשִׂיא (na.si) — mist.

rising mist, vapour

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural construct
HNcmpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

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…

and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
הָעֵדָ֖הha.'e.Dah the congregation H5712 Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
149× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means a gathering of people, like a congregation or crowd, often referring to a group of Israelites. It is used in various books, including Exodus and Psalms. The word is about people coming together.
Amplified meaning
a gathering of people, the community
Tyndale gloss
congregation
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עֵדָה (edah) refers to a congregation or assembly, typically a group gathered by appointment or acting together. It is derived from a related term and encompasses meanings such as company, multitude, and crowd. The entries consistently emphasize its use in the context of gatherings, without notable disagreement among the lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עֵדָה 149 n.f. congregation (prop. company assembled together by appointment, or acting concertedly)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5712 עֵדָה congregation (prop. company assembled together by appointment, or acting concertedly

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5712 `edah ay-daw'

feminine of 5707 in the original sense of fixture; a stated

assemblage (specifically, a concourse, or generally, a family

or crowd):--assembly, company, congregation, multitude,

people, swarm. Compare 5713.

see HEBREW for 05707

see HEBREW for 05713

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עֵדָה (e.dah) — congregation.

congregation, gathering

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-fs — Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
HTd/Ncfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kon-gre-ga'-shun (qahal, `edhah).

1. Terms Employed:

These two words rendered by "congregation" or "assembly" are used apparently without any difference of sense. They appear to include an assembly of the whole people or any section that might be present on a given occasion. Indeed, sometimes the idea appears to correspond closely to that conveyed by "horde," or even by "crowd." `Edhah is once used of bees (Jud 14:8). It has been sought to distinguish the two words by means of Le 4:13, "if the whole `edhah of Israel err, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the qahal." The qahal would then be the smaller body representing the whole `edhah, but the general usage is not favorable to this view (compare e.g. Ex 12:19, "cutting off…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Congregation

(Heb. kahal), the Hebrew people collectively as a holy community (Num. 15:15). Every circumcised Hebrew from twenty years old and upward was a member of the congregation. Strangers resident in the land, if circumcised, were, with certain exceptions (Ex. 12:19; Num. 9:14; Deut. 23:1-3), admitted to the privileges of citizenship, and spoken of as members of the congregation (Ex. 12:19; Num. 9:14; 15:15). The congregation were summonded together by the sound of two silver trumpets, and they met at the door of the tabernacle (

This describes the Hebrew people in its collective capacity under its peculiar aspect as a holy community, held together by religious rather than political bonds. Sometimes it is used in a broad sense as inclusive of foreign settlers, (Exodus 12:19) but more properly as exclusively appropriate to the Hebrew element of the population. (Numbers 15:15) The congregation was governed by the father or head of each family and tribe. The number of these representatives being inconveniently large for ordinary business, a further selection was made by Moses of 70, who formed a species of standing committee. (Numbers 11:16) Occasionally indeed the whole body of people was assembled at the door of the tabernacle, hence usually called…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Those who were excluded from De 23:1-3

→ See CHURCH

→ See EXCOMMUNICATION

and they came [the] descendants of Gad and [the] descendants of Reuben and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to [the] leaders of the congregation saying
לֵאמֹֽר׃le.Mor saying H559 Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
5,309× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to say or speak, and it's used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to command, promise, or think, and it's translated in the KJV as 'answer', 'appoint', or 'command'.
Tyndale gloss
to say
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָמַר (amar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to say' or 'to utter,' with a broad range of uses including to promise, command, or even boast. It appears in various forms, such as in the Qal (to say), Niphal (to be told), and Hiphil (to avow). The entries highlight its versatility in both spoken and internal contexts, though no specific verse is noted.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say

Qal

Say

Say in the heart (= think)

Promise

Command (esp. late)

Niph. be said, told

Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)

Hithp. act proudly, boast

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H559 אָמַר utter, say .. Say

. Say in the heart (= think)

. Promise

. Command (esp. late)

. be said, told

. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)

. act proudly, boast

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

559 'amar aw-mar'

a primitive root; to say (used with great

latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call,

certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment),

commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X

expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise,

publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X

suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech),

utter, X verily, X yet.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָמַר (a.mar) — to say.

1) to say, speak, utter

1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend

1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called

1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly

1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch

Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Vqcc — Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
HR/Vqcc
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
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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