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Psalms 105:6 — Word Study

Depth

WLCזֶ֭רַע אַבְרָהָ֣ם עַבְדּ֑וֹ בְּנֵ֖י יַעֲקֹ֣ב בְּחִירָֽיו׃

BSAO offspringzeraʻ [seed, descendants] of His servantʻebed [faithful attendant] AbrahamʼAbrâhâm O sonsbên [children, descendants] of JacobYaʻăqôb [Israel, his chosen one] His chosen onesbâchîyr [elect, select]

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 105
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 6 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 (be.chi.Rav) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 105:6quick helps
In a sentenceThe psalmist calls upon the descendants of Abraham and Jacob, highlighting their chosen status.
Who is speakingThe psalmist, addressing the offspring of Abraham and the sons of Jacob.
Where we areThis verse is part of a psalm celebrating God's wonders and covenant with His people.
The hard wordבְּחִירָֽיו
Take awayThe chosen status of God's people is emphasized through their lineage.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause 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 — Psalms 105:6

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 Call to God's Chosen Peoplegenerated

5Remember the wonders He has done, His marvels, and the judgments He has pronounced,
6O offspring of His servant Abraham, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.
7He is the LORD our God; His judgments carry throughout the earth.
8He remembers His covenant forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations—

Psalms 105:6 reminds the descendants of Abraham and Jacob of their special relationship with God as His chosen ones. This verse is part of a larger psalm that encourages remembrance of God's mighty deeds and His everlasting covenant with His people, as seen in verses 5 and 7. The psalmist emphasizes the importance of recognizing their heritage and God's faithfulness throughout generations.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Exodus 3:6Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
2Isaiah 41:8–14“But you, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend—
3Isaiah 44:1–2But now listen, O Jacob My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen.
4Romans 9:4–29the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises.
5Deuteronomy 7:6–8For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word זֶ֫רַע, Ze.ra'generated

The Hebrew word זֶ֫רַע (zera`) means seed or offspring. It conveys the idea of descendants, as in God's promise to Abraham of numerous offspring, and can also refer to agricultural seed or the act of sowing. This word emphasizes both physical lineage and moral qualities passed down through generations.

It appears frequently in the Old Testament, highlighting the continuity of God's promises through His chosen people. The parsing indicates it is a masculine singular construct noun, linking it directly to the servant Abraham.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The translations agree on the essential meaning of the verse, consistently referring to the descendants of Abraham and Jacob as God's chosen ones.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse consists of a main clause with multiple noun phrases. The structure emphasizes the identity of the subjects: זֶ֫רַע (offspring), אַבְרָהָ֣ם (Abraham), בְּנֵ֖י (children), יַעֲקֹ֣ב (Jacob), and בְּחִירָֽיו (chosen ones).

This organization highlights the significance of each group mentioned, linking them to their covenantal relationship with God.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates זֶ֫רַע as σπέρμα (seed), which retains the meaning of offspring and descendants. This choice reflects the continuity of the concept of lineage in both the Hebrew and Greek texts.

The use of αβρααμ for אַבְרָהָם further emphasizes the importance of Abraham in the context of God's covenant and chosen people.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalms 105:6 calls the descendants of Abraham and Jacob to remember their special relationship with God. They are identified as His chosen ones, emphasizing their importance in God's plan.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

Who are considered the offspring of Abraham?

The offspring of Abraham includes his biological descendants, such as Isaac and Jacob, as well as all who share in the faith of Abraham, making them part of God's chosen people.

What does it mean to be a chosen one?

Being a chosen one signifies a special relationship with God, where individuals or groups are selected for a purpose or mission in accordance with God's will.

How does this verse relate to God's covenant?

This verse highlights the covenant relationship God established with Abraham and his descendants, affirming their identity and role as His chosen people.

Why is Jacob referred to as God's chosen one?

Jacob, later named Israel, is considered God's chosen one because he is the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, through whom God's promises and covenant continue.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways can I recognize my own heritage as part of God's chosen people?
  2. How can I reflect the qualities of being chosen in my daily life?
  3. What does it mean to you to be part of a lineage that is considered special to God?
  4. How can I share the significance of God's covenant with others?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

The verse is referenced by early Church Fathers, including Augustine, who discusses the significance of God's chosen people as descendants of Abraham and Jacob.

Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 105 354–430
Unto whom is it said, "O you seed of Abraham His servant, you children of Jacob, His chosen"? [Psalms 105:6]....
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 105 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 105:6 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

O ye seed of Abraham his servant,.... These are the persons all along before addressed; the Israelites, who descended from Abraham, were his natural seed and offspring, and who had reason to give

Read John Gill on Psalms 105 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 105 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Children of Jacob; to whom he restrains the former more general expression, because these were the only branch of Abraham’ s seed to whom the following covenant and blessings belong.

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 105 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 105:6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.Ver. 6. O ye seed of Abraham, &c.] Do thus, or else your pedigree will profit you no more than it did Dives in the flames, that Abraham called him son. An empty title yieldeth but an empty comfort.

Read John Trapp on Psalms 105 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 6. O ye seed of Abraham] Ye Jews especially, who have been the peculiar objects of the Divine favour.

Read AdamClarke on Psalms 105 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

6. Grammatically, his servant may refer either to Abraham or to seed of Abraham. The parallelism is in favour of the latter construction, and the LXX and Jer. actually read his servants: but exact parallelism is not always maintained, and Psalms 105:42 is decidedly in favour of connecting his servant with Abraham. For Abraham Chron. reads Israel. his chosen] R.V. his chosen ones, to avoid the ambiguity of the A.V. Cp. Psalms 105:43; Psalms 106:5; Deuteronomy 4:37; &c. This verse is to be connected with Psalms 105:1-5 : the form of address reminds the Israelites at once of their privilege and their duty.

Read Cambridge on Psalms 105 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen - All you who are descendants of Abraham and Jacob; the former being particularly mentioned here because he was the great ancestor of

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 105 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

6. Abraham… Jacob—He reminds them of their holy ancestry: they are the children of those whom God had called, and chosen, and loved; and he grounds the foregoing exhortation in these hallowed relations and memories.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 105 →

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

O offspring of His servant Abraham, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

you offspring of Abraham, his servant, you children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

O offspring of His servant Abraham, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.

NETBNew English Translation2006

O children of Abraham, God’s servant, you descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen ones!

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

O ye seed of Abraham his servant, Ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

RVARevised Version, American1894

O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Ye seede of Abraham his seruant, ye children of Iaakob, which are his elect.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

O seed of Abraham, His servant, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

O seed of Abraham, His servant, || O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob, his elect.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

you descendants of Abraham his servant, you people of Jacob, his chosen ones.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

We have sinned with our fathers: we have acted unjustly, we have wrought iniquity.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

descendants of Abraham, children of Israel, his chosen people.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

O you seed of Abraham, his servant, you children of Jacob, his loved ones.

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.

clausenoun phrasenoun phraseזֶ֭רַעO.offspringnoun phraseאַבְרָהָ֣םof.Abrahamnoun phraseעַבְדּ֑servantוֹhisnoun phrasenoun phraseבְּנֵ֖יO.descendantsיַעֲקֹ֣בof.Jacobnoun phraseבְּחִירָֽיonesוhis.chosen

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


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

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree closely, with all six words matched. The Dead Sea Scrolls show some restoration, but the core message remains intact, affirming the chosen status of Abraham's descendants.

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

זֶ֭רַע אַבְרָהָ֣ם עַבְדּ֑וֹ בְּנֵ֖י יַעֲקֹ֣ב בְּחִירָֽיו׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
זֶ֭רַעσπέρμαאַבְרָהָ֣םαβρααμעַבְדּ֑וֹαὐτοῦבְּנֵ֖יυἱοὶיַעֲקֹ֣בιακωβבְּחִירָֽיו׃αὐτοῦ

6 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.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 11Q5a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[זרע] [אברהם] עבוד עבדי׳ו בני יעקוב בחיר׳ו

5 words on the leather — 2 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.

Psalms 105:6זֶ֫רַעO offspringO offspring ofזֶ֫רַעאַבְרָםAbrahamAbrahamאַבְרָםעֶ֫בֶדservant hisservant hisעֶ֫בֶדבֵּןO children O children ofבֵּןיַעֲקֹבJacobJacobיַעֲקֹבבָּחִירchosen oneschosen ones hisבָּחִירזָרַעto sowto sowזָרַעאָבfatherfatherאָבעָבַדto serveto serveעָבַדבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהעָקַבto assailto assailעָקַבבָּחַרto chooseto chooseבָּחַריִצְחָקIsaacIsaacיִצְחָקשָׂרָהSarahSarahשָׂרָהאָמָהmaidservanmaidservantאָמָהשִׁפְחָהmaidservanmaidservantשִׁפְחָהעַמּוֹןAmmonAmmonעַמּוֹןרְאוּבֵןReubenReubenרְאוּבֵןלָבָןLabanLabanלָבָןיָרַשׁto possessto possess: posיָרַשׁיַעֲקֹבJacobJacobיַעֲקֹב
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 Psalms 105:6

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.

O offspring of Abraham servant his O children of Jacob chosen ones his
זֶ֭רַעZe.ra' O offspring of H2233 Noun common · masculine singular construct
229× 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 seed or offspring, like in Genesis where God promises Abraham many descendants. It can also mean a plant or sowing time, as in Isaiah 55:10. This concept is central to God's plan for humanity.
Amplified meaning
seed, descendants
Tyndale gloss
seed
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

זֶ֫רַע (zera`) means seed, sowing, or offspring. It can refer to literal seed, such as in agriculture, or figuratively to descendants and moral qualities of individuals or communities. The term encompasses concepts like sowing time and can denote a practitioner of righteousness. There is a consistent emphasis on both physical and moral implications of the word.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

זֶ֫רַע n.m. sowing, seed, offspring

lit.:

a sowing

sowing as regularly recurring at its season

seed

seed = semen virile

seed = offspring

seed as marked by moral quality = persons (or community) of such a quality

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2233 זֶ֫רַע sowing, seed, offspring . lit.: . a sowing

. sowing as regularly recurring at its season

. seed

. seed = semen virile

. seed = offspring

. seed as marked by moral quality = persons (or community) of such a quality

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2233 zera` zeh'-rah

from 2232; seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time,

posterity:--X carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), sowing-

time.

see HEBREW for 02232

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

זֶ֫רַע (ze.ra) — seed.

: seed/sowing

1) seed, sowing, offspring

1a) a sowing

1b) seed

1c) semen virile

1d) offspring, descendants, posterity, children

1e) of moral quality

1e1) a practitioner of righteousness (fig.)

1f) sowing time (by meton)

זֶ֫רַע (ze.ra) — seed: children.

: children/descendants

1) seed, sowing, offspring

1a) a sowing

1b) seed

1c) semen virile

1d) offspring, descendants, posterity, children

1e) of moral quality

1e1) a practitioner of righteousness (fig.)

1f) sowing time (by meton)

זֶ֫רַע (ze.ra) — seed: semen.

: semen

1) seed, sowing, offspring

1a) a sowing

1b) seed

1c) semen virile

1d) offspring, descendants, posterity, children

1e) of moral quality

1e1) a practitioner of righteousness (fig.)

1f) sowing time (by meton)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
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…

O offspring of Abraham servant his O children of Jacob chosen ones his
אַבְרָהָ֣ם'av.ra.Ham Abraham H85 Noun proper masculine
175× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Abraham was a key figure in the Bible, the later name of Abram, and father of many children, including Ishmael and Isaac. He is first mentioned in Genesis 11:26 and his story is told throughout the book of Genesis. Abraham's life and faith are still studied today.
Tyndale gloss
Abraham
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אַבְרָם (*Abram*) refers to the biblical figure later known as אַבְרָהָם (*Abraham*), meaning 'father of a multitude.' He is first mentioned in Genesis 11:26 as the son of Terah and is notable for being the patriarch of the Hebrew nation through God's covenant. The name reflects his role as a significant ancestor.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אַבְרָם n.pr.m. (id., Thes al. exalted father) Abram = אַבְרָהָם Abraham

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H85 אַבְרָם Abram = אַבְרָהָם Abraham

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

85 'Abraham ab-raw-hawm'

contracted from 1 and an unused root (probably meaning to be

populous); father of a multitude; Abraham, the later name of

Abram:--Abraham.

see HEBREW for 01

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אַבְרָהָם (av.ra.ham) — Abraham.

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.11.26;

son of: Terah (H8646);

brother of: Nahor (H5152H), Haran (H2039) and Sarah (H8283); married to Sarah (H8283), Hagar (H1904) and Keturah (H6989);

father of: Ishmael (H3458), Isaac (H3327), Zimran (H2175), Jokshan (H3370), Medan (H4091), Midian (H4080), Ishbak (H3435) and Shuah (H7744); also called Abram at Gen.11.26--17.5; 2x

§ Abraham = "father of a multitude" or "chief of multitude"

friend of God and founder of Hebrew nation via God's elective covenant

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

a'-bra-ham:

I. NAME 1. Various Forms 2. Etymology 3. Association II. KINDRED III. CAREER 1. Period of Wandering 2. Period of Residence at Hebron 3. Period of Residence in the Negeb IV. CONDITIONS OF LIFE 1. Economic Conditions 2. Social Conditions 3. Political Conditions 4. Cultural Conditions V. CHARACTER 1. Religious Beliefs 2. Morality 3. Personal Traits VI. SIGNIFICANCE IN THE HISTORY OF RELIGION 1. In the Old Testament 2. In the New Testament 3. In Jewish Tradition 4. In the Koran VII. INTERPRETATIONS OF THE STORY OTHER THAN HISTORICAL 1. The Allegorical Interpretation 2. The Personification Theory 3. The Mythical Theory 4. The "Saga" Theory

I. Name.

1. Various Forms:

In the Old Testament, when applied, to the patriarch, the name appears as 'abhram, up to Ge 17:5; thereafter always as 'abhraham. Two other persons are named 'abhiram.…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Abraham

Father of a multitude, son of Terah, named (Gen. 11:27) before his older brothers Nahor and Haran, because he was the heir of the promises. Till the age of seventy, Abram sojourned among his kindred in his native country of Chaldea. He then, with his father and his family and household, quitted the city of Ur, in which he had hitherto dwelt, and went some 300 miles north to Haran, where he abode fifteen years. The cause of his migration was a call from God (Acts 7:2-4). There is no mention of this first call in the Old Testament; it is implied, however, in Gen. 12. While they tarried at Haran, Terah died at the age of 205 years. Abram now received a second and more definite call, accompanied by a promise from God (Gen.…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Father of a multitude, Ge 17:4,5; the great founder of the Jewish nation. He was a son of Terah, a descendant of Shem, and born in Ur, a city of Chaldea, A.M. 2008, B. C. 1996, Ge 11:27,28. Here he lived seventy years, when at the call of God he left his idolatrous kindred, and removed to Haran, in Mesopotamia, Ac 7:2-4, accompanied by his father, his wife Sarai, his brother Nahor, and his nephew Lot. A few years after, having buried his father, he again removed at the call of God, with his wife and nephew, and entered the land of promise as a nomad or wandering shepherd. Sojourning for a time at Shechem, he built here, as was his custom, an alter to the Lord, who appeared to him, and promised that land to his seed. Removing…

O offspring of Abraham servant his O children of Jacob chosen ones his
עַבְדּ֑וֹav.Do servant his H5650 Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
801× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a servant or slave, often in the context of serving God or a human master. It can also describe a prophet or Levite. The KJV translates it as bondage, bondman, or servant.
Amplified meaning
faithful attendant
Tyndale gloss
servant/slave
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עֶ֫בֶד (*ebed*) means 'slave' or 'servant' and encompasses various roles, including household servants, subjects, and worshippers of God. It can also refer to Israel as a collective servant of God and is used in polite address among equals. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to work' or 'to serve'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עֶ֫בֶד 799 n.m. slave, servant

slave, servant of household

Subjects, of chief

Servants, worshippers of God

Servant of י׳, in a special sense

Israel as a people is servant of י׳

In polite address of equals or superiors the Hebrews used עַבְדְּךָ thy servant = 1 pers. sing., I

Phrases

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5650 עֶ֫בֶד slave, servant . slave, servant of household

. Subjects, of chief

. Servants, worshippers of God

. Servant of י׳, in a special sense

. Israel as a people is servant of י׳

. In polite address of equals or superiors the Hebrews used עַבְדְּךָ thy servant = 1 pers. sing., I

. Phrases

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5650 `ebed eh'-bed

from 5647; a servant:--X bondage, bondman, (bond-)servant,

(man-)servant.

see HEBREW for 05647

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עֶ֫בֶד (e.ved) — servant/slave.

1) slave, servant

1a) slave, servant, man-servant

1b) subjects

1c) servants, worshippers (of God)

1d) servant (in special sense as prophets, Levites etc)

1e) servant (of Israel)

1f) servant (as form of address between equals)

Aramaic equivalent: a.vad (עֲבַד "servant/slave" H5649)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HNcmsc/Sp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hiz: Used often in the King James Version with reference to a neuter or inanimate thing, or to a lower animal (Ge 1:11, "after his kind"; Le 1:16, "pluck away his crop"; Ac 12:10, "of his own accord"; 1Co 15:38, "his own body"), etc. the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "its."

O offspring of Abraham servant his O children of Jacob chosen ones his
בְּנֵ֖יbe.Nei O children 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, descendants
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…

O offspring of Abraham servant his O children of Jacob chosen ones his
יַעֲקֹ֣בya.'a.Ko Jacob H3290 Noun proper masculine
350× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word is the name of a person, Jacob, a key figure in the Bible. He was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the father of many tribes of Israel. The KJV simply translates it as Jacob.
Amplified meaning
Israel, his chosen one
Tyndale gloss
Jacob
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יַעֲקֹב (i.e. *Ya`aqob*) refers to Jacob, a key figure in the Old Testament. The word is derived from a root meaning 'heel-catcher' or 'supplanter.' Jacob is the son of Isaac and Rebekah, brother of Esau, and father of the twelve tribes of Israel. He is also known as Israel, highlighting his significance in biblical history.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יַעֲקֹב 344, יַעֲקוֹב 6 n.pr.m. et gent. Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, father of tribes of Isr.

as n.pr.m.

as n.pr.gent.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3290 יַעֲקֹב, יַעֲקוֹב Jacob

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3290 Ya`aqob yah-ak-obe'

from 6117; heel-catcher (i.e. supplanter); Jaakob, the

Israelitish patriarch:--Jacob.

see HEBREW for 06117

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יַעֲקֹב (ya.a.qov) — Jacob.

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.26;

son of: Isaac (H3327) and Rebekah (H7259);

brother of: Esau (H6215); married to Rachel (H7354), Leah (H3812), Zilpah (H2153) and Bilhah (H1090A);

father of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); also called Jacob frequently

Another name of yis.ra.el (יִשְׂרָאֵל "Israel" H3478)

§ Jacob = "heel holder" or "supplanter"

son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the 12 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Jacob

One who follows on another’s heels; supplanter, (Gen. 25:26; 27:36; Hos. 12:2-4), the second born of the twin sons of Isaac by Rebekah. He was born probably at Lahai-roi, when his father was fifty-nine and Abraham one hundred and fifty-nine years old. Like his father, he was of a quiet and gentle disposition, and when he grew up followed the life of a shepherd, while his brother Esau became an enterprising hunter. His dealing with Esau, however, showed much mean selfishness and cunning (Gen. 25:29-34).

When Isaac was about 160 years of age, Jacob and his mother conspired to deceive the aged patriarch (Gen. 27), with the view of procuring the transfer of the birthright to himself. The birthright secured to him who…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(supplanter), the second son of Isaac and Rebekah. He was born with Esau, probably at the well of Lahai-roi, about B.C. 1837. His history is related in the latter half of the book of Genesis. He bought the birthright from his brother Esau, and afterward acquired the blessing intended for Esau, by practicing a well-known deceit on Isaac. (Jacob did not obtain the blessing because of his deceit, but in spite of it. That which was promised he would have received in some good way; but Jacob and his mother, distrusting God’s promise, sought the promised blessing in a wrong way, and received with it trouble and sorrow. --ED.) Jacob, in his 78th year, was sent from the family home to avoid his brother, and to seek a wife among his kindred in Padan-aram. As he passed through Bethel, God appeared to him. After the lapse of twenty-one years he returned from Padan-aram with two wives, two…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Son of Isaac and Rebekah, and twin-brother to Esau. As at his birth he held his brother’s heel, he was called Jacob, that is, the heelholder, one who comes behind and catches the heel of his adversary, a supplanter, Ge 25:26. This was a king of predictive intimation of his future conduct in life. Jacob was meek and peaceable, living a shepherd life at home. Esau was more turbulent and fierce, and passionately fond of hunting. Isaac was partial to Esau, Rebekah to Jacob. Jacob having taken advantage of his brother’s absence and his father’s infirmity to obtain the blessing of the birthright, or primogeniture, was compelled to fly into Mesopotamia to avoid the consequences of his brother’s wrath, Ge 27:1-28:22. On his journey the Lord appeared to him in a dream, (see LADDER,)…

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

that supplants, undermines; the heel

O offspring of Abraham servant his O children of Jacob chosen ones his
בְּחִירָֽיו׃be.chi.Rav chosen ones his H972 Suffix
13× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The word means chosen or select, often referring to someone or something preferred by God. It appears in passages like Isaiah 43:20, where God chooses Israel as his special people.
Amplified meaning
elect, select
Tyndale gloss
chosen
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בָּחִיר (bachiyr) means 'chosen' or 'elect.' It is derived from the root word meaning 'to select.' The entries consistently describe it as referring to a chosen one or choice individual, particularly in a religious context.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[בָּחִיר] n.m. chosen

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H972 [בָּחִיר] chosen

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

972 bachiyr baw-kheer'

from 977; select:--choose, chosen one, elect.

see HEBREW for 0977

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בָּחִיר (ba.chir) — chosen.

chosen, choice one, chosen one, elect (of God)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj | Suff — Suffix
HAampc/Sp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hiz: Used often in the King James Version with reference to a neuter or inanimate thing, or to a lower animal (Ge 1:11, "after his kind"; Le 1:16, "pluck away his crop"; Ac 12:10, "of his own accord"; 1Co 15:38, "his own body"), etc. the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "its."

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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