1 Chronicles 11:29 — Word Study
WLCסִבְּכַי֙ הַחֻ֣שָׁתִ֔י עִילַ֖י הָאֲחוֹחִֽי׃ ס
BSASibbecaiÇibbᵉkay [a brave Israelite warrior] the HushathiteChushâthîy [from Hushah’s clan] IlaiʻÎylay△ [a mighty man of David] the AhohiteʼĂchôwchîy [a descendant of Ahoach, from the tribe of Benjamin]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| סִבְּכַי֙ | Sibbecai | Noun proper masculine |
| הַחֻ֣שָׁתִ֔י | the Hushathite | Particle, noun gentilic masculine singular absolute |
| עִילַ֖י | Ilai | Noun proper masculine |
| הָאֲחוֹחִֽי׃ ס | the Ahohite | Particle, noun gentilic masculine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, |
| KJV | Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, |
| ASV | Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, |
| YLT | Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, |
| WEB | Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, |
| BBE | Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, |
Where they part company is in the descriptions of the warriors, but all translations agree on the names.
The verse consists of a main clause listing the names of two warriors without a finite verb.
3 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 4 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
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 — 1 Chronicles 11:29
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 Mighty Warriors of Davidgenerated
1 Chronicles 11:29 introduces Sibbecai and Ilai as notable warriors in King David's army. This passage emphasizes their bravery and lineage, contributing to the overall picture of David's elite fighting force. The context is a list of David's mighty men, showcasing the strength and diversity of his warriors, who played crucial roles in his reign.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Chronicles 27:11 | The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division. |
| 2 | 2 Samuel 23:27–28 | Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — סִבְּכַי, si.be.Khaigenerated
The name סִבְּכַי (si.be.Khai) identifies a brave warrior and captain in David's army. It is built from a root meaning 'weaver', suggesting a possible background or characteristic of the individual. Sibbecai is recognized for his leadership and valor, as noted in other biblical accounts.
In the context of 2 Samuel 21:18, Sibbecai is mentioned as a leader of a significant number of troops, reinforcing his status as a formidable warrior under King David.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb is absent, as this verse is structured as a list of names and their identifiers. Each name serves as a noun phrase, describing individuals associated with King David's military.
The structure emphasizes the lineage and identity of each warrior, with their names leading the phrases, indicating their importance in the context of David's army.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates סִבְּכַי as σοβοξαι, which maintains the identification of Sibbecai as a warrior. This choice suggests continuity in recognizing the significance of these figures across different linguistic traditions.
The translation for הַחֻשָׁתִי and עִילַי aligns closely with their Hebrew meanings, indicating a consistent understanding of their roles within the narrative.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
1 Chronicles 11:29 lists two of David's mighty warriors: Sibbecai the Hushathite and Ilai the Ahohite. Sibbecai is noted for his bravery, while Ilai is recognized as a mighty man of David. Both names reflect their family backgrounds and contributions to David's military.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Sibbecai was a brave warrior and captain in David's army, known for his leadership and valor.
Hushathite refers to someone from the family line of Hushah, indicating their tribal affiliation.
Ilai means 'exalted' and identifies him as one of David's mighty men, highlighting his importance in the narrative.
Ahohite indicates a descendant of Ahoach, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, linking Ilai to a specific family lineage.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What qualities do you think made Sibbecai and Ilai effective warriors for David?
- How can understanding the lineage of these warriors enhance your appreciation of their roles in the biblical narrative?
- In what ways can you apply the bravery of figures like Sibbecai and Ilai in your own life?
- How does the concept of lineage and family background influence leadership in your community?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 11:29 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryIra the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abi-ezer the Antothite, No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Chronicles 11 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(29) Sibbecai.—The correct name. (See 1 Chronicles 27:11.) He slew the giant Saph (2 Samuel 21:18). Samuel calls him Mebunnai, by confusion of similar letters. Sibbecai was a Zarhite, i.e., of clan Zerah. Hushah, his township, was in Judah (1 Chronicles 4:4). Ilai.—Samuel has Zalmon, which may be correct, letters having faded. Ahohite.—See 1 Chronicles 11:12.
Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Chronicles 11 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges29. Sibbecai] So 1 Chronicles 27:11, but in 2 Samuel 23:27 “Mebunnai.” the Hushathite] Hushah is probably the name of some place near Beth-lehem (1 Chronicles 4:4). Shuah (ib. 1 Chronicles 4:11) is perhaps another form of the name. Ilai] In 2 Samuel 23:28 “Zalmon.” The two words are more alike in Hebrew than in English, and seem to be various readings of the name which originally appeared in the list. the Ahohite] He was of a Benjamite family; 1 Chronicles 8:4 (“Ahoah”).
Read Cambridge on 1 Chronicles 11 →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
Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Sibbekai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Tyndale line
Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite;
Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Sibbecai the Husathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Strictly literal
Sibbechai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Sibbechai the Chushathite, 'Ilai the Achochite,
Sibbekai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
From the Latin
Sobbochai a Husathite, Ilai an Ahohite,
Simplified
Sibbecai the Hushathite; Ilai the Ahohite;
Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the names and descriptions of Sibbecai and Ilai, with no variations noted in the key terms. This consistency reinforces the historical reliability of the accounts regarding these warriors.
סִבְּכַי֙ הַחֻ֣שָׁתִ֔י עִילַ֖י הָאֲחוֹחִֽי׃ ס
4 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in 1 Chronicles 11:29
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.
סִבְּכַי (sib-bek-ah'-ee) refers to Sibbecai, a captain in King David's army, noted for being a Judaite and a descendant of Zerah. The name is associated with the meaning 'weaver' and appears in 2 Samuel 21:18 and 23:27, where he is also referred to as Mebunnai.
סִבְּכַי n.pr.m. a captain of David
base
H5444 סִבְּכַי
5444 Cibbkay sib-bek-ah'-ee
from 5440; copse-like; Sibbecai, an Israelite:--Sibbecai,
Sibbechai.
see HEBREW for 05440
סִבְּכַי (sib.b.khay) — Sibbecai.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.21.18; also called Mebunnai (NIV: Sibbekai) at 2Sa.23.27;
Also named: me.vun.nay (מְבֻנַּי "Mebunnai" H4012)
§ Sibbecai or Sibbechai = "weaver"
one of David's guard and 8th captain for the 8th month of 24,000 men of the king's army; a Judaite, descendant of Zerah and called the 'Hushathite'
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
Sibbecai
The Lord sustains, one of David’s heroes (1 Chr. 11:29), general of the eighth division of the army (27:11). He slew the giant Saph in the battle of Gob (2 Sam. 21:18; R.V., “Sibbechai”). Called also Mebunnai (23:27).
= SIBBECHAI the Hushathite.
→ See SIBBECHAI
חֻשָׁתִי (Chushathiy) refers to a Hushathite, someone descended from Hushah. This term is used to describe individuals associated with Hushah, including two of David's mighty warriors, as noted in 2 Samuel 21:18. The word is built from a patronymic form related to the root word for Hushah.
חֻשָׁתִי adj.gent. of foregoing [h.bo.ab]:—1. of individ.
base
H2843 חֻשָׁתִי
2843 Chushathiy khoo-shaw-thee'
patronymically from 2364; a Chushathite or descendant of
Chushah:--Hushathite.
see HEBREW for 02364
חֻשָׁתִי (chu.sha.ti) — Hushathite.
Someone descended from Hushath(?), first mentioned at 2Sa.21.18
§ Hushathite = "inhabitant of Hushah"
an inhabitant of Hushah or a descendant of Hushah; the designation given to two of David's mighty warriors
Art | Ngmsa — Particle · noun gentilic masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ngmsa
(inhabitant of Hushah), The, the designation of two of the heroes of David’s guard. SIBBECHAI. (2 Samuel 21:18; 1 Chronicles 11:29; 20:4; 27:11) Josephus, however, called him a Hittite. MEBUNNAI, (2 Samuel 23:27) a mere corruption of SIBBECHAI.
Hushim, man of haste, or of silence
עִילַי (iylay) refers to a man named Ilai, who was one of David's mighty warriors during the United Monarchy. The name is derived from a root meaning 'elevated' or 'exalted.' He is mentioned in 2 Samuel 23:28 and 1 Chronicles 11:29. The entries consistently identify him as an Ahohite.
עֵילַי n.pr.m. one of David’s heroes 1 Ch 11:29
ref
H5866 עִילַי
5866 `Iylay ee-lah'-ee
from 5927; elevated; Ilai, an Israelite:--Ilai.
see HEBREW for 05927
עִילַי (i.lay) — Ilai.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.23.28; also called Ilai at 1Ch.11.29;
Another name of tsal.mon (צַלְמוֹן "Zalmon" H6756B)
§ Ilai = "exalted"
an Ahohite, one of David's mighty warriors
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
Ilai
An Ahohite, one of David’s chief warriors (1 Chr. 11:29); called also Zalmon (2 Sam. 23:28).
(exalted), an Ahohite, one of the heroes of David’s guard (1 Chronicles 11:29) (B.C. 1046.)
→ An Ahohite 1Ch 11:29
אֲחוֹחִי (Achowchiy) refers to an Ahohite, a descendant of Ahoah, a figure from the tribe of Benjamin. This term is used in 2 Samuel 23:9, where it identifies a member of the clan of Ahoah, meaning 'brother of rest.' The word is built from the root word for Ahoah, indicating a familial connection.
אֲחוֹחִי (אֲחֹחִי) adj.gent. 2 S 23:9
base
H266 אֲחוֹחִי, אֲחֹחִי
266 'Achowchiy akh-o-khee'
patronymic from 264; an Achochite or descendant of
Achoach:--Ahohite.
see HEBREW for 0264
אֲחוֹחִי (a.cho.chi) — Ahohite.
Someone descended from Ahoah, a man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at 2Sa.23.9;
son of: Bela (H1106A);
brother of: Ard (H0714H), Naaman (H5283H), Ezbon (H0675H), Uzzi (H5813I), Uzziel (H5816I), Jerimoth (H3406), Iri (H5901), Addar (H0146H), Gera (H1617I), Abihud (H0031) and Abishua (H0050H); also called Ahoah at 1Ch.8.4;
Group of a.cho.ach (אֲחוֹחַ "Ahoah" H0265)
§ Ahohite = "brother of rest"
one of the clan of Ahoah
Art | Ngmsa — Particle · noun gentilic masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ngmsa
a-ho'-hit ('achochi): A patronymic employed in connection with the descendants of AHOAH (which see) such as Doda (2Sa 23:9) or Dodo (1Ch 11:12), Ilai (29) or Zalmon (2Sa 23:28), and also Eleazar, son of Dodo (1Ch 11:12). The family must have been fond of military affairs, for all the above were officers in David and Solomon's armies.
Ahohite
An epithet applied to Dodo, one of Solomon’s captains (1 Chr. 27:4); to his son Eleazar, one of David’s three mightiest heroes (2 Sam. 23:9; 1 Chr. 11:12); and to Zalmon, one of the thirty (2 Sam. 23:28; 1 Chr. 11:29), from their descent from Ahoah.
[AHOAH]