1 Chronicles 12:11 — Word Study
WLCעַתַּי֙ הַשִּׁשִּׁ֔י אֱלִיאֵ֖ל הַשְּׁבִעִֽי׃
BSAMishmannahMishmannâh△ fourthrᵉbîyʻîy JeremiahYirmᵉyâh fifthchămîyshîy
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| עַתַּי֙ | Attai | Noun proper masculine |
| הַשִּׁשִּׁ֔י | the sixth | Particle |
| אֱלִיאֵ֖ל | Eliel | Noun proper masculine |
| הַשְּׁבִעִֽי׃ | the seventh | Particle |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, |
| KJV | Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, |
| ASV | Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, |
| YLT | Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, |
| WEB | Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, |
| BBE | Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, |
Where they part company is הַשִּׁשִּׁ֔י and הַשְּׁבִעִֽי — see How Translations Differ.
Two main clauses present the names and ranks of the individuals directly, emphasizing their importance.
2 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
subjectמִשְׁמַנָּה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — 1 Chronicles 12:11
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 Leaders of David's Armygenerated
1 Chronicles 12:11 provides a record of the warriors who joined David during his rise to kingship. This verse specifically mentions Attai and Eliel, emphasizing their ranks among the leaders. The context illustrates the importance of these men in the military structure supporting David, as seen throughout the chapter which lists various warriors and their respective roles in his army.
Cross References
The Key Word — עַתַּי, 'a.Taigenerated
The name עַתַּי (Attai) is a proper noun referring to a specific individual associated with the tribe of Judah. It means 'opportune' and is linked to several figures in the biblical narrative, indicating a role in leadership or military service.
The parsing as a noun proper masculine indicates that Attai is a male individual, and the frequency of occurrence suggests he is recognized multiple times in the biblical text, highlighting his significance in the historical account.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of the verse consists of two main clauses, each with a noun phrase serving as the subject and a predicate that identifies their rank. The finite verbs are implicit, as the subjects are presented directly with their respective ranks.
The Hebrew word order emphasizes the names first, followed by their ranks, which highlights the importance of the individuals before their titles.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates עַתַּי as μασεμαννη, which does not carry a direct meaning but serves as a transliteration of the name. This choice reflects a straightforward rendering of the Hebrew name without interpretative alteration.
For the ordinal numbers, the Septuagint uses τέταρτος for 'sixth' and πέμπτος for 'seventh', which indicates a consistent approach to translating ordinal terms, though the Greek terms differ from the Hebrew.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
1 Chronicles 12:11 lists two leaders of David's army, Attai and Eliel, noting their ranks as sixth and seventh respectively. This verse is part of a larger account detailing the warriors who supported David during his reign.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Attai was a warrior from the tribe of Judah, recognized for his role in supporting David's leadership, and his name means 'opportune'.
The rank 'sixth' indicates Attai's position among the leaders in David's army, reflecting the organization of military leadership.
Eliel means 'my God is God', indicating a strong faith and commitment to God, which was significant for leaders during David's time.
This verse is part of a broader list of warriors who supported David, illustrating the structure and loyalty of his military forces.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the names and ranks of the leaders in David's army about the importance of organization in leadership?
- How does understanding the meanings of names like Attai and Eliel enhance our view of their characters?
- In what ways can we apply the concept of being 'opportune' in our own lives?
- How does the structure of David's army reflect the values of loyalty and faith in leadership?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 12:11 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryEzer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Chronicles 12 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(8-18) A. list of Gadites, and an account of a band of Judæans and Benjammites who joined David in the stronghold (1 Chronicles 11:14) towards the desert of Judah.
Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Chronicles 12 →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
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
Tyndale line
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh;
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
Attai the sixt, Eliel the seuenth,
Strictly literal
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
'Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
From the Latin
Ethi the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
Simplified
Attai (sixth), Eliel (seventh),
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
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 their ranks in this verse, with a direct correspondence in the words used. This alignment shows consistency in the transmission of this part of the text.
עַתַּי֙ הַשִּׁשִּׁ֔י אֱלִיאֵ֖ל הַשְּׁבִעִֽי׃
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 12:11
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.
עַתַּי (Attay) refers to a name associated with several individuals from the tribe of Judah and Gad during the Divided Monarchy. The name means 'opportune' and is linked to figures such as a grandson of Sheshan and a son of King Rehoboam. The entries note various roles, including warriors and leaders, with mentions in 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles.
base
H6262 עַתַּי
6262 `Attay at-tah'ee
for 6261; Attai, the name of three Israelites:--Attai.
see HEBREW for 06261
עַתַּי (at.tay) — Attai.
A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.2.35;
son of: Jarha (H3398) and Ahlai (H0304);
father of: Nathan (H5416J)
§ Attai = "opportune"
1) a Judaite, grandson of Sheshan the Jerahmeelite by daughter Ahlai whom he gave in marriage to Jarha, his Egyptian slave; his grandson Zabad was one of David's mighty warriors
2) one of the lion-faced warriors of Gad, captains of the host, who joined David in the wilderness
3) the 2nd son of king Rehoboam of Judah by Maachah, the daughter of Absalom
עַתַּי (at.tay) — Attai.
A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.12.11
§ Attai = "opportune"
1) a Judaite, grandson of Sheshan the Jerahmeelite by daughter Ahlai whom he gave in marriage to Jarha, his Egyptian slave; his grandson Zabad was one of David's mighty warriors
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
(opportune). Grandson of Sheshan the Jerahmeelite through his daughter Ahlai, whom he gave in marriage to Jarha, his Egyptian slave. (1 Chronicles 2:35,36) His grandson Zabad was one of David’s mighty men. (1 Chronicles 11:41) One of the lion-faced warriors of Gad, captains of the host, who forded the Jordan at the time of its overflow and joined David in the wilderness. (1 Chronicles 12:11) (B.C. 1060.) Second son of King Rehoboam by Maachah the daughter of Absalom. (2 Chronicles 11:20) (B.C. 975.)
same as Athlai
שִׁשִּׁי (shishshiy) means 'sixth' and can refer to both an ordinal number and a fractional part. It is derived from the root word for 'six' and has masculine and feminine forms. The entries consistently emphasize its use as a numerical designation.
שִׁשִּׁי m. 22 שִׁשִּׁית f. 6 adj.num.ordin. sixth
base
H8345 שִׁשִּׁי, שִׁשִּׁית sixth
8345 shishshiy shish-shee'
from 8337; sixth, ord. or (feminine) fractional:--sixth
(part).
see HEBREW for 08337
שִׁשִּׁי (shish.shi) — sixth.
1) sixth
1a) sixth (ordinal number)
1b) sixth (as fraction)
HTd/Aomsa — ParticleHTd/Aomsa
The Hebrew word אֱלִיאֵל (Eliy'el) means 'my God is God' or 'El is God.' It refers to several individuals, primarily during the Divided Monarchy, including chiefs in David's army and members of the tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin. The name appears in 1 Chronicles, where it is associated with various roles, such as a Levite and a chief Kohathite.
אֱלִיאֵל n.pr.m. (Ēl is God, or my God is God) only Ch.
two or three of David’s chiefs
chief of Manasseh
two chiefs of Benjamin
chief of the Hebronites
a chief Kohathite
a Levite
base
H447 אֱלִיאֵל
447 'Eliy'el el-ee-ale'
from 410 repeated; God of (his) God; Eliel, the name of nine
Israelites:--Eliel.
see HEBREW for 0410
אֱלִיאֵל (e.li.el) — Eliel.
A man of the tribe of Manasseh living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.5.24
§ Eliel = "my God is God" or "El is God"
1) an ancestor of Samuel
2) chief in David's army (might be two or three different men)
3) a Levite with David in moving the ark
4) a chief of Manasseh
5) two chiefs of Benjamin
6) a chief Kohathite
7) a Levite
אֱלִיאֵל (e.li.el) — Eliel.
A man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.8.20;
son of: Shimei (H8096N);
brother of: Jakim (H3356), Zichri (H2147H), Zabdi (H2067H), Elienai (H0462), Zillethai (H6769), Adaiah (H5718H), Beraiah (H1256) and Shimrath (H8119)
§ Eliel = "my God is God" or "El is God"
1) an ancestor of Samuel
2) chief in David's army (might be two or three different men)
3) a Levite with David in moving the ark
4) a chief of Manasseh
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
Eliel
To whom God is might. (1.) A chief of Manasseh, on the east of Jordan (1 Chr. 5:24).
(2.) A Gadite who joined David in the hold at Ziklag (1 Chr. 12:11).
(3.) One of the overseers of the offerings in the reign of Hezekiah (2 Chr. 31:13).
(to whom God is strength). One of the heads of the tribe of Manasseh on the east of Jordan. (1 Chronicles 5:24) A forefather of Samuel the prophet. (1 Chronicles 6:34) A chief man in the tribe of Benjamin. (1 Chronicles 8:20) Also a Benjamite chief. (1 Chronicles 8:22) One of the heroes of David’s guard. (1 Chronicles 11:46) Another of the same guard. (1 Chronicles 11:47) One of the Gadite heroes who came across Jordan to David when he was in the wilderness of Judah hiding from Saul. (1 Chronicles 12:11) A…
God, my God
שְׁבִיעִי (shbiy`iy) is an ordinal adjective meaning 'seventh.' It has masculine and feminine forms, שְׁבִיעִי for masculine and שְׁבִיעִית for feminine. The word is derived from the root meaning associated with the number seven, covering its use as a numerical order.
שְׁבִיעִי m. שְׁבִיעִית f. 97 adj.num.ord. seventh
base
H7637 שְׁבִיעִי m. שְׁבִיעִית f. adj. num. ord. seventh
7637 shbiy`iy sheb-ee-ee'
or shbi iy {sheb-ee-ee'}; ordinal from 7657;
seventh:--seventh (time).
see HEBREW for 07657
שְׁבִיעִי (she.vi.i) — seventh.
1) seventh
1a) ordinal number
HTd/Aomsa — ParticleHTd/Aomsa