1 Chronicles 25:23 — Word Study
WLCלְשִׁשָּׁ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ לַחֲנַנְיָ֔הוּ בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר׃
BSAthe sixteenthshêsh to HananiahChănanyâh [God has favored, the name of a faithful Israelite] his sonsbên [descendants, family members] and his brothersʼâch [male siblings, close relatives, a dozen, a complete set] 12 [in all]shᵉnayim
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| לְשִׁשָּׁ֤ה | for six- | Preposition, noun common both singular absolute |
| עָשָׂר֙ | teen | Noun common, both singular absolute |
| לַחֲנַנְיָ֔הוּ | to Hananiah | Preposition, noun proper masculine |
| בָּנָ֥יו | sons his | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| וְאֶחָ֖יו | and relatives his | Conjunction, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| שְׁנֵ֥ים | two [plus] | Noun common, both dual absolute |
| עָשָֽׂר׃ | ten | Noun common, both singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; |
| KJV | The sixteenth to Hananiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve: |
| ASV | for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: |
| YLT | at the sixteenth [to] Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; |
| WEB | for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; |
| BBE | The sixteenth Hananiah, with his sons and his brothers, twelve; |
Where they part company is the rendering of the number of singers — see How Translations Differ.
One main clause with additional phrases providing details about the singers and their total count.
1 commentators on this verse
Gill & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — 1 Chronicles 25:23
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 Organization of the Levitical Singersgenerated
1 Chronicles 25:23 describes the sixteenth division of singers, led by Hananiah, along with his sons and brothers, totaling twelve members. This verse is part of a larger passage that organizes the Levitical singers into divisions for temple service, ensuring that the worship of God is carried out with order and dedication.
Cross References
The Key Word — חֲנַנְיָהוּ, la.cha.nan.Ya.hugenerated
The name חֲנַנְיָהוּ (Hananiah) means 'God has favored'. It is a common name in the Old Testament, associated with several individuals, including a friend of Daniel. The parsing indicates that it is a proper masculine noun, highlighting its role as a personal name.
In this context, Hananiah is the leader of a group of singers, emphasizing the importance of family and lineage in the Levitical order. The name reflects a theme of divine favor, which is significant in the context of Israel's worship practices.
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 main clause is governed by the finite verb עָשָׂר, ten, indicating the count of singers. The structure includes prepositional phrases that specify the assignment to Hananiah and his family.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the number of singers and their leader, Hananiah, which is essential in the context of temple service.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates חֲנַנְיָהוּ as Ανανίας, which maintains the meaning of 'God has favored'. This choice reflects the translators' intent to preserve the significance of the name while adapting it to Greek phonetics.
The translation shows consistency in recognizing Hananiah's role as a leader among the singers, aligning with the Hebrew text's emphasis on family and lineage.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
1 Chronicles 25:23 tells us that the sixteenth group of singers is led by Hananiah, along with his sons and brothers, totaling twelve singers. This organization highlights the importance of family in the service of the temple.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Hananiah means 'God has favored' and is a name associated with several individuals in the Old Testament.
The number twelve represents completeness and is often used in the Bible to signify a full set, particularly in relation to the tribes of Israel.
The singers were responsible for leading worship and praise in the temple, contributing to the spiritual atmosphere of the service.
This verse is part of a detailed organization of the Levitical duties, emphasizing the structure and order necessary for temple worship.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean for God to favor someone, as reflected in the name Hananiah?
- How can the organization of the Levitical singers inform our understanding of worship today?
- In what ways can we see the importance of family and community in our own worship practices?
- What does the number twelve signify in the context of the Bible, and how does it relate to completeness?
Commentators on this verse — 1 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 25:23 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleVer. 23 [See comments on 1 Chronicles 25:9]
Read John Gill on 1 Chronicles 25 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
the sixteenth to Hananiah and his sons and relatives – twelve in all,
Tyndale line
The sixteenth to Hananiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
The sixteenth to Hananiah, he , his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
The sixteenth, to Hananiah, he, his sonnes and his brethren twelue.
Strictly literal
The sixteenth to Hananiah; his sons and his brethren, twelve.
at the sixteenth [to] Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve;
the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brothers—twelve;
The sixteenth was for Chananyahu, his sons, and his brethren, being twelve;
the sixteenth fell to Hananiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number;
From the Latin
The sixteenth to Hananias, to his sons and his brethren twelve.
Simplified
The sixteenth fell to Hananiah, his sons and his brothers, 12 in total.
The sixteenth Hananiah, with his sons and his brothers, twelve;
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 essential elements of this verse, with five of the seven words matched. The Septuagint's word order differs, but the core meaning remains intact.
לְשִׁשָּׁ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ לַחֲנַנְיָ֔הוּ בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר׃
5 of the 7 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 25:23
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.
The Hebrew word שֵׁשׁ, transliterated as shesh, means 'six' and can function as both a cardinal and ordinal number, indicating the sixth position. It is a primitive number that signifies an excess beyond five, as noted in the entries. The Aramaic equivalent is שֵׁת (shet).
שֵׁשׁ, שִׁשָּׁה 216 n.m. et f. six
base
H8337 שֵׁשׁ, שִׁשָּׁה six
8337 shesh shaysh
masculine shishshah {shish-shaw'}; a primitive number; six
(as an overplus (see 7797) beyond five or the fingers of the
hand); as ord. sixth:--six((-teen, -teenth)), sixth.
see HEBREW for 07797
שֵׁשׁ (shesh) — six.
1) six
1a) six (cardinal number)
1b) sixth (ordinal number)
1c) in combination with other numbers
Aramaic equivalent: shet (שֵׁת "six" H8353)
Prep | Adj — Preposition · noun common both singular absoluteHR/Ncbsa
עָשָׂר (asar) means 'ten' and is used exclusively in combination with other numbers to form the teen numbers (11-19), both as cardinal and ordinal forms. The entries indicate that it is derived from another Hebrew root, but do not elaborate on its etymology.
עָשָׂר, עֶשְׂרֵה ten, only after units to make num. 11-19, both cardinal and ordinal
base
H6240 עָשָׂר, עֶשְׂרֵה ten, only after units to make num. 11-19, both cardinal and ordinal
6240 `asar aw-sawr'
for 6235; ten (only in combination), i.e. -teen; also
(ordinal) -teenth:--(eigh-, fif-, four-, nine-, seven-,
six-, thir-)teen(-th), + eleven(-th), + sixscore thousand, +
twelve(-th).
see HEBREW for 06235
עָשָׂר (a.sar) — ten.
1) ten, -teen (in combination with other numbers)
1a) used only in combination to make the numbers 11-19
HNcbsa — Noun common · both singular absoluteHNcbsa
חֲנַנְיָ֫הוּ (Chananyah) means 'God has favored' and refers to various individuals in the Old Testament, including a companion of Daniel, a captain in Uzziah's army, and a false prophet during Jeremiah's time. The name appears in multiple contexts, indicating its use among several postexilic figures. Notably, it is associated with thirteen Israelites, reflecting its popularity.
חֲנַנְיָ֫הוּ, חֲנַנְיָה n.pr.m. (י׳ hath been gracious)
father of a prince under Jehoiakim
captain of Uzziah's army
chief of one of the divisions of musicians of David
a false prophet of Jeremiah's time
one of the three companions of Daniel
grandfather of an officer of the guard in Jeremiah's time
a son of Zerubbabel
a Benjamite
various postexilic persons
base
חֲנַנְיָה n.pr.m. (= BH id. [h.dz.ao] 5);—Dn 2:17.
done
H2608a חֲנַנְיָ֫הוּ, חֲנַנְיָה (י׳ hath been gracious) . father of a prince under Jehoiakim
. captain of Uzziah's army
. chief of one of the divisions of musicians of David
. a false prophet of Jeremiah's time
. one of the three companions of Daniel
. grandfather of an officer of the guard in Jeremiah's time
. a son of Zerubbabel
. a Benjamite
. various postexilic persons
H2608b חֲנַנְיָה (= BH id. [2608a] 5)
2608 Chananyah khan-an-yaw'
or Chananyahuw {khan-an-yaw'-hoo}; from 2603 and 3050; Jah
has favored; Chananjah, the name of thirteen
Israelites:--Hananiah.
see HEBREW for 02603
see HEBREW for 03050
חֲנַנְיָ֫הוּ (cha.nan.yah) — Hananiah.
A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.28.1;
son of: Azzur (H5809H)
§ Hananiah = "God has favoured"
1) the godly friend of Daniel whom Nebuchadnezzar renamed Shadrach; one of the three friends who with Daniel refused to make themselves unclean by eating food from the king's table which went against the dietary laws which God had given the Jews; also one of the three who were thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to a graven image of Nebuchadnezzar and who were saved by the angel of the Lord. See also, 'Shadrach' (H07714 or H07715)
2) one of the 14 sons of Heman and chief of the 16th course
3) a general in the army of King Uzziah
4) father of Zedekiah in the time of Jehoiakim
5) son of Azur, a Benjamite of Gibeon and a false prophet in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun proper masculineHR/Npm
han-a-ni'-a (chananyahu, chananyah; Ananias; also with aspirate, "Yahweh hath been gracious"): This was a common name in Israel for many centuries.
(1) A Benjamite (1Ch 8:24).
(2) A captain of Uzziah's army (2Ch 26:11).
(3) Father of one of the princes under Jehoiakim (Jer 36:12).
(4) One of the sons of Heman and leader of the 16th division of David's musicians (1Ch 25:4,23).
(5) Grandfather of the officer of the guard which apprehended Jeremiah on a charge of desertion (Jer 37:13).
(6) A false prophet of Gibeon, son of Azzur, who opposed Jeremiah, predicting that the yoke of Babylon would be broken in two years, and that…
Hananiah
Jehovah has given. (1.) A chief of the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chr. 8:24). (2.) One of the sons of Heman (1 Chr. 25:4,23). (3.) One of Uzziah’s military officers (2 Chr. 26:11). (4.) Grandfather of the captain who arrested Jeremiah (Jer. 37:13). (5.) Jer. 36:12. (6.) Neh. 10:23. (7.) Shadrach, one of the “three Hebrew children” (Dan. 1; 6:7). (8.) Son of Zerubbabel (1 Chr. 3:19, 21). (9.) Ezra 10:28. (10.) The “ruler of the palace; he was a faithful…
(gift of God). One of the fourteen sons of Heman, and chief of the sixteenth course of singers. (1 Chronicles 25:4,5,23) (B.C. 1014.) A general in the army of King Uzziah. (2 Chronicles 26:11) Father of Zedekiah, in the reign of Jehoiakim. (B.C. before 605.) Son of Azur, a Benjamite of Gibeon and a false prophet in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah. In the fourth year of his reign, B.C. 595, Hananiah withstood Jeremiah the prophet, and publicly prophesied in the temple that within two years Jeconiah and all his fellow captives with the vessels of the Lord’s house, should be brought back to Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 28:1) ... Hananiah corroborated his prophecy by taking from off the neck of Jeremiah the yoke which he wore by…
1. A false prophet of Gibeon, who for his impious hardihood was overtaken with speedy death, according to the word of God, Jer 28:15-17.
2. The Hebrew name of Shadrach.
3. A pious and faithful officer under Nehemiah, Ne 7:2.
בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'male child' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including descendants, young animals, and even figurative uses like sparks or arrows. It can refer to members of a tribe or class and is used in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, such as in 1 Chronicles 24:26. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to build' and implies a connection to family or lineage.
בֵּן 4870 n.m. son
son, male child, born of a woman
children (male and female)
youth, young men
the young of animals
of plant shoots
fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows
member of a guild, order or class
of animals son of (the) herd
ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.
n. relat. of age
base
בְּנוֹ 1 Ch 24:26, 27 as n.pr.m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son, cf. VB & Be Öt.
done
H1121a בֵּן son . son, male child, born of a woman
. children (male and female)
. youth, young men
. the young of animals
. of plant shoots
. fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows
. . member of a guild, order or class
. of animals son of (the) herd
. ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.
. n. relat. of age
H1121b בְּנוֹ as n. pr. m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son
1121 ben bane
from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the
widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship,
including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition,
etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-)
(Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to,
(+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born,
bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X
came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of
first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, +
kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+)
people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, +
spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous
one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
see HEBREW for 01129
see HEBREW for 01
see HEBREW for 0251
בֵּן (ben) — son: child.
: child/son
בְּנוֹ (be.no) — Beno.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.26;
son of: Jaaziah (H3269);
brother of: Shoham (H7719), Zaccur (H2139I) and Ibri (H5681)
§ Beno = "his son"
the sons of Jaaziah and the sons of Merari by Jaahziah (his son)
בֵּן (ben) — son: descendant/people.
: descendant, people, tribe, nation
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : child/son
בֵּן (ben) — son: young animal.
: calf/lamb/young(ANIMAL)
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : descendant
בֵּן (ben) — son: type of.
: rebel/son(Belial)
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : people/men/nation/tribe
בֵּן (ben) — son.
: [inheriting]son/heir
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
בֵּן (ben) — son: warrior.
: warrior/son(strong)
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3ms
אָח (ach) means 'brother' and encompasses a broad range of relationships, including literal siblings, half-brothers, and metaphorical kinship. It can refer to any male relative or compatriot, and it may also imply resemblance or reciprocal relationships. The term is used in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, highlighting both familial and figurative connections.
אָח 630 n.m. brother
brother, born of same mother (& father)
indef. = relative
fig. of resemblance
in phr. one … another
base
H251 אָח brother
251 'ach awkh
a primitive word; a brother (used in the widest sense of
literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance
(like 1)):--another, brother(-ly); kindred, like, other.
Compare also the proper names beginning with "Ah-" or "Ahi-".
see HEBREW for 01
אָח (ach) — brother: male-sibling.
: male-sibling
1) brother
1a) brother of same parents
1b) half-brother (same father)
1c) relative, kinship, same tribe
1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship)
1e) (fig.) of resemblance
אָח (ach) — brother: male-relative.
: male-relative
1) brother
1a) brother of same parents
1b) half-brother (same father)
1c) relative, kinship, same tribe
1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship)
1e) (fig.) of resemblance
אָח (ach) — brother: compatriot.
: compatriot
1) brother
1a) brother of same parents
1b) half-brother (same father)
1c) relative, kinship, same tribe
1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship)
1e) (fig.) of resemblance
Conj | N-mp | Suff — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHC/Ncmpc/Sp3ms
שְׁנַ֫יִם (shnayim) means 'two' and serves as both a cardinal and ordinal number. It can denote 'both,' 'double,' or 'twice,' and is used in various combinations with other numbers. The word is derived as a dual form of שָׁנָה (shanah), which relates to the concept of pairs.
שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם 768 n.m. et f. du. two
base
H8147 שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם two
8147 shnayim shen-ah'-yim
dual of 8145; feminine shttayim {shet-tah'-yim}; two; also
(as ordinal) twofold:--both, couple, double, second, twain, +
twelfth, + twelve, + twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.
see HEBREW for 08145
שְׁנַ֫יִם (she.na.yim) — two.
1) two
1a) two (the cardinal number)
1a1) two, both, double, twice
1b) second (the ordinal number)
1c) in combination with other numbers
1d) both (a dual number)
Adj — Noun common · both dual absoluteHNcbda
עָשָׂר (asar) means 'ten' and is used exclusively in combination with other numbers to form the teen numbers (11-19), both as cardinal and ordinal forms. The entries indicate that it is derived from another Hebrew root, but do not elaborate on its etymology.
עָשָׂר, עֶשְׂרֵה ten, only after units to make num. 11-19, both cardinal and ordinal
base
H6240 עָשָׂר, עֶשְׂרֵה ten, only after units to make num. 11-19, both cardinal and ordinal
6240 `asar aw-sawr'
for 6235; ten (only in combination), i.e. -teen; also
(ordinal) -teenth:--(eigh-, fif-, four-, nine-, seven-,
six-, thir-)teen(-th), + eleven(-th), + sixscore thousand, +
twelve(-th).
see HEBREW for 06235
עָשָׂר (a.sar) — ten.
1) ten, -teen (in combination with other numbers)
1a) used only in combination to make the numbers 11-19
HNcbsa — Noun common · both singular absoluteHNcbsa