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1 Chronicles 4:5 — Word Study

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WLCוּלְאַשְׁחוּר֙ אֲבִ֣י תְק֔וֹעַ הָי֖וּ שְׁתֵּ֣י נָשִׁ֑ים חֶלְאָ֖ה וְנַעֲרָֽה׃

BSAAshhurʼAshchûwr [the father of a notable city] the father ofʼâb [abbi, a paternal figure] TekoaTᵉqôwaʻ [a town in Judah, a place of habitation] hadhâyâh twoshᵉnayim [a pair, a dual unity] wivesʼishshâh [women, female companions] HelahChelʼâh [a woman of strength, wife of Ashhur] and NaarahNaʻărâh [a young, vibrant woman, mother of several children]

Word
Listen & take away1 Chronicles 4
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 5 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 (ve.na.'a.Rah) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
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1 Chronicles 4:5quick helps
In a sentenceAshhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives named Helah and Naarah.
Who is speakingThe narrator, recounting the lineage and family of Ashhur.
Where we areIn the genealogical list of the tribe of Judah.
The hard wordתְּקוֹעַ, te.Ko.a'
Take awayAshhur's family is noted for its connections and descendants.
4 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them › clause verbהָיָה 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 — 1 Chronicles 4:5

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 Lineage of Judahgenerated

4Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the father of Bethlehem.
5Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
6Naarah bore to him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of Naarah.
7The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan,

1 Chronicles 4:5 provides a glimpse into the family of Ashhur, who is recognized as the father of Tekoa. This verse is part of a genealogical record that highlights the lineage of the tribe of Judah, detailing the connections between families and their descendants. The mention of Ashhur's two wives sets the stage for understanding the broader family dynamics and the significance of these relationships in the historical context of Israel.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
11 Chronicles 2:24After Hezron died in Caleb-ephrathah, his wife Abijah bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to

And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.1 Chronicles 2:24

The Key Word אַשְׁחוּר, u.le.'ash.Churgenerated

The name אַשְׁחוּר (ashchuwr) likely means 'black' and refers to a notable figure from the tribe of Judah. He is first mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:24 as the son of Hezron and Abiah. The parsing indicates that he is a proper masculine noun, emphasizing his identity as a significant individual within the genealogical record.

Ashhur's role as the father of Tekoa suggests a leadership position within his community, as he is associated with a town that held importance in the region. His mention alongside his wives highlights the familial structure and the importance of lineage in biblical narratives.


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 הָי֖וּ, ha.Yu, governs the main clause, indicating the existence of Ashhur's wives. The structure is straightforward, with the subject being Ashhur and the predicate detailing his familial relationships.

The sentence flows logically, presenting Ashhur first, followed by his role as the father of Tekoa, and concluding with the mention of his two wives, Helah and Naarah. This order emphasizes Ashhur's identity before detailing his family.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates אַשְׁחוּר as σαουρ, which does not carry the same meaning as the Hebrew but maintains the identification of the person. This choice suggests a focus on preserving the name rather than its meaning.

The Greek translation reflects a direct correspondence with the Hebrew text, indicating that the translators aimed to maintain the original structure and relationships presented in the Hebrew.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

1 Chronicles 4:5 tells us that Ashhur, a man from the tribe of Judah, had two wives named Helah and Naarah. This verse is part of a genealogy that highlights the family connections within the tribe and the importance of lineage in biblical history.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

Who was Ashhur?

Ashhur was a notable figure from the tribe of Judah, mentioned in the genealogies of the Old Testament as the father of Tekoa.

What is the significance of Tekoa?

Tekoa is a town in Judah, known as the birthplace of the prophet Amos and significant in the historical context of Israel.

Why are the names of Ashhur's wives mentioned?

The mention of Ashhur's wives highlights the family structure and lineage, which are important in understanding the genealogies of the tribes of Israel.

What does the name Helah mean?

The name Helah is associated with strength and is noted as Ashhur's wife in the genealogical record.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What can we learn about the importance of family and lineage from Ashhur's story?
  2. How does the mention of Tekoa contribute to our understanding of the region's history?
  3. In what ways do the names of Ashhur's wives reflect the cultural values of the time?
  4. What significance do genealogies hold in the biblical narrative?

Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 4:5 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

And Ashur the father of Tekoa,.... A son of Hezron by Abiah, 1 Chronicles 2:24 had two wives, Helah and Naarah; as Lamech had, polygamy not being reckoned unlawful in those times.

Read John Gill on 1 Chronicles 4 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. No JFB commentary on these verses.

Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Chronicles 4 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

1 Chronicles 4:5 And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.Ver. 5. And Ashur.] Who was the posthumous son of Hezron.

Read John Trapp on 1 Chronicles 4 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

THAT CAME OF ASH-HUR (1 Chronicles 4:5-7). (5) And Ashur the father of Tekoa.—See 1 Chronicles 2:24, and Notes. If Ashur means the Hurites, the two wives, Helah and Naarah, may designate two settlements of this great clan. (6) Hepher.—A district of southern Judah, near Tappuach (Joshua 12:17; 1 Kings 4:10). Temeni is a Gentilic name, formed from the word Têmân, “the south.” This clan was called “the Southrons,” and doubtless lived with the others in the south of Judah. Haahashtari is another nomen gentilicium, meaning the Ahashtarites (“muleteers;” comp. Esther 8:10). (7) The sons of Helah are unknown from other sources. Jezoar should be Zohar, according to the Hebrew margin. The Heb. text…

Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Chronicles 4 →

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

Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

¶ And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

But Asher the father of Tekoa had two wiues, Heleah, and Naarah.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

— And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And to Ashhur father of Tekoa were two wives, Helah and Naarah;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And to Ashhur father of Tekoa were two wives, Helah and Naarah;

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And Ashchur the father of Thekoa' had two wives. Chelah and Na'arah.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And Assur the father of Thecua had two wives, Halaa and Naara:

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Ashhur was the father of Tekoa and had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

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.

וּandclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalלְtonoun phraseאַשְׁחוּר֙Ashhurnoun phraseאֲבִ֣יthe.fatherתְק֔וֹעַof.Tekoaverbהָי֖וּthey.belongednoun phrase · subjectnoun phraseשְׁתֵּ֣יtwoנָשִׁ֑יםwivesnoun phraseחֶלְאָ֖הHelahוְandנַעֲרָֽהNaarah

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 wording of 1 Chronicles 4:5, with all eight words matched. This consistency indicates a strong preservation of the text across these traditions.

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

וּלְאַשְׁחוּר֙ אֲבִ֣י תְק֔וֹעַ הָי֖וּ שְׁתֵּ֣י נָשִׁ֑ים חֶלְאָ֖ה וְנַעֲרָֽה׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וּלְאַשְׁחוּר֙σαουρאֲבִ֣יπατρὶתְק֔וֹעַθεκωεהָי֖וּἦσανשְׁתֵּ֣יδύοנָשִׁ֑יםγυναῖκεςחֶלְאָ֖הαωδαוְנַעֲרָֽה׃θοαδα

8 of the 8 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.

1 Chronicles 4:5אַשְׁחוּרand to Ashhand to Ashhurאַשְׁחוּראָב[the] fathe[the] father ofאָבתְּקוֹעַTekoaTekoaתְּקוֹעַהָיָהthey belongthey belongedהָיָהשְׁנַ֫יִםtwotwoשְׁנַ֫יִםאִשָּׁהwiveswivesאִשָּׁהחֶלְאָהHelahHelahחֶלְאָהנַעֲרָהand Naarahand Naarahנַעֲרָהשָׁחַרbe blackbe blackשָׁחַרתָּקוֹעַtrumpettrumpetתָּקוֹעַהָוָאto fallto fallהָוָאשֵׁנִיsecondsecondשֵׁנִיאִישׁmanmanאִישׁאֱנוֹשׁhumanhumanאֱנוֹשׁחֶלְאָהrustrustחֶלְאָהנַעֲרָהmaidenmaidenנַעֲרָהקָבַרto buryto buryקָבַראֵםmothermotherאֵםאַשְׁחוּרAshhurAshhurאַשְׁחוּראִשָּׁהwomanwomanאִשָּׁהעָשָׂרtentenעָשָׂראַ֫יִלramramאַ֫יִלטַףchildchildטַףנָכְרִיforeignforeignנָכְרִי
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 1 Chronicles 4:5

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and to Ashhur [the] father of Tekoa they belonged two wives Helah and Naarah
וּלְאַשְׁחוּר֙u.le.'ash.Chur and to Ashhur H806 Conjunction · preposition · noun proper masculine
2× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Ashhur was an Israelite, a man from the tribe of Judah, who lived during the time of the wilderness and Egypt. He was the son of Hezron and Abiah, and had several wives and children. The KJV spells his name as Ashur.
Amplified meaning
the father of a notable city
Tyndale gloss
Ashhur
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אַשְׁחוּר (ashchuwr) likely means 'black' and refers to a man named Ashhur from the tribe of Judah. He is first mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:24 and is noted as the son of Hezron and Abiah, with several notable relatives and descendants.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אַשְׁחוּר n.pr.m. in Judah

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H806 אַשְׁחוּר

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

806 'Ashchuwr ash-khoor'

probably from 7835; black; Ashchur, an Israelite:--Ashur.

see HEBREW for 07835

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אַשְׁחוּר (ash.chur) — Ashhur.

A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at 1Ch.2.24;

son of: Hezron (H2696H) and Abiah (H0029J);

half-brother of: Ram (H7410), Jerahmeel (H3396), Caleb (H3612H) and Segub (H7687H); married to Helah (H2458) and Naarah (H5292B);

father of: Ahuzzam (H0275), Hepher (H2660), Temeni (H8488), Haahashtari (H0326), Zereth (H6889), Izhar (H3328), Ethnan (H0869) and Koz (H6976)

§ Ashur = "black"

son of Pharez

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Prep | N-proper — Conjunction · preposition · noun proper masculine
HC/R/Npm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ash'-ur (ashchur, the King James Version Ashur): The "father of Tekoa" (1Ch 2:24; 4:5), probably the founder of the village. The original meaning of the name is the "man of Horus," Ashurites (ha-'ashuri). This name occurs in the list of Ish-bosheth's subjects (2Sa 2:9).

The Syriac, Arabic, and Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) versions read ha-geshuri, "the Geshurites," designating the small kingdom to the South or Southeast of Damascus. This reading, though adopted by Ewald, Thenius and Wellhausen, is untenable, for during the reign of Ish-bosheth Geshur was ruled by its own king Talmai, whose daughter was married to David (2Sa 3:3; 13:37). Furthermore Geshur was too far away from the rest of Ishbosheth's territory. A…

and to Ashhur [the] father of Tekoa they belonged two wives Helah and Naarah
אֲבִ֣י'a.Vi [the] father of H1 Noun common · masculine singular construct
1,213× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In Hebrew, this word means father, whether literal or figurative. It is used to describe God as the father of his people, as well as human fathers like Abraham. The word is about a paternal relationship or authority.
Amplified meaning
abbi, a paternal figure
Tyndale gloss
father
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָב (av) means 'father' and encompasses various roles such as the literal father of an individual, God as the father of His people, and the head of a household or clan. It can also refer to an ancestor, originator of a profession, or a figure of respect and protection. Notably, it can imply a ruler or chief in later contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָב 1101 n.m. father

father of individual

of God as father of his people

head of household, family or clan

ancestor

originator or patron of a class, profession, or art

fig. of producer, generator

fig. of benevolence & protection

term of respect & honor

specif., ruler, chief (late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1 אָב father . father of individual

. of God as father of his people

. head of household, family or clan

. ancestor

. originator or patron of a class, profession, or art

. fig. of producer, generator

. fig. of benevolence & protection

. term of respect & honor

. specif., ruler, chief (late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1 'ab awb

a primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or

figurative and remote application):--chief,

(fore-)father(-less), X patrimony, principal. Compare names

in "Abi-".

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָב (av) — father.

1) father of an individual

2) of God as father of his people

3) head or founder of a household, group, family, or clan

4) ancestor

4a) grandfather, forefathers - of person

4b) of people

5) originator or patron of a class, profession, or art

6) of producer, generator (fig.)

7) of benevolence and protection (fig.)

8) term of respect and honour

9) ruler or chief (spec.)

Also means: av (אַב "father" H0002)

אָב (av) — (Huram)-abi.

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ki.7.13; also called Huram-abi (KJV: "Huram my father's") at 2Ch.2.13; 4.16;

Combined with chi.ram (חִירָם "Hiram" H2438H)

אָב (av) — father of.

The father of Gibeon, also known as Abiel - a man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.9.1;

son of: Zeror (H6872C); married to Maacah (H4601N);

Read the full entry →
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…

and to Ashhur [the] father of Tekoa they belonged two wives Helah and Naarah
תְק֔וֹעַte.Ko.a' Tekoa H8620 Noun proper
7× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Tekoa refers to a place in Palestine, specifically a town in the hill country of Judah near Hebron. It was rebuilt by king Rehoboam and was the birthplace of Amos. The town was also known as Tekoah.
Amplified meaning
a town in Judah, a place of habitation
Tyndale gloss
Tekoa
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

תְּקוֹעַ (teqo'a) refers to Tekoa, a location in southern Judah, known as a stockade. It was established by Ashur, son of Hezron, and is noted as the birthplace of the prophet Amos. The town was later rebuilt by King Rehoboam. The lexicons consistently identify it as a proper noun without significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

תְּקוֹעַ n.pr.loc. in S. Judah

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8620 תְּקוֹעַ

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8620 Tqowa` tek-o'-ah

a form of 8619; Tekoa, a place in Palestine:--Tekoa,

Tekoah.

see HEBREW for 08619

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

תְּקוֹעַ (te.qo.a) — Tekoa.

Tekoa or Tekoah = "a stockade"

town founded by Ashur son of Hezron

in the hill country of Judah near Hebron

rebuilt by king Rehoboam of Judah; birthplace of Amos

Also named: te.qo.i (תְּקוֹעִי "Tekoa" H8621)

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

te-ko'-a (teqoa', or teqo`ah; Thekoe; the King James Version Tekoah; one of David's mighty men, "Ira the son of Ikkesh," is called a Tekoite, te-ko'-it (teqo`i; 2Sa 23:26; 1Ch 11:28; 27:9; the "woman of Tekoa" [2Sa 14:2] is in Hebrew teqo`ith; in Ne 3:5 mention is made of certain Tekoites, te-ko'its teqo'im, who repaired part of the walls of Jerusalem):

1. Scripture References:

From here came the "wise woman" brought by Joab to try and make a reconciliation between David and Absalom (2Sa 14:2 f); it was one of the cities fortified by Rehoboam (2Ch 11:6; Josephus, Ant…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Jer 6:1, a city of Judah, now in ruins, situated on an extended height, twelve miles south of Jerusalem. Here originated the wise woman who was Joab’s agent, 2Sa 14:2, and Amos the prophet, Am 1:1. It was inhabited by Christians in the time of the crusades.

The wilderness of Tekoa, mentioned in 2Ch 20:20, inclines toward the Dead Sea.

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

trumpet; that is confirmed

Nave's Topical Bible

1. Son of Ashur 1Ch 2:24; 4:5

Some authorities interpret these passages to mean that Ashur colonized the town of Tekoah

2. TEKOA

See TEKOAH

and to Ashhur [the] father of Tekoa they belonged two wives Helah and Naarah
הָי֖וּha.Yu they belonged H1961 Verb · Qal · perfect third person common plural
3,562× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

Fall out, happen

occur, take place, come about, come to pass

esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

Come into being, become

abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

sq. prep.

become

sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

sq. pred. adj.

become like

sq. pred. לְ pers.

sq. לְ pred.

oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

with עַל and לְ

sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

exist, be in existence

abide, remain, continue

with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

as copula, joining subj. & pred.

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen

. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

. sq. prep.

. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

. sq. pred. adj.

. become like

. sq. pred. + לְ pers.

. sq. לְ pred.

. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.

. with עַל and לְ

. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence

. abide, remain, continue

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1961 hayah haw-yaw

a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,

come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or

auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,

committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,

fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit

(one-)self, require, X use.

see HEBREW for 01933

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.

1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) ---

1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass

1a1b) to come about, come to pass

1a2) to come into being, become

1a2a) to arise, appear, come

1a2b) to become

1a2b1) to become

1a2b2) to become like

1a2b3) to be instituted, be established

1a3) to be

1a3a) to exist, be in existence

1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)

1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)

1a3d) to accompany, be with

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about

1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common plural
HVqp3cp
and to Ashhur [the] father of Tekoa they belonged two wives Helah and Naarah
שְׁתֵּ֣יshe.Tei two H8147 Noun common · feminine dual construct
769× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for the number two appears in Genesis and Exodus, describing pairs and dualities. It can also mean double or twice. In the Bible, it is often used to describe things that come in twos, like two witnesses or two tablets.
Amplified meaning
a pair, a dual unity
Tyndale gloss
two
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם 768 n.m. et f. du. two

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8147 שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם two

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

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)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Noun common · feminine dual construct
HNcfdc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

too.

See NUMBER.

and to Ashhur [the] father of Tekoa they belonged two wives Helah and Naarah
נָשִׁ֑יםna.Shim wives H802 Noun common · masculine plural absolute
781× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for woman, used to describe a female person, wife, or animal, appears in many biblical passages, including Genesis and Exodus, and is often translated as woman, wife, or female.
Amplified meaning
women, female companions
Tyndale gloss
woman
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אִשָּׁה (ishshah) means 'woman,' 'wife,' or 'female.' It can refer to a woman in general, a wife in relation to a man, or the female of animals. The term also has distributive and reciprocal uses, indicating 'each woman' from her neighbor. The word is derived from the masculine forms אִישׁ (ish) and אִישָׁה (ishah), indicating a broad range of meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אִשָּׁה 773 n.f. woman, wife, female

woman

Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)

Female of animals

With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H802 אִשָּׁה woman, wife, female . woman

. Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)

. Female of animals

. With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

802 'ishshah ish-shaw'

feminine of 376 or 582; irregular plural, nashiym

{naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as

582):--(adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none,

one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.

see HEBREW for 0376

see HEBREW for 0582

see HEBREW for 0582

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman.

: woman

1) woman, wife, female

1a) woman (opposite of man)

1b) wife (woman married to a man)

1c) female (of animals)

1d) each, every (pronoun)

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman: wife.

: wife/widow

1) woman, wife, female

1a) woman (opposite of man)

1b) wife (woman married to a man)

1c) female (of animals)

1d) each, every (pronoun)

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman: another.

: another

1) woman, wife, female

1a) woman (opposite of man)

1b) wife (woman married to a man)

1c) female (of animals)

1d) each, every (pronoun)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fp — Noun common · masculine plural absolute
HNcmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Torrey's New Topical Textbook

- Not to be selected from among the ungodly

Ge 24:3; 26:34,35; 28:1

- DUTIES OF, TO THEIR HUSBANDS

. To love them

Tit 2:4

. To reverence them

Eph 5:33

. To be faithful to them

1Co 7:3-5,10

. To be subject to them

Ge 3:16; Eph 5:22,24; 1Pe 3:1

. To obey them

1Co 14:34; Tit 2:5

. To remain with them for life

Ro 7:2,3

- SHOULD BE ADORNED

. Not with ornaments

and to Ashhur [the] father of Tekoa they belonged two wives Helah and Naarah
חֶלְאָ֖הchel.'Ah Helah H2458 Noun proper feminine
2× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Helah was an Israelite woman, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:5, who married Ashhur and had several children. Her name means rust, and she lived during the time of the Divided Monarchy in Israel.
Amplified meaning
a woman of strength, wife of Ashhur
Tyndale gloss
Helah
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

חֶלְאָה (Chel'ah) refers to Helah, a woman from the tribe of Judah. She is noted as the wife of Ashhur and the mother of several children, including Zereth and Izhar, during the time of the Divided Monarchy, as mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:5. The name Helah is associated with the meaning "rust."

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חֶלְאָה n.pr.f. (meaning dub.)—wife of Ashhur (of Judah) ‘father’ of Tekoah

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2458 חֶלְאָה

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2458 Chel'ah khel-aw'

the same as 2457; Chelah, an Israelitess:--Helah.

see HEBREW for 02457

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חֶלְאָה (chel.ah) — Helah.

A womanof the tribe of Judah living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.4.5; married to Ashhur (H0806);

mother of: Zereth (H6889), Izhar (H3328), Ethnan (H0869) and Koz (H6976)

§ Helah = "rust"

one of the two wives of Ashur, father of Tekoah

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

he'-la (chel'ah): A wife of Ashhur, father of Tekoa (1Ch 4:5,7).

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Helah

Rust, (1 Chr. 4:5, 7), one of the wives of Ashur.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(rust), one of the two wives of Ashur, father of Tekoa. (1 Chronicles 4:5)

Nave's Topical Bible

→ A wife of Asher 1Ch 4:5

and to Ashhur [the] father of Tekoa they belonged two wives Helah and Naarah
וְנַעֲרָֽה׃ve.na.'a.Rah and Naarah H5292 Conjunction · noun proper feminine
4× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Naarah was a woman in the Bible, the wife of Ashhur and mother of several children, including Ahuzzam and Hepher. She lived during the time of the Divided Monarchy and is mentioned in 1 Chronicles.
Amplified meaning
a young, vibrant woman, mother of several children
Tyndale gloss
Naarah
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נַעֲרָה (na'arah) refers to a proper name associated with a woman from the tribe of Judah and a location on the border of Ephraim. The term translates to "maiden" and is linked to the landmarks of Naarah and Naarath. It appears in the context of a woman mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:5, who was married to Ashhur and had several children.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[נַעֲרָה] n.pr.loc. on border of Ephr.:—only Jos 16:7

ref

נַעֲרָה n.pr.f. in Judah

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5292a נַעֲרָה on border of Ephr. H5292b נַעֲרָה in Judah

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5292 Na`arah nah-ar-aw'

the same as 5291; Naarah, the name of an Israelitess, and of

a place in Palestine:--Naarah, Naarath.

see HEBREW for 05291

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נַעֲרָה (na.a.rah) — Naarah.

Naarah or Naarath = "maiden"

one of the landmarks on the southern boundary of the territory of Ephraim

Another name of na.a.ran (נַעֲרָן "Naaran" H5295)

נַעֲרָה (na.a.rah) — Naarah.

A womanof the tribe of Judah living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.4.5; married to Ashhur (H0806);

mother of: Ahuzzam (H0275), Hepher (H2660), Temeni (H8488) and Haahashtari (H0326)

§ Naarah or Naarath = "maiden"

the 2nd wife of Ashur of the tribe of Judah

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun proper feminine
HC/Npf
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Naarah

A girl, the second of Ashur’s two wives, of the tribe of Judah (1 Chr. 4:5, 6).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(a maiden), the second wife of Ashur; a descendant of Judah. (1 Chronicles 4:5,6)

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Naarai, young person

Nave's Topical Bible

→ A wife of Ashur 1Ch 4:5,6

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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