Ezra 2:15 — Word Study
WLCבְּנֵ֣י עָדִ֔ין אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וְאַרְבָּעָֽה׃ ס
BSAthe descendantsbên [children, sons] of AdinʻÂdîyn [dainty, delicate, four hundred fifty and four, four hundred fifty-four] 454ʼarbaʻ
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּנֵ֣י | [the] descendants of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| עָדִ֔ין | Adin | Noun proper masculine |
| אַרְבַּ֥ע | four | Adj |
| מֵא֖וֹת | hundred | |
| חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים | fifty | |
| וְאַרְבָּעָֽה׃ ס | and four | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the descendants of Adin, 454; |
| KJV | The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four. |
| ASV | The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four. |
| YLT | Sons of Adin, four hundred fifty and four. |
| WEB | The children of Adin, four hundred fifty-four. |
| BBE | The children of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four. |
Where they part company is in the structure and phrasing of the names and numbers — see How Translations Differ.
The structure consists of a main clause followed by a numeral phrase indicating the count.
2 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Cambridge & 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 — Ezra 2:15
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 Return from Exilegenerated
Ezra 2:15 lists the descendants of various families returning from Babylonian exile, highlighting the importance of lineage and heritage in the restoration of Israel. This census serves to re-establish the identity of the returning community, as seen in other passages like Ezra 8:6 and Nehemiah 7:20.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ezra 8:6 | from the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men; |
| 2 | Nehemiah 7:20 | the descendants of Adin, 655; |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בְּנֵי, be.Neigenerated
The word בְּנֵי (be.Nei) is a masculine plural noun meaning 'sons' or 'descendants'. It indicates a familial relationship, emphasizing lineage and inheritance. The word is derived from the root meaning 'to build', suggesting a connection to family or community.
In this verse, it introduces the descendants of Adin, indicating their importance in the genealogical record of those returning from exile. This usage aligns with its broader biblical context, where it often refers to groups or families.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the phrase the descendants of Adin.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb is absent in this enumeration, as the structure lists a noun phrase followed by a numeral phrase indicating the count. The noun phrase בְּנֵי עָדִין serves as the subject, while the numeral phrase אַרְבַּע מֵאֹת חֲמִשִּׁים וְאַרְבָּעָה provides the count of 454.
This structure reflects the typical Hebrew style of listing names and numbers, emphasizing the importance of lineage.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בְּנֵי as υἱοὶ (huioi), meaning 'sons' or 'children'. This choice maintains the familial connection inherent in the Hebrew term.
The Greek term does not alter the meaning but rather reflects the same emphasis on lineage and family ties.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Ezra 2:15 lists the descendants of Adin, totaling 454. This record is part of a larger census of families returning from exile, emphasizing their heritage and connection to Israel.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
In this context, 'descendants' refers to the children or family members of Adin who returned from exile.
The number signifies the size of the family and their role in the community's restoration after exile.
Adin means 'dainty' or 'delicate' and is associated with a family that returned from exile.
This verse contributes to the genealogical records that establish the identity and heritage of the returning exiles, which is a key theme in the book of Ezra.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can I learn about the importance of lineage and heritage from this verse?
- How does understanding the names and numbers in this passage help me appreciate the history of Israel?
- In what ways can I connect my own family history to my faith journey?
- Why do you think it was important for the returning exiles to be counted and recognized by their families?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Ezra 2:15 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four. The children of Adin - [Septuagint, Addin].
Read Robert Jamieson on Ezra 2 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges3–19. Names of households or families. Many of these names occur again in other lists, e.g. Ezra 8:1-14; Ezra 10:18-44; Nehemiah 10:1-27, and in connexion with much later events in the lifetime of Ezra and Nehemiah. These names therefore are not to be regarded as the names of the leading men of the various families who accompanied Zerubbabel, but as the titles of the families or clans into which the people were divided. These titles were probably taken from the founders of the families and were many of them of great antiquity. The mention of the same names of the ‘families’ at the return of Ezra (Ezra 8:1-14) merely shows that, though a certain number of a household had accompanied…
Read Cambridge on Ezra 2 →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 descendants of Adin, 454;
The children of Adin, four hundred fifty-four.
the descendants of Adin, 454;
the descendants of Adin: 454;
Tyndale line
The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four.
The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four.
The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four.
The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four.
The sonnes of Adin, foure hundreth and foure and fiftie:
Strictly literal
The children of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four.
Sons of Adin, four hundred fifty and four.
sons of Adin, four hundred fifty-four;
The children of 'Adin, four hundred fifty and four.
The descendants of Adin: 454.
From the Latin
The children of Adin, four hundred fifty-four.
Simplified
the sons of Adin, 454;
The children of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four.
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 show agreement in the main elements of this verse, with four out of six words matched. The Septuagint's structure and phrasing differ but convey the same essential information.
בְּנֵ֣י עָדִ֔ין אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וְאַרְבָּעָֽה׃ ס
4 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
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 Ezra 2:15
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.
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 — Noun common · masculine plural constructHNcmpc
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.
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…
עָדִין (Adiyn) refers to a personal name associated with two Israelites during the Exile and Return period. It is glossed as meaning 'dainty' or 'delicate' and is linked to a family of exiles who returned with Zerubbabel and a chief who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. The entries consistently focus on this individual's historical context without significant disagreement.
עָדִין n.pr.m.
returned exiles
a chief
base
H5720 עָדִין
5720 `Adiyn aw-deen'
the same as 5719; Adin, the name of two Israelites:--Adin.
see HEBREW for 05719
עָדִין (a.din) — Adin.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.15
§ Adin = "dainty" or "delicate"
1) ancestor of a family of exiles who returned with Zerubbabel
2) a chief among the returned exiles who signed the covenant with Nehemiah
עָדִין (a.din) — Adin.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.10.16
§ Adin = "dainty" or "delicate"
1) ancestor of a family of exiles who returned with Zerubbabel
2) a chief among the returned exiles who signed the covenant with Nehemiah
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
a'-din (`adhin, "adorned"): The name of a family, "the sons of Adin" (Ezr 2:15; 8:6; Ne 7:20; 10:16; 1 Esdras 5:14; 8:32), mentioned among the returning exiles. The list in Ezr 2 is placed in the midst of the narrative concerning Zerubbabel, but its title and Its contents show that it also includes the later Jewish immigrants into Palestine. The list in Ne 7 is a duplicate of that in Ezr, but with variations; most of the variations are naturally accounted for by supposing that one copy was made later than the other and was brought up to date. In Ezr and 1 Esdras the number of the sons of Adin is said to be 454; in Ne it is 655. The 50 males, led by Ebed the son of Jonathan, who came with Ezr, may or may not have been included in the numbers just mentioned. Among the names of those…
Adin
Effeminate. (1.) Ezra 8:6. (2.) Neh. 10:16.
(dainty, delicate), ancestor of a family who returned form Babylon with Zerubbabel, to the number of 454, (Ezra 2:15) or 655 according to the parallel list in (Nehemiah 7:20) (B.C. 536.) They joined with Nehemiah in a covenant to separate themselves from the heathen. (Nehemiah 10:16) (B.C. 410.)
Adina, adorned; voluptuous; dainty
אַרְבַּע (arba) means 'four' in Hebrew. It is a masculine noun derived from the root associated with the number four. The entries consistently affirm this meaning without any significant disagreement among lexicons.
אַרְבַּע, אַרְבָּעָה four
base
H702 אַרְבַּע, אַרְבָּעָה four
702 'arba` ar-bah'
masculine oarbaah {ar-baw-aw'}; from 7251; four:--four.
see HEBREW for 07251
אַרְבַּע (ar.ba) — four.
four
Adj — AdjHAcbsa
for ('arba`; tessares): "Four" (cardinal number) was a sacred and complete number with the Hebrews, as well as with several other peoples. It occurs very frequently in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
(1) It indicates completeness. We have the four rivers of Paradise (Ge 2:10); the four winds of heaven (Eze 37:9; Da 7:2; 8:8; 11:4; Zec 6:5, the Revised Version, margin "spirits"; /APC 2Esdras 13:5); "the four winds" (Mt 24:31; Mr 13:27); "the four corners of the earth" (Isa 11:12;
מֵאָה (me'ah) means 'hundred' in Hebrew. It can refer to a simple number, a component of a larger number, or a fraction representing one one-hundredth. The entries consistently describe its use as a numeral without significant disagreement.
מֵאָה 583 n.f. hundred
as simple number
as part of larger number
a hundredth part
base
H3967 מֵאָה hundred . as simple number
. as part of larger number
. a hundredth part
3967 me'ah may-aw'
or metyah {may-yaw'}; properly, a primitive numeral; a
hundred; also as a multiplicative and a
fraction:--hundred((-fold), -th), + sixscore.
מֵאָה (me.ah) — hundred.
1) hundred
1a) as simple number
1b) as part of larger number
1c) as a fraction-one one-hundredth (1/100)
Aramaic equivalent: me.ah (מְאָה "hundred" H3969)
HAcfpa — HAcfpa
hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).
See NUMBER.
חֲמִשִּׁים (chamishshiym) means 'fifty' and is a cardinal number. It can also refer to a multiple of fifty or the ordinal number 'fiftieth.' The entries consistently define it as a numerical term without significant variation.
חֲמִשִּׁים 164 n.pl. (a) fifty
base
H2572 חֲמִשִּׁים (a) fifty
2572 chamishshiym kham-ish-sheem'
multiple of 2568; fifty:--fifty.
see HEBREW for 02568
חֲמִשִּׁים (cha.mish.shim) — fifty.
1) fifty
1a) fifty (cardinal number)
1b) a multiple of fifty (with other numbers)
1c) fiftieth (ordinal number)
HAcmpa — HAcmpa
אַרְבַּע (arba) means 'four' in Hebrew. It is a masculine noun derived from the root associated with the number four. The entries consistently affirm this meaning without any significant disagreement among lexicons.
אַרְבַּע, אַרְבָּעָה four
base
H702 אַרְבַּע, אַרְבָּעָה four
702 'arba` ar-bah'
masculine oarbaah {ar-baw-aw'}; from 7251; four:--four.
see HEBREW for 07251
אַרְבַּע (ar.ba) — four.
four
HC/Acbsa — ConjunctionHC/Acbsa
for ('arba`; tessares): "Four" (cardinal number) was a sacred and complete number with the Hebrews, as well as with several other peoples. It occurs very frequently in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
(1) It indicates completeness. We have the four rivers of Paradise (Ge 2:10); the four winds of heaven (Eze 37:9; Da 7:2; 8:8; 11:4; Zec 6:5, the Revised Version, margin "spirits"; /APC 2Esdras 13:5); "the four winds" (Mt 24:31; Mr 13:27); "the four corners of the earth" (Isa 11:12;