Ezra 2:24 — Word Study
WLCבְּנֵ֥י עַזְמָ֖וֶת אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּשְׁנָֽיִם׃ ס
BSAthe descendantsbên [children, sons, or people] of AzmavethʻAzmâveth [strong unto death, forty and two, forty-two] 42ʼarbâʻîym
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּנֵ֥י | [the] descendants of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| עַזְמָ֖וֶת | Azmaveth | Noun proper masculine |
| אַרְבָּעִ֥ים | forty | Adj |
| וּשְׁנָֽיִם׃ ס | and two | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the descendants of Azmaveth, 42; |
| KJV | The children of Azmaveth, forty and two. |
| ASV | The children of Azmaveth, forty and two. |
| YLT | Sons of Azmaveth, forty and two. |
| WEB | The children of Azmaveth, forty-two. |
| BBE | The children of Azmaveth, forty-two. |
Where they part company is in the rendering of the number — see How Translations Differ.
The structure is straightforward, with a main clause followed by a numeral phrase indicating the count of descendants.
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 2:24
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 of the Exilesgenerated
Ezra 2:24 is part of a genealogical record that lists the families who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. This context emphasizes the importance of lineage and heritage in the restoration of the Jewish people, as they rebuild their community and worship in their homeland.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nehemiah 7:28 | the men of Beth-azmaveth, 42; |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בֵּן, be.Neigenerated
The word בֵּן (ben) is a noun meaning 'son' or 'descendant.' It can refer to a child, grandson, or even a member of a tribe. The parsing indicates it is a masculine plural construct, showing that it refers to a group of descendants rather than a single individual.
In this verse, it signifies the familial connections of the Israelites returning from exile, highlighting their identity and heritage as part of the community of Israel.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb is absent, as the verse is structured as a noun phrase followed by a numeral phrase: בְּנֵ֥י עַזְמָ֖וֶת the descendants of Azmaveth and אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּשְׁנָֽיִם׃ forty-two.
This structure emphasizes the identity of the descendants and their numerical count, typical in genealogical lists.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בֵּן with υἱοὶ (huioi), meaning 'sons' or 'children.' This choice aligns with the Hebrew meaning but does not include the specific name Azmaveth.
The translation reflects a broader understanding of lineage, focusing on the familial aspect rather than the specific individuals.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Ezra 2:24 lists the descendants of Azmaveth, numbering 42. This verse is part of a larger account detailing the families who returned from exile, emphasizing their heritage.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Azmaveth means 'strong unto death' and is associated with several individuals and a place in Palestine.
Lineage establishes identity and heritage for the returning exiles, reaffirming their connection to the nation of Israel.
This verse contributes to the genealogical record that underscores the restoration of Israel after the Babylonian exile.
The number 42 signifies a specific count of descendants, reflecting the importance of accurate record-keeping in the rebuilding of the community.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean to be a descendant in the context of faith and community?
- How can understanding our heritage influence our identity today?
- In what ways do genealogies in the Bible help us understand God's faithfulness?
- How can we honor our ancestors while building our own legacy?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Ezra 2:24 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe children of Azmaveth, forty and two. The children of Azmaveth - [Septuagint, Azmooth] - a town of Benjamin, near Anathoth.
Read Robert Jamieson on Ezra 2 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges24. Azmaveth] Cf. Nehemiah 12:29 : called Beth-Azmaveth Nehemiah 7:28; has been conjecturally identified with El-Hizmeh, a height N. of Anathoth. The name of Azmaveth occurs in the register of the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:36).
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 Azmaveth, 42;
The children of Azmaveth, forty-two.
the descendants of Azmaveth, 42;
the men of the family of Azmaveth: 42;
Tyndale line
The children of Azmaveth, forty and two.
The children of Azmaveth, forty and two.
The children of Azmaveth, forty and two.
The children of Azmaveth, forty and two.
The sonnes of Azmaueth, two and fourtie:
Strictly literal
The children of Azmaveth, forty-two.
Sons of Azmaveth, forty and two.
sons of Azmaveth, forty-two;
The people of 'Azmaveth, forty and two.
The men of Azmaveth: forty-two.
From the Latin
The children of Azmaveth, forty-two.
Simplified
the people from Beth-azmaveth, 42;
The children of Azmaveth, forty-two.
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 lists בְּנֵ֥י עַזְמָ֖וֶת אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּשְׁנָֽיִם׃, while the Septuagint matches only 2 of the 4 words. This indicates a partial correspondence, suggesting variations in the text's transmission.
בְּנֵ֥י עַזְמָ֖וֶת אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּשְׁנָֽיִם׃ ס
2 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 Ezra 2:24
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…
עַזְמָ֫וֶת (Azmaveth) means "strong unto death" and refers to a name associated with several individuals and a place in Benjamin. It includes a mighty warrior of David, a descendant of Mephibosheth, and an overseer of royal treasures. The word is built from roots meaning strength and death, and it appears in various contexts in the Old Testament, particularly in relation to David's reign.
עַזְמָ֫וֶת n.pr.m.
one of David’s heroes
father of two of David’s men
officer of David
Benjamite name
base
H5820 עַזְמָ֫וֶת
5820 `Azmaveth az-maw'-veth
from 5794 and 4194; strong one of death; Azmaveth, the name
of three Israelites and of a place in Palestine:--Azmaveth.
See also 1041.
see HEBREW for 05794
see HEBREW for 04194
see HEBREW for 01041
עַזְמָ֫וֶת (az.ma.vet) — Azmaveth.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.23.31
§ Azmaveth = "strong unto death"
1) one of David's mighty warriors
2) a descendant of Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan and grandson of king Saul
3) a Benjamite, father of Jeziel and Pelet who were two of David's men who joined him at Ziklag
4) overseer of the royal treasures in the reign of David
5) a place in Benjamin; also 'Beth-azmeveth'
עַזְמָ֫וֶת (az.ma.vet) — Azmaveth.
A man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.8.36;
son of: Jehoaddah (H3085);
brother of: Alemeth (H5964I) and Zimri (H2174H)
§ Azmaveth = "strong unto death"
1) one of David's mighty warriors
2) a descendant of Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan and grandson of king Saul
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
Azmaveth
Strong as death. (1.) One of David’s thirty warriors (2 Sam. 23:31).
(2.) An overseer over the royal treasury in the time of David and Solomon (1 Chr. 27:25).
(3.) A town in the tribe of Judah, near Jerusalem (Neh. 12:29; Ezra 2:24).
(4.) 1 Chr. 8:36
a place to all appearance in Benjamin, being named with other towns belonging to that tribe. (Ezra 2:24) The name elsewhere occurs as BETH-AZMAVETH.
strong death; a he-goat
אַרְבָּעִים (arba`iym) simply means 'forty' in Hebrew. It is a multiple of the number 702 and is consistently defined across various lexicons. There are no significant disagreements among the entries regarding its meaning.
אַרְבָּעִים a forty
base
H705 אַרְבָּעִים a forty
705 'arba`iym ar-baw-eem'
multiple of 702; forty:---forty.
see HEBREW for 0702
אַרְבָּעִים (ar.ba.im) — forty.
forty
Adj — AdjHAcmpa
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)
HC/Acbda — ConjunctionHC/Acbda
too.
See NUMBER.