Ezra 2:66 — Word Study
WLCסוּסֵיהֶ֕ם שְׁבַ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים וְשִׁשָּׁ֑ה פִּרְדֵיהֶ֕ם מָאתַ֖יִם אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃
BSAThey had 736shebaʻ [seven hundred thirty and six] horsesçûwç [chariot horses, often referring to strength and power, two hundred forty and five] 245mêʼâh mulespered [the offspring of a horse and a donkey, considered unclean]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| סוּסֵיהֶ֕ם | horses their | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| שְׁבַ֥ע | seven | Adj |
| מֵא֖וֹת | hundred | Adj |
| שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים | thirty | |
| וְשִׁשָּׁ֑ה | and six | Conjunction |
| פִּרְדֵיהֶ֕ם | mules their | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| מָאתַ֖יִם | two hundred | |
| אַרְבָּעִ֥ים | forty | |
| וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃ | and five | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | They had 736 horses, 245 mules, |
| KJV | Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five; |
| ASV | Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five; |
| YLT | Their horses [are] seven hundred thirty and six, their mules, two hundred forty and five, |
| WEB | Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five; |
| BBE | They had seven hundred and thirty-six horses, two hundred and forty-five transport beasts, |
Where they part company is שְׁבַ֥ע — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence is straightforward, presenting a count of livestock owned by the returning exiles.
5 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, AdamClarke, 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 2:66
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 2:66 provides a record of the livestock owned by the returning exiles, highlighting their resources as they resettled in Jerusalem. This enumeration of animals is part of a larger list that includes their servants and singers, showing the community's efforts to restore their lives after exile. The mention of horses and mules indicates their readiness for labor and transport, essential for rebuilding their homeland.
Cross References
The Key Word — סוּסֵיהֶם, su.sei.Hemgenerated
The word סוּס (sus) refers to 'horses,' specifically chariot horses, which symbolize strength and power in the biblical context. As a noun in the masculine plural form, it indicates possession with the suffix 'their.'
In Hebrew, this term is derived from a root meaning to skip or leap, capturing the swift nature of horses. It emphasizes their importance in ancient warfare and transportation, as well as their association with nobility and strength.
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. The BSB has 736 for the count of horses, which aligns with the KJV and ASV.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb is implied in the structure, with two noun phrases serving as the subject and predicate: סוּסֵיהֶם and פִּרְדֵיהֶם. The numeral phrases specify the quantities of each type of animal, indicating a straightforward listing format common in Hebrew prose.
The structure presents a clear enumeration, with the horses and mules counted separately, reflecting the importance of each category in the context of the returning exiles.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates סוּסֵיהֶם as αὐτῶν (G846), which means 'their.' This choice indicates a focus on possession rather than specifying the type of livestock, suggesting a broader interpretation of their resources.
This choice reflects a narrowing of the specific reference to horses, possibly to emphasize the community's ownership over their livestock rather than the animals' characteristics.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Ezra 2:66 tells us that the returning exiles had 736 horses and 245 mules. This count is part of a larger list of their resources, which included servants and singers, as they worked to rebuild their lives in Jerusalem.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The number of horses and mules indicates the resources available to the exiles as they returned to Jerusalem, essential for transportation and labor.
Horses and mules were vital for transport and labor, reflecting the community's preparedness to rebuild and restore their homeland after exile.
Mules, being the offspring of a horse and a donkey, were considered unclean animals in the biblical context, yet they were still used for labor and transportation.
This verse contributes to the narrative of the returning exiles, emphasizing their resources and readiness to restore their community and worship in Jerusalem.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What resources do I have that I can use to serve my community?
- How can I prepare myself for a new beginning, just as the exiles did?
- What does it mean to me that God provides for His people, as seen in this verse?
- In what ways can I contribute to rebuilding or restoring something in my life or community?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Bede comments on the livestock of the exiles, explaining the nature of mules and their origins.
Their horses were six hundred and thirty-six, etc. A mule is born from a donkey and a mare, a she-mule from a horse and a she-donkey.Early Church Fathers on Ezra 2 →
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Ezra 2:66 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleVer. 66,67 Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six, their mules two hundred forty and five, their camels four hundred thirty and five, [their] asses six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
Read John Gill on Ezra 2 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryBeside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women. No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Ezra 2 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 66. Their horses - seven hundred, c.] They went into captivity, stripped of every thing they now return from it, abounding in the most substantial riches, viz., horses 736, or, according to Esdras, 7036; mules, 245; camels, 435; asses, 6720; besides gold, and silver, and rich stuffs. See below.
Read AdamClarke on Ezra 2 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges66. horses] The number mentioned here (736) appears in 1Es 5:43 as 7036, a fair sample of the way in which figures could easily undergo alteration by accident or intention. Before this time we do not find mention of the use of the horse among the Israelites for peaceful purposes. Hitherto the horse had been used for war and for pomp. The considerable number here mentioned is another proof of the presence of considerable wealth. The horse was the possession of the rich and well armed. mules] About one-third the number of the horses. During the monarchy the mule is the royal animal (1 Kings 1:33; 1 Kings 1:38; 1 Kings 1:44). The mule was scarce and precious like the horse (1 Kings 18:5). To…
Read Cambridge on Ezra 2 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible65-68. Servants… horses… camels — To some of these the returning Jews were helped by their wealthy friends and neighbours who remained in Babylon, (Ezra 1:4; Ezra 1:6;) but probably not a few of the
Read Daniel Denison Whedon 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
They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five;
They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
and 736 horses, 245 mules,
Tyndale line
Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;
Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;
Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;
Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;
Their horses were seuen hundreth, and sixe and thirtie: their mules, two hundreth and fiue and fourtie:
Strictly literal
Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules two hundred and forty-five;
Their horses [are] seven hundred thirty and six, their mules, two hundred forty and five,
Their horses [are] seven hundred thirty-six, their mules, two hundred forty-five,
Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;
Their horses: 736. Their mules: 245.
From the Latin
Their horses seven hundred thirty-six, their mules two hundred forty-five,
Simplified
They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
They had seven hundred and thirty-six horses, two hundred and forty-five transport beasts,
Word by word, the decisions they made
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 the animals as סוּסֵיהֶם שְׁבַ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים וְשִׁשָּׁ֑ה פִּרְדֵיהֶ֕ם מָאתַ֖יִם אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃. The Septuagint matches only 4 of the 9 words, indicating some differences in translation but a general agreement on the content.
סוּסֵיהֶ֕ם שְׁבַ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים וְשִׁשָּׁ֑ה פִּרְדֵיהֶ֕ם מָאתַ֖יִם אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃
4 of the 9 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 2:66
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.
סוּס (sus) refers to both a 'swallow' and a 'horse,' derived from a root meaning to skip or leap. The word captures the swift nature of both the bird and the animal, often associated with chariot horses in the context of the Old Testament. There is a note in the entries about a comparison with another Hebrew word, but no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
סוּס n.[m.] swallow or swift
base
סוּס 138 n.m. horse
base
H5483a סוּס swallow or swift H5483b סוּס horse
5483 cuwc soos
or cuc {soos}; from an unused root meaning to skip (properly,
for joy); a horse (as leaping); also a swallow (from its rapid
flight):--crane, horse((-back, -hoof)). Compare 6571.
see HEBREW for 06571
סוּס (sus) — swallow.
swallow, swift
סוּס (sus) — Horse (Gate).
This name means horse
סוּס (sus) — horse.
1) horse
1a) chariot horses
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3mp
שֶׁ֫בַע (sheba`) means 'seven' and is a cardinal number. It can also imply 'seven times' or refer to a week. The term appears in various contexts, including combinations like 17 or 700. Its Aramaic equivalent is שִׁבְעָה (shiv.ah), also meaning 'seven'.
שֶׁ֫בַע, שִׁבְעָה 394 n.m. et f. seven
base
H7651 שֶׁ֫בַע, שִׁבְעָה seven
7651 sheba` sheh'-bah
or (masculine) shibrah {shib-aw'}; from 7650; a primitive
cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also
(adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by
extension, an indefinite number:--(+ by) seven(-fold),-s,
(-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare 7658.
see HEBREW for 07650
see HEBREW for 07658
שֶׁ֫בַע (she.va) — seven.
1) seven (cardinal number)
1a) as ordinal number
1b) in combination-17, 700 etc
Aramaic equivalent: shiv.ah (שִׁבְעָה "seven" H7655)
Adj — AdjHAcbsc
sev'-'-n (shebha`; hepta).
See NUMBER.
Seven
This number occurs frequently in Scripture, and in such connections as lead to the supposition that it has some typical meaning. On the seventh day God rested, and hallowed it (Gen. 2:2, 3). The division of time into weeks of seven days each accounts for many instances of the occurrence of this number. This number has been called the symbol of perfection, and also the symbol of rest. “Jacob’s seven years’ service to Laban; Pharaoh’s seven fat oxen and seven lean ones; the seven branches of the golden candlestick; the seven trumpets and the seven priests who sounded them; the seven days’ siege of Jericho; the seven churches, seven spirits, seven stars, seven seals, seven vials, and many others, sufficiently prove the importance of this sacred number” (see Lev. 25:4;
The frequent recurrence of certain numbers in the sacred literature of the Hebrews is obvious to the most superficial reader, but seven so far surpasses the rest, both in the frequency with which it recurs and in the importance of the objects with which it is associated, that it may fairly be termed the representative symbolic number. The influence of the number seven was not restricted to the Hebrews; it prevailed among the Persians, ancient Indians, Greeks and Romans. The peculiarity of the Hebrew view consists in the special dignity of the seventh, and not simply in that of seen. The Sabbath being the seventh day suggested the adoption of seven as the coefficient, so to say, for their appointment of all sacred periods; and we thus find the 7th month ushered in by the Feast of Trumpets, and signalized by the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Great Day of Atonement; 7…
As from the beginning this was the number of days in the week, so it often has in Scripture a sort of emphasis attached to it, and is very generally used as a round or perfect number. Clean beasts were taken into the ark by sevens, Ge 7:1-24. The years of plenty and famine in Egypt were marked by sevens, Ge 41:1-57. With the Jews, not only was there a seventh day Sabbath, but every seventh year was a Sabbath, and after every seven times seven years came a jubilee. Their great feasts of unleavened bread and of tabernacles were observed for seven days; the number of animals in many of their sacrifices was limited to seven. The golden candlestick had seven branches. Seven priests with seven trumpets went around the walls of Jericho seven days, and seven times on the seventh day. In…
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)
Adj — AdjHAcfpa
hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).
See NUMBER.
שְׁלֹשִׁים (*shlowshiym*) means 'thirty' and can also refer to 'thirtieth' as an ordinal number. It is an indeclinable noun and is derived from the root word for 'three.' The entries indicate that it is used in various contexts, but there are no significant disagreements among the lexicons.
שְׁלֹשִׁים (very seldom שְׁלוֹשִׁים, שְׁלֹשִׁם) 174 n.indecl. thirty
bef. n. sg.
as ordin.
base
H7970 שְׁלֹשִׁים (very seldom שְׁלוֹשִׁים, שְׁלֹשִׁם) n. indecl. thirty . bef. n. sg.
. as ordin.
7970 shlowshiym shel-o-sheem'
or shloshiym {shel-o-sheem'}; multiple of 7969; thirty; or
(ordinal) thirtieth:--thirty, thirtieth. Compare 7991.
see HEBREW for 07969
see HEBREW for 07991
שְׁלֹשִׁים (she.lo.shim) — thirty.
thirty, thirtieth
Aramaic equivalent: te.la.tin (תְּלָתִין "thirty" H8533)
HAcmpa — HAcmpa
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)
HC/Acbsa — ConjunctionHC/Acbsa
פֶּ֫רֶד (pered) refers to a mule, derived from the root word for a solitary creature. The entries consistently identify it as a noun without significant variation in meaning.
פֶּ֫רֶד n.m. mule
base
H6505 פֶּ֫רֶד mule
6505 pered peh'-red
from 6504; a mule (perhaps from his lonely habits):--mule.
see HEBREW for 06504
פֶּ֫רֶד (pe.red) — mule.
mule
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3mp
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)
HAcfda — HAcfda
hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).
See NUMBER.
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
HAcmpa — HAcmpa
חָמֵשׁ (chamesh) means 'five' in Hebrew. It serves as both a cardinal number and can indicate a multiple of five when combined with another number. The word also has an ordinal form, 'fifth.' The entries consistently define this numeral without any noted disagreement.
חָמֵשׁ, חֲמִשָּׁה 342 n.m. and f. five
base
H2568 חָמֵשׁ, חֲמִשָּׁה five
2568 chamesh khaw-maysh'
masculine chamishshah {kham-ish-shaw}; a primitive numeral;
five:--fif(-teen), fifth, five (X apiece).
חָמֵשׁ (cha.mesh) — five.
1) five
1a) five (cardinal number)
1b) a multiple of five (with another number)
1c) fifth (ordinal number)
HC/Acbsa — ConjunctionHC/Acbsa
fiv (chamesh; pente).
See NUMBER.