Genesis 15:19 — Word Study
WLCאֶת־ הַקֵּינִי֙ וְאֶת־ הַקְּנִזִּ֔י וְאֵ֖ת הַקַּדְמֹנִֽי׃
BSAthe land of the KenitesQêynîy [territory, region, Kenite tribe, descendants of Kenite] KenizzitesQᵉnizzîy [descendant of Kenaz] KadmonitesQadmônîy△ [ancient ones, Kadmonite tribe]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אֶת־ | the object marker | Particle |
| הַקֵּינִי֙ | the Kenite[s] | Particle, noun gentilic masculine singular absolute |
| וְאֶת־ | and the object marker | Conjunction, particle |
| הַקְּנִזִּ֔י | the Kenizzite[s] | Particle, noun gentilic masculine singular absolute |
| וְאֵ֖ת | and the object marker | Conjunction, particle |
| הַקַּדְמֹנִֽי׃ | the Kadmonite[s] | Particle, noun gentilic masculine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, |
| KJV | The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, |
| ASV | the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, |
| YLT | with the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, |
| WEB | the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, |
| BBE | The Kenite, the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, |
Where they part company is in the specific naming of the tribes, but the essential meaning remains consistent across translations.
The sentence is straightforward, focusing on the enumeration of tribes within the land promised to Abram.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 6 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
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 — Genesis 15:19
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 Covenant with Abramgenerated
Genesis 15:19 is part of a larger narrative where God establishes a covenant with Abram, promising him land for his descendants. This verse specifically lists the tribes that occupy the land, emphasizing the diversity of its inhabitants. The mention of these tribes highlights God's promise to Abram and the fulfillment of that promise through the land's inhabitants, as seen in the broader context of the covenant in Genesis 15:18.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Numbers 24:21–22 | Next he saw the Kenites and lifted up an oracle, saying: “Your dwelling place is secure, and your nest is set in a cliff. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — הַקֵּינִי, ha.kei.Nigenerated
The word קֵינִי (Kenite) refers to a tribe known for their skills, particularly in smithing. It indicates a specific group of people who lived in the region promised to Abram. The parsing shows it as a noun in the singular form, indicating a specific identity within the broader context of the tribes listed.
The Kenites are mentioned multiple times in the Old Testament, often associated with figures like Moses' father-in-law. Their presence in this verse underscores the historical and cultural context of the land promised to Abram.
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 implied in the context of the covenant, with the noun phrases listing the tribes acting as the objects of the promise. The structure emphasizes the enumeration of tribes, indicating the richness of the land's heritage.
The Hebrew word order places the object markers before the tribes, highlighting their importance as the focus of God's promise to Abram.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint uses the term καιναίους for the Kenites, which reflects a transliteration rather than a translation. This choice indicates a direct connection to the Hebrew term while maintaining the Greek linguistic framework.
The use of καὶ aligns with the conjunctions in Hebrew, showing a consistent linking of the tribes in the promise.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Genesis 15:19 lists the tribes that inhabit the land promised to Abram. The Kenites, Kenizzites, and Kadmonites are mentioned, showing the diverse groups living in the territory. This verse is part of God's covenant with Abram, emphasizing the land's importance.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The Kenites represent a tribe known for their skills and are part of the broader promise of land to Abram's descendants.
Listing the tribes emphasizes the diversity of the land and the fulfillment of God's promise to Abram regarding his descendants.
The land signifies God's covenant with Abram and the future inheritance for his descendants.
The Kenizzites, as descendants of Kenaz, are part of the same narrative that highlights the various groups inhabiting the promised land.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How does understanding the tribes in this verse help me grasp God's promises?
- What can I learn from the Kenites about my own skills and contributions?
- In what ways can I appreciate the diversity of God's creation as seen in this passage?
- How can I apply the concept of inheritance in my own life?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Genesis 15:19 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThe Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites. In this and the following verses ten nations are reckoned as occupying the land of Canaan at this time, whereas only seven are mentioned in the
Read John Gill on Genesis 15 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, The Kenites. Their territory lay in the south and west of Canaan (Numbers 24:21; Judges 1:16; Judges 4:11; Judges 4:17; Judges 5:24; 1 Samuel 30:29).
Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 15 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThe Kenites are supposed the same with the Midianites, by comparing , with . See also . The Kenizzites, thought to be the Idumeans, who sprung from Kenaz of Esau’ s race. But this seems not to agree with , where God expressly saith to the Israelites concerning the Idumeans, I will give you none of their lands, & c. The Kadmonites, i.e. the eastern people, as the word signifies, elsewhere called the Hivites, , who lived near the Mount Hermon, , which was in the east part of Canaan. See .
Read Matthew Poole on Genesis 15 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsGenesis 15:19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, Genesis 15:20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, Genesis 15:21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.Ver. 19-21. The Kenites, and the Kenezzites.] R. Salomon noteth, that whereas ten nations are here reckoned up, seven only were given to the Israelites. He addeth also, that the Kenites, Kenezzites, and Cadmonims were the same with the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites, all which were at length to be possessed by the Israelites.
Read John Trapp on Genesis 15 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(19) The Kenites.—An Arab race, found both among the Amalekites in the south (1 Samuel 15:6) and among the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulon in the north (Judges 4:11), and even in Midian, as Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, is called a Kenite (Judges 1:16). Balaam speaks of them as being a powerful nation (Numbers 24:21), and this wide dispersion of them into feeble remnants seems to show that they were a race of early settlers in Canaan, who, like the Rephaim, had been overpowered and scattered by subsequent immigrants. They were uniformly friendly to Israel. The Kenizzites.—The chief fact of importance connected with this race is that Caleb was a Kenezite (Numbers 32:12). Apparently with…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Genesis 15 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 19. The Kenites, c.] Here are ten nations mentioned, though afterwards reckoned but seven see Deuteronomy 7:1; Acts 13:19. Probably some of them which existed in Abram's time had been blended with others before the time of Moses, so that seven only out of the ten then remained; see part of these noticed Genesis 10:1-31. IN this chapter there are three subjects which must be particularly interesting to the pious reader. 1. The condescension of GOD in revealing himself to mankind in a variety of ways, so as to render it absolutely evident that he had spoken, that he loved mankind, and that he had made every provision for their eternal welfare. So unequivocal were the discoveries which…
Read AdamClarke on Genesis 15 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges7–19. The Ratification of the Promise by a Solemn Covenant The occasion of the covenant is distinct from that described in Genesis 15:1-6; but the connexion of thought is obvious. It is the man of faith who has the privilege of vision and is admitted into direct covenant relation with his God.
Read Cambridge on Genesis 15 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible19. Kenites… Kenizzites… Kadmonites — Ten nations are now mentioned as occupying this vast territory, seven of whom (those mentioned Genesis 15:20-21) have been previously noticed.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Genesis 15 →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 land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,
the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,
Tyndale line
The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
The Kenites, and the Kenizites, and the Kadmonites,
Strictly literal
the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
with the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
with the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
From the Latin
The Cineans and Cenezites, the Cedmonites,
Simplified
and includes the territory of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,
The Kenite, the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
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 tribes as אֶת־ הַקֵּינִי֙ וְאֶת־ הַקְּנִזִּ֔י וְאֵ֖ת הַקַּדְמֹנִֽי׃. The Septuagint matches five of the six words, indicating a strong agreement in the translation of the tribes, while the Samaritan Pentateuch differs slightly by using קדמוני (easterner) instead of the expected term.
אֶת־ הַקֵּינִי֙ וְאֶת־ הַקְּנִזִּ֔י וְאֵ֖ת הַקַּדְמֹנִֽי׃
5 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.
את הקיני ואת הקנזי ואת הקדמוני
1 word differs from the Masoretic Text: קדמוני (easterner)
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 Genesis 15:19
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.
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HTo — ParticleHTo
קֵינִי (Qeyniy) refers to the Kenites, a group associated with the tribe of Kajin, often linked to smithing. The term appears in various contexts, including its mention in Genesis 15:19. The entries indicate that the Kenites settled among the Amalekites and were related to figures like Heber and Hobab.
קֵינִי adj.gent. (dwelling in N. Isr.); elsewhere as n.gent.coll. settled among Amal.
base
H7017 קֵינִי settled among Amal.
7017 Qeyniy kay-nee'
or Qiyniy (1 Chron. 2:55) {kee-nee'}; patronymic from 7014; a
Kenite or member of the tribe of Kajin:--Kenite.
see HEBREW for 07014
קֵינִי (qe.ni) — Kenite.
Ancestors of Heber (H2268H) or Hobab (H2246), first mentioned at Gen.15.19
Also named: qa.yin (קַ֫יִן "Kenite" H7014)
§ Kenite = "smiths"
the tribe from which the father-in-law of Moses was a member and which lived in the area between southern Palestine and the mountains of Sinai
Art | Ngmsa — Particle · noun gentilic masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ngmsa
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HC/To — Conjunction · particleHC/To
קְנִזִּי (Qnizziy) refers to a Kenizzite, a descendant of Kenaz. The term is used to describe individuals connected to Caleb, specifically mentioning his lineage and family ties, including his brother and children. It appears in the context of the Old Testament, particularly in Genesis 15:19 and Numbers 32:12.
קְנִזִּי adj.gent. of Caleb; as n.coll.
base
H7074 קְנִזִּי of Caleb
7074 Qnizziy ken-iz-zee'
patronymic from 7073, a Kenizzite or descendant of
Kenaz:--Kenezite, Kenizzites.
see HEBREW for 07073
קְנִזִּי (qe.niz.zi) — Kenizzite.
Someone descended from Keniz(?), only mentioned at Gen.15.19
§ Kenezite or Kenizzites = "descendant of Kenaz"
descendants of Kenaz
קְנִזִּי (qe.niz.zi) — Kenizzite.
Someone descended from Kenaz who was a man living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Num.32.12;
son of: Jephunneh (H3312);
brother of: Caleb (H3612);
father of: Othniel (H6274) and Seraiah (H8304J); also called Kenizzite at Num.32.12; 1x,14;
Group of qe.naz (קְנַז "Kenaz" H7073I)
§ Kenezite or Kenizzites = "descendant of Kenaz"
descendants of Kenaz
Art | Ngmsa — Particle · noun gentilic masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ngmsa
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HC/To — Conjunction · particleHC/To
קַדְמֹנִי (Qadmoniy) refers to the Kadmonites, a tribe described as 'Easterners' in the Old Testament. It is derived from the root meaning 'ancient' or 'aboriginal.' The term appears in Genesis 15:19, where it identifies a group that occupied Canaan during the time of Abram.
קַדְמֹנִי adj.gent. (Easterners);—Gn 15:19
ref
H6935 קַדְמֹנִי (Easterners)
6935 Qadmoniy kad-mo-nee'
the same as 6931; ancient, i.e. aboriginal; Kadmonite
(collectively), the name of a tribe in Palestine:--
Kadmonites.
see HEBREW for 06931
קַדְמֹנִי (qad.mo.ni) — Kadmonite.
Someone descended from Kadmon(?), only mentioned at Gen.15.19
§ Kadmonites = "easterners"
a people who occupied the land of Canaan when God promised it to Abram
Art | Ngmsa — Particle · noun gentilic masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ngmsa