Nehemiah 10:17 — Word Study
WLCאָטֵ֥ר חִזְקִיָּ֖ה עַזּֽוּר׃
BSAAdonijahʼĂdônîyâh BigvaiBigvay AdinʻÂdîyn
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אָטֵ֥ר | Ater | Noun proper masculine |
| חִזְקִיָּ֖ה | Hezekiah | Noun proper masculine |
| עַזּֽוּר׃ | Azzur | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, |
| KJV | Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur, |
| ASV | Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, |
| YLT | Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur, |
| WEB | Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, |
| BBE | Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, |
All translations agree on the names listed in this verse.
The verse consists of a single main clause listing the names of the leaders.
1 commentators on this verse
Jamieson & 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 — Nehemiah 10:17
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 Community of Nehemiahgenerated
Nehemiah 10:17 presents a list of names of leaders who sealed the covenant during the time of Nehemiah. This chapter emphasizes the commitment of the Israelites to follow God's laws and maintain their identity as His people after returning from exile. The names listed are significant as they represent the community's dedication and unity in their covenant with God.
Cross References
The Key Word — חִזְקִיָּ֖ה, chiz.ki.Yahgenerated
The name חִזְקִיָּה (*Hezekiah*) means 'Jehovah is my strength' and refers to a notable king of Judah known for his religious reforms. The parsing as a noun proper masculine indicates that Hezekiah is a specific individual, not just a common name.
Hezekiah's legacy includes his efforts to eliminate idolatry and restore proper worship in Judah. His lineage connects him to the Davidic line, which adds to his significance in the biblical narrative.
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 structure of the verse is straightforward, consisting of a noun phrase as the subject: אָטֵ֥ר חִזְקִיָּ֖ה עַזּֽוּר׃. The names are presented in a simple list format, which is common in Hebrew texts for enumerating individuals.
This sentence emphasizes the importance of each individual by placing them in a direct line, demonstrating their collective commitment to the covenant.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates the names directly, maintaining the same order: חִזְקִיָּ֖ה is rendered as βαγοι. This shows that the translators recognized these names as significant figures in the Hebrew text.
The choice to keep the names consistent indicates an effort to preserve the identity and importance of these leaders in the covenant community.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 10:17 lists three leaders: Ater, Hezekiah, and Azzur. These individuals are part of the community that sealed the covenant, showing their commitment to follow God's laws after returning from exile.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The individuals mentioned are Ater, Hezekiah, and Azzur, who were leaders in the Israelite community.
These names represent leaders who were committed to the covenant and the renewal of their relationship with God.
Hezekiah means 'Jehovah is my strength' and refers to a king known for his religious reforms.
This list highlights the unity and commitment of the Israelite leaders to uphold God's laws after their return from exile.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the commitment of these leaders to uphold the covenant?
- How do the names listed reflect the identity of the Israelite community?
- In what ways can we demonstrate our commitment to our faith, similar to these leaders?
- What significance do names hold in our own communities and relationships?
Commentators on this verse — 1 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 10:17 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentarySeraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Nehemiah 10 →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
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
Tyndale line
Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur,
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur;
Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur,
Ater, Hizkiiah, Azzur,
Strictly literal
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur,
Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur,
(10:18) Ater, Chizkiyah, 'Azzur,
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
From the Latin
Ater, Hezecia, Azur,
Simplified
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
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 agree on the names listed in this verse, confirming the consistency of the record across these ancient witnesses.
אָטֵ֥ר חִזְקִיָּ֖ה עַזּֽוּר׃
3 of the 3 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 Nehemiah 10:17
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.
The Hebrew word אָטֵר (*Ater*) refers to a name associated with three Israelites mentioned during the Exile and Return period. It is derived from the root meaning 'binder.' The entries highlight Ater as a chief Israelite and a Levite porter, with references to Ezra 2:16, Ezra 2:42, and Nehemiah 10:17.
אָטֵר n.pr.m. (binder?) a chief of Jews
base
H333 אָטֵר
333 'Ater aw-tare'
from 332; maimed; Ater, the name of three Israelites:--Ater.
see HEBREW for 0332
אָטֵר (a.ter) — Ater.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.16;
father of: Hezekiah (H2396I)
§ Ater = "binder"
an exiled relative of Hezekiah
אָטֵר (a.ter) — Ater.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.42
§ Ater = "binder"
an exiled Levite porter
אָטֵר (a.ter) — Ater.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.10.17
§ Ater = "binder"
a chief Israelite who sealed Nehemiah's covenant
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
a'-ter ('aTer, "bound" (?)):
(1) The ancestor of a family of 98 persons who returned from Babylonian captivity with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:16; Ne 7:21). the King James Version has "Ater of Hezekiah"; the Revised Version (British and American) of 1 Esdras 5:15 has "Ater of Ezekias," margin, "Ater of Hezekiah." the King James Version has "Aterezias."
(2) The head of a family of porters who returned from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezr 2:42; Ne 7:45).
Ater
Shut; lame. (1.) Ezra 2:16. (2.) Neh. 10:17. (3.) Ezra 2:42.
(shut up). The children of Ater were among the porters or gate-keepers of the temple who returned with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:42; Nehemiah 7:45) The children of ATER OF HEZEKIAH to the number of 98 returned with Zerubbabel, (Ezra 2:16; Nehemiah 7:21) and were among the heads of the people who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:17)
left hand; shut
חִזְקִיָּהוּ (Hizqiyahu) means "Jehovah is my strength" and refers primarily to Hezekiah, the 12th king of Judah, known for his religious reforms. The name is derived from the roots meaning 'to strengthen' and 'Jah' (a form of Jehovah). Hezekiah is noted for his lineage as a descendant of David and is mentioned in various contexts, including his role during the Divided Monarchy and the Exile.
חִזְקִיָּהוּ, חִזְקִיָּה, יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ, יְחִזְקִיָּה n.pr.m. (י׳ hath strengthened, י׳ strengtheneth)
son of Ahaz, King of Judah
great-great-grandson pf proph. Zephaniah
man of royal Davidic line
head of a family of returned exiles
an Ephraimite, Ahaz’s time
base
H2396 חִזְקִיָּהוּ, חִזְקִיָּה, יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ, יְחִזְקִיָּה (י׳ hath strengthened, י׳ strengtheneth)
2396 Chizqiyah khiz-kee-yaw'
or Chizqiyahuw {khiz-kee-yaw'-hoo}; also Ychizqiyah
{yekh-iz-kee-yaw'}; or Ychizqiyahuw {yekh-iz-kee-yaw'-hoo};
from 2388 and 3050; strengthened of Jah; Chizkijah, a king of
Judah, also the name of two other Israelites:--Hezekiah,
Hizkiah, Hizkijah. Compare 3169.
see HEBREW for 02388
see HEBREW for 03050
see HEBREW for 03169
חִזְקִיָּהוּ (chiz.qiy.yah) — Hezekiah.
A king of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Ki.16.20;
son of: Ahaz (H0271) and Abi (H0021);
brother of: Maaseiah (H4641J); married to Hephzibah (H2657);
father of: Manasseh (H4519H)
§ Hezekiah or Hizkiah or Hizkijah = "Jehovah is my strength"
1) 12th king of Judah, son of Ahaz and Abijah; a good king in that he served Jehovah and did away with idolatrous practices
2) great-great-grandfather of Zephaniah the prophet
3) son of Neariah, a descendant of David
4) head of a family of returning exiles in the time of Nehemiah
חִזְקִיָּהוּ (chiz.qiy.yah) — Hizkiah.
A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.3.23;
son of: Neariah (H5294);
brother of: Elioenai (H0454B) and Azrikam (H5840)
§ Hezekiah or Hizkiah or Hizkijah = "Jehovah is my strength"
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
Hezekiah
Whom Jehovah has strengthened. (1.) Son of Ahaz (2 Kings 18:1; 2 Chr. 29:1), whom he succeeded on the throne of the kingdom of Judah. He reigned twenty-nine years (B.C. 726-697). The history of this king is contained in 2 Kings 18:20, Isa. 36-39, and 2 Chr. 29-32. He is spoken of as a great and good king. In public life he followed the example of his great-granfather Uzziah. He set himself to abolish idolatry from his kingdom, and among other things which he did for this end, he destroyed the “brazen serpent,” which had been removed to Jerusalem, and had become an object of idolatrous worship (Num. 21:9). A great reformation was wrought in the kingdom of Judah in…
(the might of Jehovah). Twelfth king of Judah, son of the apostate Ahaz and Abi or Abijah, ascended the throne at the age of 25, B.C. 726. Hezekiah was one of the three most perfect kings of Judah. (2 Kings 18:5) Ecclus. 49:4. His first act was to purge and repair and reopen with splendid sacrifices and perfect ceremonial the temple. He also destroyed a brazen serpent, said to have been the one used by Moses in the miraculous healing of the Israelites, (Numbers 21:9) which had become an object of adoration. When the kingdom of Israel had fallen, Hezekiah invited the scattered inhabitants to a peculiar passover, which was continued for the unprecedented period of fourteen days. (2 Chronicles 29:30,31) At the head of a repentant…
A pious king of Judah, succeeded his father Ahaz about 726 B. C., and died about 698 B. C. His history is contained in 2Ki 18:12-21 2Ch 29:1-32:33. Compare Isa 36:1-38:22. His reign is memorable for his faithful efforts to restore the worship of Jehovah; for his pride and presumption towards the Assyrians; for the distractions of their invading host in answer to his prayer; for his sickness and humiliation, and the prolonging of his life fifteen years of peace. He was succeeded by the unworthy Manasseh.
strength of the Lord
עַזּוּר (Azzuwr) refers to a name meaning 'he that assists.' It identifies several individuals in the Old Testament, including a Benjamite of Gibeon and the father of the false prophet Hananiah, mentioned in Jeremiah 28:1 and Ezekiel 11:1. The word is derived from the root meaning 'helpful' and is linked to the Hebrew word for help, עָזַר.
a chief of people
base
H5809 עַזּוּר, עַזֻּר
5809 `Azzuwr az-zoor'
or mAzzur {az-zoor'}; from 5826; helpful; Azzur, the name of
three Israelites:--Azur, Azzur.
see HEBREW for 05826
עַזּוּר (az.zur) — Azzur.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.10.17
§ Azur or Azzur = "he that assists"
1) a Benjamite of Gibeon, father of the false prophet Hananiah
2) father of Jaazaniah, one of the princes against whom Ezekiel was commanded to prophecy
עַזּוּר (az.zur) — Azzur.
A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at Jer.28.1;
father of: Hananiah (H2608A)
§ Azur or Azzur = "he that assists"
1) a Benjamite of Gibeon, father of the false prophet Hananiah
2) father of Jaazaniah, one of the princes against whom Ezekiel was commanded to prophecy
עַזּוּר (az.zur) — Azzur.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezk.11.1;
father of: Jaazaniah (H2970I)
§ Azur or Azzur = "he that assists"
1) a Benjamite of Gibeon, father of the false prophet Hananiah
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
az'-ur (`azzur, "helpful"):
(1) The father of Hananiah, a false prophet of Gibeon in the days of Zedekiah (Jer 28:1ff).
(2) One of those who, with Nehemiah, sealed the covenant on the return from Babylon (Ne 10:17).
(3) The father of Jaazaniah, "one of" the princes of the people who gave wicked counsel to the city of Jerusalem (Eze 11:1f). the King James Version has "Azur" for (1) and (3), but the Hebrew form of (3) is `azur.
(one who helps), one of the heads of the People who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:17) (B.C. 410.) The name is probably that of a family, and in Hebrew is the same as is elsewhere represented by AZUR.
same as Azur