Nehemiah 10:27 — Word Study
WLCמַלּ֥וּךְ חָרִ֖ם בַּעֲנָֽה׃
BSAAhijahʼĂchîyâh HananChânân AnanʻÂnân△
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| מַלּ֥וּךְ | Malluch | Noun proper masculine |
| חָרִ֖ם | Harim | Noun proper masculine |
| בַּעֲנָֽה׃ | Baanah | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Malluch, Harim, and Baanah. |
| KJV | Malluch, Harim, Baanah. |
| ASV | Malluch, Harim, Baanah. |
| YLT | Malluch, Harim, Baanah. |
| WEB | Malluch, Harim, and Baanah. |
| BBE | Malluch, Harim, Baanah. |
Translations agree on the names listed in this verse.
The verse is a straightforward list of names without additional clauses.
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 — Nehemiah 10:27
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 Exilesgenerated
Nehemiah 10:27 is part of a list of names of individuals who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. This list emphasizes the restoration of the community and the commitment to follow God's Law. The context highlights the importance of these individuals in the rebuilding of the nation and the temple, as they joined together to renew their covenant with God.
Cross References
The Key Word — מַלּ֥וּךְ, ma.Lukhgenerated
The name מַלּוּךְ (mallukh) refers to a priest who returned with Zerubbabel from exile. It means 'counsellor' and is associated with several figures in the Old Testament, particularly during the Exile and Return periods.
Malluch is mentioned in both Nehemiah and Ezra, highlighting his role in the community's restoration efforts. The parsing as a masculine proper noun indicates his significance as an individual leader among the returning exiles.
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 verse consists of a simple noun phrase listing three proper names: מַלּ֥וּךְ, חָרִ֖ם, and בַּעֲנָֽה. The structure is straightforward, with no verbs or additional clauses, emphasizing the importance of these names in the context of the returning exiles.
The names are presented in a list format, which is typical in genealogical or historical accounts, allowing for a clear identification of individuals significant to the narrative of restoration.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates מַלּ֥וּךְ as καὶ, which does not convey a specific name but serves as a conjunction. This choice reflects a different approach in the Greek text, focusing on the connection between the names rather than their individual significance.
The other names are not rendered in the Septuagint, indicating a potential loss of detail in the Greek version compared to the Hebrew text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 10:27 lists three individuals: Malluch, Harim, and Baanah. These names represent key figures who returned to Jerusalem after the exile, highlighting their roles in the restoration of the community.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
They are individuals who returned to Jerusalem from exile, significant in the restoration of the community.
Malluch means 'counsellor' and refers to a priest involved in the return from exile.
Harim means 'dedicated' and refers to a family head who played a key role in the post-exile community.
Baanah means 'in affliction' and is associated with several individuals in the Old Testament, including those involved in significant events during the return from exile.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the commitment of these individuals to return and restore their community?
- How does understanding the backgrounds of Malluch, Harim, and Baanah enhance our appreciation of the post-exilic period?
- In what ways can we apply the lessons of dedication and service from these figures in our own lives?
- How does the act of returning from exile reflect a broader theme of restoration in our spiritual journeys?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 10:27 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 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges3–8, Priests: 9–13, Levites: 14–28, Chiefs of the peopleThe 21 names here given are those of the priestly houses. The list of Neh 12:1-3 agrees with it in 16 names. The number 21 is peculiar; in chap. 12 the number is larger by one. In Ezra 2, Nehemiah 7, only four priestly houses are recorded, viz. Jedaiah, Immer, Pashur and Harim, as having returned with Zerubbabel. Pashur is mentioned in Nehemiah 10:3; Harim in Nehemiah 10:5. The other priestly families had either developed themselves out of these first four, or had arrived from time to time from Babylon. That 21 and not 24 are recorded, is noteworthy. Various conjectures have been hazarded, e.g. that names have dropped out from the…
Read Cambridge 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
Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
Tyndale line
Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
Strictly literal
Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
(10:28) Malluch, Charim, Ba'anah.
Malluk, Harim, and Baanah.
From the Latin
Melluch, Haran, Baana:
Simplified
Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
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
Both the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the presence of the names מַלּ֥וּךְ, חָרִ֖ם, and בַּעֲנָֽה. The Septuagint does not provide additional context or detail, maintaining the focus on the names themselves.
מַלּ֥וּךְ חָרִ֖ם בַּעֲנָֽה׃
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 10:27
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.
מַלּוּךְ (mallukh) refers to a name associated with several individuals, particularly Levites and priests during the Exile and Return periods. The entries highlight various figures named Malluch or Melicu, often translated as 'counsellor,' who played roles in signing covenants and returning from exile, with references found in Nehemiah and Ezra.
ref
H4409a מַלּוּךְ . Levites
. various men
H4409b מלוכי Kt, מלִיכוּ Qr a priest
4409 Malluwk mal-luke'
or Malluwkiy (Neh. 12:14) {mal-loo-kee'}; from 4427; remnant;
Malluk, the name of five Israelites:--Malluch, Melichu (from
the margin).
see HEBREW for 04427
מַלּוּךְ (mal.lukh) — Malluch.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.10.27
§ Malluch or Melicu = "counsellor"
1) a Merarite Levite, son of Hashabiah
2) a descendant of Bani who had a foreign wife in the time of Ezra
3) a descendant of Harim who had a foreign wife in the time of Ezra
4) a priest who signed the covenant with Nehemiah
5) one of the leaders of the people who signed the covenant with Nehemiah
מְלִיכוּ (me.li.khu) — Mallichi.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Neh.10.4; also called Mallichi (Qere, KJV: Melicu; NIV: Malluk) at Neh.12.14;
Another spelling of mal.lukh (מַלּוּךְ "Malluch" H4409J)
§ Malluch or Melicu = "counsellor"
a priest who returned from exile with Zerubbabel
מַלּוּךְ (mal.lukh) — Malluch.
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
mal'-uk (mallukh, "counsellor"):
(1) A Levite of the sons of Merari, ancestor of Ethan the singer (1Ch 6:44; compare 6:29).
(2) Son of Bani, among those who had foreign wives (Ezr 10:29). He is a descendant of Judah (1Ch 9:4) and is the Mamuchus of 1 Esdras 9:30.
(3) A descendant of Harim, who married a foreign wife (Ezr 10:32).
Malluch
Reigned over, or reigning. (1.) A Levite of the family of Merari (1 Chr. 6:44).
(2.) A priest who returned from Babylon (Neh. 12:2).
(3.) Ezra 10:29. (4.) Ezra 10:32
(counsellor). A Levite of the family of Merari, and ancestor of Ethan the singer (1 Chronicles 6:44) One of the sons of Bani. (Ezra 10:29) and One of the descendants of Harim, (Ezra 10:32) who had married foreign wives. A priest or family of priests. (Nehemiah 10:4) and One of the heads of the people who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:27) One of the families of priests who returned with Zerubbabel, (Nehemiah 12:2) probably the same as No. 4.
reigning; counseling
חָרִם (Charim) refers to a name meaning 'dedicated' and is associated with various individuals in the Old Testament. It includes a priest during David's reign, heads of families of exiles who returned with Zerubbabel, and a ruler in Nehemiah's time. The entries indicate that Charim is linked to the concept of dedication and service in the priestly context.
חָרִם n.pr.m. (consecrated)
priest of the third course, David’s time
priest of time of Nehemiah
heads of families of returning exiles
a prince
base
H2766 חָרִם
2766 Charim khaw-reem'
from 2763; snub-nosed; Charim, an Israelite:--Harim.
see HEBREW for 02763
חָרִם (cha.rim) — Harim.
A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.8
§ Harim = "dedicated"
1) a priest in the time of David who had charge of the 3rd course
2) head of a family of exiles totalling 1017 who returned with Zerubbabel
3) another head of a family of exiles totalling 320 who returned with Zerubbabel
4) a priest in the time of Nehemiah
5) a ruler of the people under Nehemiah
חָרִם (cha.rim) — Harim.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.32
§ Harim = "dedicated"
1) a priest in the time of David who had charge of the 3rd course
2) head of a family of exiles totalling 1017 who returned with Zerubbabel
3) another head of a family of exiles totalling 320 who returned with Zerubbabel
4) a priest in the time of Nehemiah
5) a ruler of the people under Nehemiah
חָרִם (cha.rim) — Harim.
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
ha'-rim (charim): A family name.
(1) A non-priestly family that returned from captivity with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:32; Ne 7:35); mentioned among those who married foreign wives (Ezr 10:31); also mentioned among those who renewed the covenant (Ne 10:27).
(2) A priestly family returning with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:39; Ne 7:42; 12:3,15 (see REHUM)); members of this family covenanted to put away their foreign wives (Ezr 10:21; Ne 10:5). A family of this name appears as the…
Harim
Flat-nosed. (1.) The head of the second course of priests (1 Chr. 24:8). (2.) Ezra 2:32, 39; Neh. 7:35, 42. (3.) Neh. 3:11. (4.) 12:3. (5.) 10:5
(flat-nosed). A priest who had charge of the third division in the house of God. (1 Chronicles 24:8) (B.C. 1014.) Bene-Harim, probably descendants of the above, to the number of 1017, came from Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:39; Nehemiah 7:42) (B.C. 536.) It further occurs in a list of the families of priests "who went up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua," and of those who were their descendants in the next generation. (Nehemiah 12:16) Another family of Bene-Harim, 320 in number, came from the captivity in the same caravan. (Ezra 2:82; Nehemiah 7:35) (B.C. 536.) They also…
destroyed; dedicated to God
בַּעֲנָה (Ba`anah) refers to a name associated with several individuals in the Old Testament, primarily a Benjamite involved in the murder of Ish-bosheth, as well as a Netophathite and a leader among returning exiles. The name is derived from a root meaning 'in affliction.' The entries consistently highlight his connections to significant events during the United Monarchy and the return from exile.
בַּעֲנָה n.pr.m. (?id. [b.ci.az])
a Benjamite, one of the murderers of Ishbosheth
father of one of David’s heroes
head of family of returning exiles
a chief of the people
base
H1196 בַּעֲנָה
1196 Ba`anah bah-an-aw'
from a derivative of 6031 with prepositional prefix; in
affliction:--Baanah, the name of four Israelites:--Baanah.
see HEBREW for 06031
בַּעֲנָה (ba.a.nah) — Baanah.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.4.2;
son of: Rimmon (H7417B);
brother of: Rechab (H7394)
§ Baana or Baanah = "in affliction"
1) a Benjamite, son Rimmon, who with his brother Rechab murdered Ish-bosheth. For this, killed by David, mutilated bodies hung up over the pool at Hebron
2) a Netophathite, father of Heleb or Heled, one of David's mighty warriors
3) the head of a family of exiles returning with Zerubbabel
4) a chief of the people
בַּעֲנָה (ba.a.nah) — Baanah.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.23.29;
father of: Heleb (H2460)
§ Baana or Baanah = "in affliction"
1) a Benjamite, son Rimmon, who with his brother Rechab murdered Ish-bosheth. For this, killed by David, mutilated bodies hung up over the pool at Hebron
HNpm — Noun proper masculineHNpm
Baanah
Son of affliction. (1.) One of the two sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, a captain in Saul’s army. He and his brother Rechab assassinated Ishbosheth (2 Sam. 4:2), and were on this account slain by David, and their mutilated bodies suspended over the pool at Hebron (5, 6, 12).
(2.) The father of Heled, who was one of David’s thirty heroes (2 Sam. 23:29; 1 Chr. 11:30).
Son of Rimmon, a Benjamite, who with his brother Rechab murdered Ishbosheth For this they were killed by David; and their mutilated bodies hung up over the pool at Hebron. (2 Samuel 4:2,5,6,9) (B.C. 1046.) A Netophathite, father of Heleb or Heled, one of David’s mighty men. (2 Samuel 23:29; 1 Chronicles 11:30) (B.C. before 1066.) Accurately Baana, son of Hushai, Solomon’s commissariat officer in Asher. (1 Kings 4:16) (B.C. 1012.) Aman who accompanied Zerubbabel on his return from the captivity. (Ezra 2:2; Nehemiah 7:7) Possibly the same person is intended in (
in the answer; in affliction