Nehemiah 11:33 — Word Study
WLCחָצ֥וֹר׀ רָמָ֖ה גִּתָּֽיִם׃
BSAHazorChâtsôwr [a major Canaanite stronghold] RamahRâmâh [a city of battle] GittaimGittayim [meaning two winepresses, a place in Judah]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| חָצ֥וֹר׀ | Hazor | Noun proper |
| רָמָ֖ה | Ramah | Noun proper |
| גִּתָּֽיִם׃ | Gittaim | Noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, |
| KJV | Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, |
| ASV | Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, |
| YLT | Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, |
| WEB | Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, |
| BBE | Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, |
Where they part company is in the details of the cities listed — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence is structured as a list, emphasizing the cities of Judah.
4 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, AdamClarke, Cambridge, Whedon & 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 11:33
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 Cities of Judahgenerated
Nehemiah 11:33 lists cities in Judah where people settled after the return from exile. These cities were important for the rebuilding of the community and the restoration of Israel's identity. The mention of these locations emphasizes their historical significance in the narrative of the Israelites' return to their homeland.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua 18:25 | Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, |
| 2 | 1 Samuel 7:17 | Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD. |
| 3 | Matthew 2:18 | “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” |
| 4 | 2 Samuel 4:3 | because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have lived there as foreigners to this day. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — חָצוֹר, cha.Tzorgenerated
The word חָצוֹר (cha.Tzor) refers to a major city in ancient Canaan, often translated as 'fortress' or 'castle.' Its significance is highlighted by its role as a stronghold during the conquest of Canaan, as seen in the book of Joshua.
Hazor is noted for its strategic location and historical importance, being mentioned multiple times in the biblical narrative. The parsing as a proper noun indicates its status as a significant city in the region.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
Translations of this verse generally agree on the names of the cities.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of this verse is straightforward, consisting of a list of cities. The main clause is implicit, with the cities listed as part of the context of settlement.
The syntax tree indicates that the cities are presented in a noun phrase, emphasizing their importance as locations within the broader narrative.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint does not provide a direct translation for the cities listed in this verse, indicating that the focus remains on the Hebrew text.
This absence suggests that the Greek translators may have viewed these names as proper nouns requiring no translation.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 11:33 mentions several cities in Judah where people settled after returning from exile. These cities include Hazor, Ramah, and Gittaim, each with its own significance in the history of Israel.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Hazor was a major Canaanite stronghold and played a crucial role in the conquest of Canaan.
Ramah was a city of battle and holds historical importance in the conflicts between Israel and Syria.
Gittaim means 'two winepresses' and is a location in Judah, reflecting agricultural significance.
These cities represent the restoration of Israel's identity and community after the exile.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How do the names of these cities reflect the history of Israel's settlement?
- What significance do you think these cities held for the returning exiles?
- How can understanding the geographical context of these cities enhance our reading of Nehemiah?
- What other cities in the Bible hold similar historical significance?
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 11:33 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd at Hazar-shual, and at Beersheba, and in the villages thereof, No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Nehemiah 11 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 33. Hadid] This place is also unknown. Neballat] Also unknown.
Read AdamClarke on Nehemiah 11 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges33. Hazor] Not elsewhere mentioned, unless it be the same as Baal-hazor, which is beside Ephraim’ (2 Samuel 13:23). Ramah] See on Ezra 2:26. Gittaim] Cf. 2 Samuel 4:3.
Read Cambridge on Nehemiah 11 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible26-35. On Moladah, see Joshua 15:26. Beer-sheba — Joshua 15:28.Ziklag — 1 Samuel 27:6. Jarmuth — Joshua 15:35. Lachish — Joshua 10:3. Valley of Hinnom — Joshua 15:8. Geba — Joshua 18:24. Michmash — 1 Samuel 13:2.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Nehemiah 11 →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
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
in Hazor, Ramah, and Gittaim,
Tyndale line
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim;
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
Strictly literal
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
Chazor, Ramah, Gittayim.
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
From the Latin
Asor, Rama, Gethaim,
Simplified
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
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 חָצוֹר, רָמָה, and גִּתָּיִם as they appear in Nehemiah 11:33. The Septuagint agrees on the presence of these cities but does not provide a direct equivalent for them.
חָצ֥וֹר׀ רָמָ֖ה גִּתָּֽיִם׃
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 11:33
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.
חָצוֹר (Chatsowr) refers to a collective term for several locations, primarily a royal city in northern Canaan, known as Hazor, meaning "castle." It also denotes towns in the Negev and among the Benjamites, as well as a site in Arabia. The entries highlight its geographical significance in both Palestine and Arabia.
חָצוֹר, חָצֹר n.pr.loc.
a royal city of northern Canaan
places in the Negeb
a Benjamite town
an Arabian locality
base
H2674 חָצוֹר, חָצֹר
2674 Chatsowr khaw-tsore'
a collective form of 2691; village; Chatsor, the name (thus
simply) of two places in Palestine and of one in Arabia:--
Hazor.
see HEBREW for 02691
חָצוֹר (cha.tsor) — Hazor.
Hazor = "castle"
a royal city of northern Palestine allotted to Naphtali
Also named: chets.ron (חֶצְרוֹן "Hezron" H2696J)
חָצוֹר (cha.tsor) — Hazor.
§ Hazor = "castle"
one of the cities of Judah in the extreme south
חָצוֹר (cha.tsor) — Hazor.
§ Hazor = "castle"
one of the cities of Judah in the extreme south
חָצוֹר (cha.tsor) — Hazor.
§ Hazor = "castle"
a town north of Jerusalem in which the Benjamites resided after the return from exile
חָצוֹר (cha.tsor) — Hazor.
§ Hazor = "castle"
a site in Arabia
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
ha'-zor (chatsor; Nasor; Codex Sinaiticus, Asor, 1 Macc 11:67):
(1) The royal city of Jabin (Jos 11:1), which, before the Israelite conquest, seems to have been the seat of a wide authority (Jos 11:11). It was taken by Joshua, who exterminated the inhabitants, and it was the only city in that region which he destroyed by fire (11:11-13). At a later time the Jabin Dynasty appears to have recovered power and restored the city (Jud 4:2). The heavy defeat of their army at the hands of Deborah and Barak led to their final downfall (Jud 4:23). It was in the territory allotted to Naphtali (Jos 19:36). Hazor was one of the cities…
Hazor
Enclosed; fortified. (1.) A stronghold of the Canaanites in the mountains north of Lake Merom (Josh. 11:1-5). Jabin the king with his allied tribes here encountered Joshua in a great battle. Joshua gained a signal victory, which virtually completed his conquest of Canaan (11:10-13). This city was, however, afterwards rebuilt by the Canaanites, and was ruled by a king with the same hereditary name of Jabin. His army, under a noted leader of the name of Sisera, swept down upon the south, aiming at the complete subjugation of the country. This powerful army was met by the Israelites under Barak, who went forth by the advice of the prophetess Deborah. The result was one of the most remarkable victories for Israel recorded in the Old Testament (Josh. 19:36;
(castle). A fortified city, which on the occupation of the country was allotted to Naphtali. (Joshua 19:36) Its position was apparently between Ramah and Kedesh, ibid. (Joshua 12:19) on the high ground overlooking the Lake of Merom. There is no reason for supposing it a different place from that of which Jabin was king. (Joshua 11:1; Judges 4:2,17; 1 Samuel 12:9) It was the principal city of the whole of north Palestine. (Joshua 11:10) It was fortified by Solomon, (1 Kings 9:15) and its inhabitants were carried…
1. A chief city of northern Canaan, whose king Jabin, at the head of an allied host, was defeated by Joshua, Jos 11:1-13. Hazor revived, however, and for a time oppressed the Israelites; but was subdued by Barak, fortified by Solomon, and remained in the possession of Israel until the invasion of Tiglathpileser, Jos 19:36; Jud 4:2; 1Ki 9:15; 2Ki 15:29. It lay not far from Lake Merom.
2. A region in Arabia, laid waste by Nebuchadnezzar, Jer 49:28- 33. Its location is unknown.
רָמָה (Ramah) means 'the Height' or 'hill' and refers to several locations in ancient Palestine, including a fortified city in Naphtali and a town in Benjamin near Gibeah. It is associated with the Benjamites after their return from captivity and is mentioned in the context of battles, such as between Israel and Syria. The lexicons note various geographical references but do not present significant disagreement.
רָמָה n.pr.loc. the Height, Rama
in Benj., on border of Ephr.
in hill-country of Ephr. (= 1 ?), home of Samuel
in Asher
in Naphtali
2 K 8:29
base
H7414 רָמָה the Height, Rama
7414 Ramah raw-maw'
the same as 7413; Ramah, the name of four places in
Palestine:--Ramah.
see HEBREW for 07413
רָמָה (ra.mah) — Ramah.
Ramah = "hill"
a place rehabited by the Benjamites after the return from captivity
Also named: Rhama (Ῥαμᾶ "Ramah" G4471)
רָמָה (ra.mah) — Ramah.
§ Ramah = "hill"
landmark on the boundary of Asher, apparently between Tyre and Zidon
רָמָה (ra.mah) — Ramah.
§ Ramah = "hill"
a fortified city in Naphtali
רָמָה (ra.mah) — Ramah.
Ramah = "hill"
a town in Benjamin on the border of Ephraim about 5 miles (8 km) from Jerusalem and near to Gibeah
Another name of mits.pah (מִצְפָּה "Mizpah" H4709G)
רָמָה (ra.mah) — Ramah.
Ramah = "hill"
a place of battle between Israel and Syria
Another name of ra.mot gi.l.ad (רָמֹת "Ramoth" H7433)
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
ra'-ma (ha-ramah, without the definite article only in Ne 11:33; Jer 31:15): The name denotes height, from root rum, "to be high," and the towns to which it applied seem all to have stood on elevated sites.
(1) Codex Vaticanus Arael; Codex Alexandrinus Rhama: A fenced city in the lot assigned to Naphtali (Jos 19:36). Only in this passage is the place referred to. It is probably identical with the modern er-Rameh, a large Christian village on the highway from Cafed to the coast, about 8 miles West-Southwest of that city. To the North rises the mountain range which forms the southern boundary of Upper Galilee. In the valley to the South there is much rich land cultivated by the villagers. The olives grown here are very fine…
(a hill). This is the name of several places in the holy land. One of the cities of the allotment of Benjamin. (Joshua 18:25) Its site is at er-Ram , about five miles from Jerusalem, and near to Gibeah. (Judges 4:5; 19:13; 1 Samuel 22:6) Its people returned after the captivity. (Ezra 2:26; Nehemiah 7:30) The home of Elkanah, Samuel’s father, (1 Samuel 1:19; 2:11) the birthplace of Samuel himself, his home and official residence, the site of his altar ch. (1 Samuel 7:17; 8:4; 15:34; 16:13; 19:18) and finally his…
Plural RAMOTH, an eminence; and hence many places in Palestine are named Ramah, Ramath, Ramath, Ramathaim, etc. Sometimes the same place is called by one or other of these names indiscriminately, all signifying the same, 2Ki 8:28,29. Sometimes Rama, Or Ramoth, is joined to another name, to determine the place of such city or eminence; and it is sometimes put simply for a high place, and signifies neither city nor village.
1. The principal Ramah was a city of Benjamin, near Gibeah, towards the mountains of Ephraim, six miles from Jerusalem north, and on the road from Samaria to Jerusalem, Jos 18:25 Jud 19:13 Ne 11:33. It was near the border line between Judah and Israel…
same as Ram
גִּתַּיִם (Gittayim) refers to a location in Judah, meaning 'two wine-presses.' It is derived from the dual form of another Hebrew word for a wine-press. The entries consistently identify it as a proper noun, specifically a place in Palestine.
גִּתָּ֑יִם n.pr.loc. in Judah
base
H1664 גִּתַּיִם
1664 Gittayim ghit-tah'-yim
dual of 1660; double wine-press; Gittajim, a place in
Palestine:--Gittaim.
see HEBREW for 01660
גִּתָּ֑יִם (git.ta.yim) — Gittaim.
§ Gittaim = "two winepresses"
a place in Judah
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
git'-a-im (gittayim): The town to which the Beerothites tied, and where they lived as gerim, or protected strangers (2Sa 4:3). The place need not have been beyond the boundaries of Benjamin, so it may be identical with Gittaim of Ne 11:33, which was occupied by Benjamites after the exile. It is named with Hazor and Ramah; but so far the site has not been discovered.
Gittaim
Two wine-presses, (2 Sam. 4:3; Neh. 11:33), a town probably in Benjamin to which the Beerothites fled.
[GITTITES]
a wine-press