Nehemiah 11:8 — Word Study
WLCוְאַחֲרָ֖יו גַּבַּ֣י סַלָּ֑י תְּשַׁ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת עֶשְׂרִ֥ים וּשְׁמֹנָֽה׃
BSAand his followersʼachar [after him, succeeding him] GabbaiGabbay△ [my father, a leader] and SallaiÇallûw [valor, strength, nine hundred twenty and eight, a large number] 928 mentêshaʻ [people, individuals]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְאַחֲרָ֖יו | and after him | Conjunction, suffix |
| גַּבַּ֣י | Gabbai | Noun proper masculine |
| סַלָּ֑י | Sallai | Noun proper masculine |
| תְּשַׁ֥ע | nine | Adj |
| מֵא֖וֹת | hundred | |
| עֶשְׂרִ֥ים | twenty | |
| וּשְׁמֹנָֽה׃ | and eight | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | and his followers Gabbai and Sallai—928 men. |
| KJV | And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty and eight. |
| ASV | And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty and eight. |
| YLT | and after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty and eight. |
| WEB | After him Gabbai and Sallai, nine hundred twenty-eight. |
| BBE | And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight. |
Where they part company is in the rendering of the names and numbers — see How Translations Differ.
The structure presents a clear main clause followed by details about the leaders and their followers.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 7 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 — Nehemiah 11:8
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 Census of Returned Exilesgenerated
Nehemiah 11:8 lists the leaders who returned from exile, focusing on Gabbai and Sallai as notable figures among the people. This census highlights the organization and structure of the community in Jerusalem after their return, emphasizing the importance of leadership during this period of restoration.
Cross References
The Key Word — גַּבַּי, ga.Baigenerated
The name גַּבַּי (*Gabbai*) identifies a leader among the returning exiles. The name may mean 'my back,' suggesting a role of support or protection within his community.
Gabbai is mentioned only here in the context of Nehemiah, indicating his significance as a leader during the return from exile. His role reflects the importance of leadership in re-establishing the community.
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 main clause is centered around the subject of the leaders, with a prepositional phrase indicating their followers. The structure highlights the leaders first, showing their importance in the context of the returning exiles.
The numeral phrase תְּשַׁ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת עֶשְׂרִ֥ים וּשְׁמֹנָֽה (928) emphasizes the total number of men, indicating a significant community presence.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates גַּבַּי as γηβι, which does not carry the same meaning as in Hebrew but serves to identify the individual in the Greek text. This choice shows a narrowing of the original meaning.
The Greek translation does not match the Hebrew structure, indicating a different interpretative approach by the translators.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 11:8 lists Gabbai and Sallai as leaders among the returned exiles, specifying that there were 928 men in total. This indicates a large community of people who returned to Jerusalem after the exile.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Gabbai and Sallai were leaders among the people who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile, as mentioned in Nehemiah 11:8.
The number 928 represents the total count of men who followed Gabbai and Sallai, indicating a substantial community presence in Jerusalem.
The census in Nehemiah serves to document the people who returned from exile and to establish the leadership structure necessary for rebuilding Jerusalem.
The name Gabbai may mean 'my back,' suggesting a supportive role within the community.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn about the importance of leadership from Gabbai and Sallai's roles?
- How does the number of men returning reflect the community's strength and commitment?
- In what ways can we support our communities today, similar to the leaders in Nehemiah's time?
- What significance does the act of counting and organizing people have in our own lives?
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 11:8 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd after him,.... That is, Sallu: were Gabbai and Sallai; in all nine hundred and twenty eight; there were more of the tribe of Benjamin than of the tribe of Judah, they having perhaps a greater
Read John Gill on Nehemiah 11 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Colhozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni. No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Nehemiah 11 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleSo here were more of Benjamin than of Judah, because the city did chiefly and most properly belong to that tribe, as hath been noted before.
Read Matthew Poole on Nehemiah 11 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsNehemiah 11:7 And these [are] the sons of Benjamin; Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jesaiah. Nehemiah 11:8 And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty and eight. Ver. 7,8. Little Benjamin, the smallest of the tribes of Israel, 1 Samuel 9:21, yields more by half than Judah. Jerusalem stood in both these tribes.
Read John Trapp on Nehemiah 11 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(4-19) The heads in Jerusalem: as compared with 1 Chronicles 9, by no means complete. Judah and Benjamin are represented, with priests and Levites and porters.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Nehemiah 11 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and CollegesNehemiah 11:1 to Nehemiah 12:26. Extracts from Registers and Public Lists1, 2. Measures taken to increase the number of dwellers in Jerusalem. This passage seems to take up the thread which had been dropped at Nehemiah 7:4. Nehemiah had been rendered anxious by the fewness of the inhabitants in proportion to the size of the area of the city. The census which he undertook reminded him of the old register which had come to his notice (Nehemiah 7:6-73); the memoirs of Nehemiah were then interrupted by a description of the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Solemn Covenant (8–10). The Compiler returning to the subject of the paucity of dwellers in Jerusalem, briefly describes the…
Read Cambridge on Nehemiah 11 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleLIST OF THE CHIEFS OF THE , Nehemiah 11:3-16.A comparison of this list with that of 1 Chronicles 9, (where see notes,) shows that they both agree in their plan, and in a considerable number of their names.
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
and his followers Gabbai and Sallai—928 men.
After him Gabbai and Sallai, nine hundred twenty-eight.
and his followers Gabbai and Sallai—928 men.
and his followers, Gabbai and Sallai – 928 in all.
Tyndale line
And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty and eight.
And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty and eight.
And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty and eight.
And after him, Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty and eight.
And after him Gabai, Sallai, nine hundreth and twentie and eight.
Strictly literal
and after him, Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight:
and after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty and eight.
and after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty-eight.
And next to him Gabbai, Sallai; nine hundred twenty and eight.
and those following him, Gabbai and Sallai, 928 men.
From the Latin
And after him Gebbai, Sellai, nine hundred twenty-eight.
Simplified
and after him Gabbai and Sallai, a total of 928.
And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight.
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 show some agreement, with four out of seven words matching. However, the word order and specific articles differ, reflecting the translators' choices.
וְאַחֲרָ֖יו גַּבַּ֣י סַלָּ֑י תְּשַׁ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת עֶשְׂרִ֥ים וּשְׁמֹנָֽה׃
4 of the 7 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 11:8
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 אַחַר (*achar*) primarily denotes the concept of 'after' or 'behind' in both spatial and temporal contexts. It functions as a substantive, adverb, preposition, and conjunction, indicating a following part or time. The related form אַחֲרַי (*acharai*) refers to a person who turns backwards. There is a reference to Proverbs 28:23 in relation to the latter.
אַחַר prop. subst. the hinder or following part
adv.
of place, behind
of time, afterwards
prep.
of place, behind, after
of time, after
conj. after that.
H310a אַחַר prop. subst. the hinder or following part . adv. . of place, behind
. of time, afterwards
. prep. . of place, behind, after
. of time, after
. conj. after that.
H310b אַחֲרַי a man that turneth backwards.
310 'achar akh-ar'
from 309; properly, the hind part; generally used as an
adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses):--after
(that, -ward), again, at, away from, back (from, -side),
behind, beside, by, follow (after, -ing), forasmuch, from,
hereafter, hinder end, + out (over) live, + persecute,
posterity, pursuing, remnant, seeing, since, thence(-forth),
when, with.
see HEBREW for 0309
אַחַר (a.char) — after.
1) after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time)
1a) as an adverb
1a1) behind (of place)
1a2) afterwards (of time)
1b) as a preposition
1b1) behind, after (of place)
1b2) after (of time)
1b3) besides
1c) as a conjunction
1c) after that
1d) as a substantive
1d1) hinder part
1e) with other prepositions
1e1) from behind
1e2) from following after
אַחֲרַי (a.cha.ray) — backwards.
backwards (of a man that turns backwards)
Conj | Prep | Suff — Conjunction · suffixHC/Acmpc/Sp3ms
גַּבַּי (Gabbay) refers to a Benjamite mentioned in Nehemiah 11:8, where he is described as a man living during the Exile and Return. The name may also mean 'my back' and is associated with a collective term for 'men.' There is some doubt about the text's reliability regarding this reference.
גַּבַּי סַלָּ֑י appar. n.pr.m. a Benjamite Ne 11:8; but text dub.
ref
H1373 גַּבַּי סַלָּ֑י, גַּבַּי, סַלַּי
1373 Gabbay gab-bah'ee
from the same as 1354; collective:--Gabbai, an
Israelite:--Gabbai.
see HEBREW for 01354
גַּבַּי (gab.bay) — `men`.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.11.8; also translated "men";
§ Gabbai = "my back"
the head of an important Benjamite family living in Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
gab'-a-i (gabbay, "collector"): One of the chiefs of the Benjamites in Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian captivity (Ne 11:8).
(tax gatherer), apparently the head of an important family of Benjamin resident at Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 11:8) (B.C. before 536.)
the back
→ A Benjamite chief Ne 11:8
The Hebrew word סַלּוּ (*sallu*) refers to a name meaning 'weighed' and is associated with several individuals from the Old Testament, including Benjamites and a Simeonite. It appears in contexts related to the Exile and Return, with notable mentions in Nehemiah and Chronicles. The entries indicate variations of the name, such as סַלַּי (*sallai*) and סַלוּא (*salu*), all linked to different figures.
H5543a גַּבַּי סַלָּ֑י a Benjamite H5543b סַלּוּ a priest, Zerub.'s time H5543c סַלוּא a Simeonite H5543d סַלּוּא a post-exil. Benjamite H5543e סַלַּי . = סַלּוּ q.v.
. a Benjamite
5543 Calluw sal-loo'
or Calluw; {sal-loo'}; or Caluw {sal-loo'}; or Callay
{sal-lah'-ee}; from 5541; weighed; Sallu or Sallai, the name
of two Israelites:--Sallai, Sallu, Salu.
see HEBREW for 05541
סַלָּ֑י (sal.lay) — `valor`.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.11.8; also translated "valor";
§ Sallu or Salu or Sallai = "weighed"
a Benjamite
סַלּוּ (sal.lu) — Sallu.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Neh.12.7; also called Sallai at Neh.12.20;
Also named: sal.lay (סַלַּי "Sallai" H5543E)
§ Sallu or Salu or Sallai = "weighed"
a priest in the time of Zerubbabel
סַלוּא (sa.lu) — Salu.
A man living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, only mentioned at Num.25.14;
father of: Zimri (H2174)
§ Sallu or Salu or Sallai = "weighed"
father of Zimri, the prince of the Simeonites, who was slain by Phinehas
סַלּוּא (sal.lu) — Sallu.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at 1Ch.9.7;
son of: Meshullam (H4918K)
§ Sallu or Salu or Sallai = "weighed"
a post exilic Benjamite
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
sal'-a-i, sal'-i (callay; Salom; Codex Alexandrinus Salo, with variants):
(1) Eponym of a Benjamite family which settled at Jerusalem after the return, descendants of "Sallu" (1Ch 9:7; Ne 11:7,8); the pedigrees of Sallu differ decidedly in the two passages. Curtis (ICC) suggests that "son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah" (Chronicles) is a corruption or derivation of "Judah the son of Hassenuah" (Nehemiah).
(2) Name of a priestly family (Ne 12:20), called "Sallu" in Ne 12:7.
Sallai
Basket-maker. (1.) A Benjamite (Neh. 11:8).
(2.) A priest in the days of Joshua and Zerubbabel (Neh. 12:20).
Sallu, an exaltation; a basket
תֵּ֫שַׁע (tesha`) means 'nine' and can refer to both the cardinal and ordinal forms of the number. It may also appear in combination with other numbers. The word is possibly derived from the idea of turning towards the next full number, ten.
תֵּ֫שַׁע, תִּשְׁעָה 58 n.m. et f. a nine, nonad
base
H8672 תֵּ֫שַׁע, תִּשְׁעָה nine, nonad
8672 tesha` tay'-shah
or (masculine) tishtah {tish-aw'}; perhaps from 8159 through
the idea of a turn to the next or full number ten; nine or
(ord.) ninth:--nine (+ -teen, + -teenth, -th).
see HEBREW for 08159
תֵּ֫שַׁע (te.sah) — nine.
1) nine, nonad
1a) nine (as cardinal number)
1b) ninth (as ordinal number)
1c) in combination with other numbers
Adj — AdjHAcbsc
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)
HAcfpa — HAcfpa
hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).
See NUMBER.
עֶשְׂרִים (esriym) means 'twenty' and can also refer to the ordinal 'twentieth.' It is derived from the root word for 'ten' and has an Aramaic equivalent, עֶשְׂרִין (es.rin). The entries consistently define the term without significant disagreement.
עֶשְׂרִים (a) twenty
base
H6242 עֶשְׂרִים (a) twenty
6242 `esriym es-reem'
from 6235; twenty; also (ordinal) twentieth:--(six-)score,
twenty(-ieth).
see HEBREW for 06235
עֶשְׂרִים (es.rim) — twenty.
twenty, twentieth
Aramaic equivalent: es.rin (עֶשְׂרִין "twenty" H6243)
HAcmpa — HAcmpa
twen'-ti.
See NUMBER.
שְׁמֹנֶה (shmoneh) means 'eight' and can also denote 'eighth' as an ordinal number. It is derived from the idea of plumpness, suggesting a surplus beyond seven, which is considered a perfect number. The term appears in various contexts, including combinations with other numbers.
שְׁמֹנֶה, (less oft. שְׁמוֹנֶה), שְׁמֹנָה 109 n.m. et f. eight
base
H8083 שְׁמֹנֶה, (less oft. שְׁמוֹנֶה), שְׁמֹנָה eight
8083 shmoneh shem-o-neh'
or shmowneh {shem-o-neh'}; feminine shmonah {shem-o-naw'}; or
shmownah {shem-o-naw'}; apparently from 8082 through the idea
of plumpness; a cardinal number, eight (as if a surplus above
the "perfect" seven); also (as ordinal)
eighth:--eight((-een, -eenth)), eighth.
see HEBREW for 08082
שְׁמֹנֶה (she.mo.neh) — eight.
1) eight, eighth
1a) eight (as cardinal number)
1b) eighth (as ordinal number)
1c) in combination with other numbers
HC/Acbsa — ConjunctionHC/Acbsa