Nehemiah 12:3 — Word Study
WLCשְׁכַנְיָ֥ה רְחֻ֖ם מְרֵמֹֽת׃
BSAShecaniahShᵉkanyâh [dweller with God, Sebenias] RehumRᵉchûwm [compassion, Rheum] MeremothMᵉrêmôwth [faithful]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| שְׁכַנְיָ֥ה | Shecaniah | Noun proper masculine |
| רְחֻ֖ם | Rehum | Noun proper masculine |
| מְרֵמֹֽת׃ | Meremoth | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, |
| KJV | Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, |
| ASV | Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, |
| YLT | Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, |
| WEB | Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, |
| BBE | Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, |
Where they part company is in the treatment of the names listed — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence is a straightforward list of names, reflecting the genealogical style typical of this section.
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 12:3
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 Leaders of the Returned Exilesgenerated
Nehemiah 12:3 identifies key figures among the leaders who returned from Babylonian exile to help rebuild Jerusalem. This list highlights their roles in restoring the city and re-establishing the community after a significant period of displacement. The context emphasizes the importance of leadership in the restoration process, as seen throughout the book of Nehemiah.
Cross References
The Key Word — שְׁכַנְיָה, she.khan.Yahgenerated
The name שְׁכַנְיָה (Shecaniah) means 'dweller with God'. It is derived from the root meaning 'to dwell' combined with 'Yah', a shortened form of Jehovah. This name appears multiple times in the Old Testament, often associated with individuals who played significant roles in the restoration of Jerusalem.
Shecaniah's presence in this list indicates his importance in the community's leadership and spiritual life, suggesting a connection to God's dwelling among His people.
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 this verse is straightforward, consisting of a single clause that lists three names: שְׁכַנְיָ֥ה, רְחֻ֖ם, and מְרֵמֹֽת. Each name serves as a noun phrase within the predicate, indicating their roles in the return from exile.
The simplicity of the structure reflects the nature of genealogical lists, emphasizing clarity and order in presenting the names of significant leaders.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates שְׁכַנְיָ֥ה as σεξενια, maintaining the connection to the meaning of dwelling with God. This choice indicates a consistent understanding of the name's significance.
However, there is no corresponding Greek for the names רְחֻ֖ם and מְרֵמֹֽת, which may suggest a focus on the Hebrew text's original context and its importance in the Jewish tradition.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 12:3 lists three leaders who returned from exile: Shecaniah, whose name means 'dweller with God'; Rehum, meaning 'compassion'; and Meremoth, meaning 'faithful'. These individuals played important roles in rebuilding Jerusalem.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Shecaniah means 'dweller with God', indicating a close relationship with the divine.
Rehum was a commander who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem and is mentioned in Nehemiah 10:25.
Meremoth was a priest involved in the rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall and served in the temple during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.
These names reflect the leadership and commitment of individuals who helped restore Jerusalem after the exile.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the leadership qualities of Shecaniah, Rehum, and Meremoth?
- How does the meaning of these names reflect the spiritual values of the community?
- In what ways can we embody the qualities represented by these leaders in our own lives?
- Why is it important to remember the names and contributions of those who helped rebuild Jerusalem?
Commentators on this verse — 1 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 12:3 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAmariah, Malluch, Hattush, No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Nehemiah 12 →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
Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Tyndale line
Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth;
Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Shecaniah, Rehum, Merimoth,
Strictly literal
Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Shechanyah, Rechum, Meremoth,
Shecaniah, Rehum, and Meremoth.
From the Latin
Sebenias, Rheum, Merimuth,
Simplified
Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
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 שְׁכַנְיָ֥ה רְחֻ֖ם מְרֵמֹֽת as in the verse, and the Septuagint matches all three names, indicating agreement on these significant figures in the community's restoration efforts.
שְׁכַנְיָ֥ה רְחֻ֖ם מְרֵמֹֽת׃
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 12:3
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.
שְׁכַנְיָהוּ (Shkanyah) means 'dweller with Jehovah' and is a name associated with several individuals in the Old Testament. It is derived from the roots meaning 'to dwell' and 'Yah' (short for Jehovah). The entries mention various figures named Shecaniah, including descendants of Zerubbabel and priests during the time of the Exile and Return, highlighting their roles in rebuilding Jerusalem.
father of a wall-builder
father-in-law of Tobiah
priestly name
base
H7935 שְׁכַנְיָה(וּ), שְׁכַנְיָה, שְׁכַנְיָהוּ
7935 Shkanyah shek-an-yaw'
or (prol.) Shkanyahuw {shek-an-yaw'-hoo}; from 7931 and 3050;
Jah has dwelt; Shekanjah, the name of nine
Israelites:--Shecaniah, Shechaniah.
see HEBREW for 07931
see HEBREW for 03050
שְׁכַנְיָהוּ (she.khan.yah) — Shecaniah.
A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.3.21;
son of: Hananiah (H2608L);
brother of: Pelatiah (H6410), Jeshaiah (H3470B), Rephaiah (H7509), Arnan (H0770) and Obadiah (H5662H);
father of: Shemaiah (H8098B)
§ Shecaniah or Shechaniah = "dweller with Jehovah"
1) a descendant of Zerubbabel whose descendants returned from exile with Ezra
2) son of Jehiel of the sons of Elam and one who had a foreign wife in the time of Ezra
3) father of Shemaiah who repaired part of the wall of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah
4) son of Arah, father-in-law of Tobiah who opposed Nehemiah
5) a priest who returned from exile with Zerubbabel
6) a priest in the time of king Hezekiah of Judah
שְׁכַנְיָהוּ (she.khan.yah) — Shecaniah.
A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.24.11
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
Shecaniah
One intimate with Jehovah. (1.) A priest to whom the tenth lot came forth when David divided the priests (1 Chr. 24:11).
(2.) One of the priests who were set “to give to their brethren by courses” of the daily portion (2 Chr. 31:15).
Shechani’ah, id. (1.) A priest whose sons are mentioned in 1 Chr. 3:21, 22.
(2.) Ezra 8:5.
(3.) Ezra 10:2-4.
(4.) The father of Shemaiah, who repaired the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. 3:29).
(5.) The father-in-law of Tobiah (Neh. 6:18).
habitation of the Lord
רְחוּם (Rechum) primarily refers to a post-exilic name meaning 'compassion.' It denotes a Persian official mentioned in Ezra 4:8 and several individuals who returned from exile, including a Levite and a chief who sealed a covenant with Nehemiah. The entries suggest a connection to gentleness, but the exact nuance is unclear.
רְחוּם, רְחֻם n.pr.m. (compassion, or softness, gentleness?);—post-exilic name
with Zerub.
with Neh.
H7348a רְחוּם, רְחֻם (compassion, or softness, gentleness?);—post-exilic name H7348b רְחוּם Persian official
7348 Rchuwm rekh-oom'
a form of 7349; Rechum, the name of a Persian and of three
Israelites:--Rehum.
see HEBREW for 07349
רְחוּם (re.chum) — Rehum.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.2; also called Harim at Neh.10.5; 12.15; Nehum at Neh.7.7;
§ Rehum = "compassion"
1) an man who returned from exile with Zerubbabel
1a) also 'Nehum'
2) a Levite of the family of Bani who assisted in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem
3) one of the chiefs of the people who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah
4) a priest who returned from exile with Zerubbabel
רְחוּם (re.chum) — Rehum.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.4.8
§ Rehum = "compassion"
a commander who wrote a letter to the king Artaxerxes in which he opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem
רְחוּם (re.chum) — Rehum.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.3.17;
son of: Bani (H1137L)
§ Rehum = "compassion"
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
re'-hum (rechum, or rechum):
(1) One of the twelve heads of the Jewish community returning from captivity with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:2; Ne 7:7 (by a copyist's error "Nehum"); Ne 12:3; /RAPC 1Es 5:8, "Roimus").
(2) A Persian officer of high rank (literally, "master of judgment, taste, reason") who with others wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes (Ezr 4:8,9,17,23).
Rehum
Merciful. (1.) One of “the children of the province” who returned from the Captivity (Ezra 2:2); the same as “Nehum” (Neh. 7:7).
(2.) The “chancellor” of Artaxerxes, who sought to stir him up against the Jews (Ezra 4:8-24) and prevent the rebuilding of the walls and the temple of Jerusalem.
(merciful). One who went up from Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:2) (B.C. 536.) "Rehum the chancellor." (Ezra 4:8,9,17,23) He was perhaps a kind of lieutenant-governor of the province under the king of Persia. (B.C. 535.) A Levite of the family of Bani, who assisted in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 3:17) (B.C. 445.) One of the chief of the people, who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:25) (B.C. 410.) A priestly family, or the head of a priestly house, who went up with Zerubbabel. (Nehemiah 12:3) (B.C. 536.)
An officer of the king of Persia, in Samaria, during the rebuilding of the temple; by an insidious letter to the king he procured an edict for the discontinuance of this work for a time, probably two years or more preceding 520 B.C., when it was resumed.
מְרֵמוֹת (Meremoth) refers to a name meaning "elevations" and is associated with two priests during the time of the Exile and Return, as well as a returning exile. The entries note that Meremoth was involved in rebuilding Jerusalem's wall and served in the temple, with references found in Ezra and Nehemiah.
מְרֵמוֹת n.pr.m.
priest, time of Zerub.
priest, time of Ezra and Neh.
one of those who had taken strange wives
base
H4822 מְרֵמוֹת
4822 Mremowth mer-ay-mohth'
plural from 7311; heights; Meremoth, the name of two
Israelites:--Meremoth.
see HEBREW for 07311
מְרֵמוֹת (me.re.mot) — Meremoth.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.8.33;
son of: Uriah (H0223H); also called Meraioth at Neh.12.15;
Also named: me.ra.vot (מְרָיוֹת "Meraioth" H4812H)
§ Meremoth = "elevations"
1) a priest, son of Uriah of the family of Koz active in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and in the 7th course of temple service in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah
2) a priest in the time of Zerubbabel
3) a returning exile of the family of Bani who had a foreign wife in the time of Ezra
מְרֵמוֹת (me.re.mot) — Meremoth.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.36
§ Meremoth = "elevations"
1) a priest, son of Uriah of the family of Koz active in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and in the 7th course of temple service in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah
2) a priest in the time of Zerubbabel
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
mer'-e-moth, me-re'-moth (meremoth, "heights"; Mereimoth):
(1) Son of Uriah (Ezr 8:33), who was head of the 7th course of priests appointed by David (1Ch 24:10, Hakkoz = Koz; compare Ne 3:4,21). The family of Koz were among those unable to prove their pedigree on the return from Babylon, and were therefore deposed as polluted (Ezr 2:61,62). Meremoth's division of the family must, however, have been scatheless, for he is employed in the temple after the return as weigher of the gold and the vessels (Ezr 8:33), a function reserved for priests alone (Ezr 8:24-28). He takes…
(elevations), Son of Uriah or Urijah the priest, of the family of Koz or Hakkoz, the head of the seventh course of priests as established by David. In (Ezra 8:33) Meremoth is appointed to weigh and register the gold and silver vessels belonging to the temple. In the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem under Nehemiah we find Meremoth taking an active part. (Nehemiah 3:4) A layman of the sons of Bani, who had married a foreign wife. (Ezra 10:36) A priest, or more probably a family of priests, who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:5)
bitterness; myrrh of death