Nehemiah 12:4 — Word Study
WLCעִדּ֥וֹא גִנְּת֖וֹי אֲבִיָּֽה׃
BSAIddoʻIddôw [a common Israelite name] GinnethonGinnᵉthôwn [a priest] AbijahʼĂbîyâh [a name meaning my father is the Lord]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| עִדּ֥וֹא | Iddo | Noun proper masculine |
| גִנְּת֖וֹי | Ginnethoi | Noun proper masculine |
| אֲבִיָּֽה׃ | Abijah | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah, |
| KJV | Iddo, Ginnetho, Abijah, |
| ASV | Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, |
| YLT | Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, |
| WEB | Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, |
| BBE | Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, |
All translations agree on the names listed in this verse.
The verse is a simple list of names, highlighting their importance without additional clauses.
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 12:4
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 List of Returned Exilesgenerated
Nehemiah 12:4 is part of a list of names of priests and leaders who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. This list serves to establish the continuity of the Israelite community and its leadership, showing that God’s people were restored to their land and their worship practices. The names mentioned here highlight the importance of lineage and the roles these individuals played in the rebuilding of the community and the temple.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke 1:5 | In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — אֲבִיָּֽה, 'a.vi.Yahgenerated
The name אֲבִיָּֽה (Abijah) means 'my father is the Lord.' It is a proper noun referring to several figures in the Old Testament, including a king of Judah and a son of Samuel. This name reflects a deep devotion to God and is significant in the context of Israel's history.
Abijah's inclusion in this list emphasizes the importance of priestly lineage and the continuity of worship in Israel. The name signifies a connection to God as a father figure, reinforcing the community's identity as God's chosen people.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
All translations agree on the names listed in this verse, presenting them consistently across versions.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of the verse is straightforward, presenting a noun phrase followed by a predicate. The finite verb is implied in the context of the list, focusing on the identification of the persons mentioned.
The order of the names emphasizes their collective importance, with each name standing as a testament to the community's heritage and leadership.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint does not provide a direct translation for the names in this verse, indicating a focus on proper nouns that retain their original form. This suggests that the translators recognized the significance of these names within the Hebrew context.
The lack of translation also reflects the understanding that names carry inherent meaning and identity, which is preserved in their original Hebrew form.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 12:4 lists three names: Iddo, Ginnethon, and Abijah. Each name represents important figures in the history of Israel, highlighting the community's leadership and their return from exile.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Iddo was a common name in Israel, Ginnethon was a priest who returned with Zerubbabel, and Abijah means 'my father is the Lord' and refers to several significant figures in the Bible.
These names reflect the heritage and leadership of the Israelite community, showing the restoration of worship and identity after the exile.
The name Abijah means 'Jehovah is my father', indicating a relationship with God and devotion to Him.
This verse contributes to the narrative of the return from exile and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, emphasizing the roles of key leaders in the community.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What significance do the names in this verse hold for understanding the history of Israel?
- How can I relate the concept of lineage and heritage to my own faith journey?
- In what ways do names and their meanings impact our understanding of identity in a community?
- How does the restoration of worship in this context reflect God's faithfulness to His people?
Commentators on this verse — 1 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 12:4 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryIddo, Ginnetho, Abijah, Abijah - one of the ancestors of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5).
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
Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
Tyndale line
Iddo, Ginnetho, Abijah,
Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah;
Iddo, Ginnetho, Abijah,
Iddo, Ginnetho, Abiiah,
Strictly literal
Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
'Iddo, Ginnethoy, Abiyah,
There were Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
From the Latin
Addo, Genthon, Abia,
Simplified
Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
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 Nehemiah 12:4. Both witnesses present the same three names: Iddo, Ginnethon, and Abijah, without variation, confirming the consistency of the text across these ancient sources.
עִדּ֥וֹא גִנְּת֖וֹי אֲבִיָּֽה׃
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 12:4
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.
עִדּוֹ (Iddo) is a Hebrew name meaning 'His witness.' It refers to several individuals in the Old Testament, including a Levite, a priest, and a seer. Notably, Iddo is the father of Abinadab, an officer under Solomon, and the grandfather of the prophet Zechariah. The entries highlight his various roles throughout different periods, including the time of the United Monarchy and the Exile.
עִדּוֹ, עִדֹּא, עִדּוֹא n.pr.m. Iddo
father of an officer of Sol.
grandfather of prophet Zechariah
a Levite
a priestly name
a seer
base
H5714 עִדּוֹ, עִדֹּא, עִדּוֹא, עִדִּיא
5714 `Iddow id-do'
or iIddowo {id-do'}; or tIddiy {id-dee'}; from 5710; timely;
Iddo (or Iddi), the name of five Israelites:--Iddo. Compare
3035, 3260.
see HEBREW for 05710
see HEBREW for 03035
see HEBREW for 03260
עִדּוֹ (id.do) — Iddo.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ki.4.14;
father of: Ahinadab (H0292)
§ Iddo = "His witness"
1) father of Abinadab, an officer of Solomon
2) grandfather of the prophet Zechariah
3) a Gershonite Levite, son of Joah
4) a priest in the time of Nehemiah
5) a seer in the time of king Jeroboam of the northern kingdom of Israel
6) son of Zechariah, ruler of the tribe of Manasseh in the time of David
7) a chief of the temple slaves who assembled at Casiphia at the time of the 2nd caravan from Babylon
עִדּוֹ (id.do) — Iddo.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.6.21;
son of: Joah (H3098H);
father of: Zerah (H2226J); also called Adaiah at 1Ch.6.41;
Also named: a.da.yah (עֲדָיָ֫הוּ "Adaiah" H5718N)
§ Iddo = "His witness"
1) father of Abinadab, an officer of Solomon
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
id'-o:
(1) ('iddo (?[~'adhadh, "to be strong"), "hap," "happy" (?), Ezr 8:17): The "chief at the place Casiphia," who provided Ezra with Levites and Nethinim, the head of the Levitical body or school, said to be one of the Nethinim or temple slaves, but perhaps an "and" has slipped out, and it should read: "his brethren and the Nethinim." 1 Esdras 8:45,46 has "Loddeus (the King James Version "Saddeus"), the captain who was in the place of the treasury," keceph meaning silver. Septuagint has "in the place of the silver (en argurio tou topou) .... to his brethren and to the treasurers."
(2) (yiddo, "beloved," or "loving," 1Ch 27:21): Son of Zechariah, and captain of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, under David.
Iddo
(1.) Timely (1 Chr. 6:21). A Gershonite Levite.
(2.) Lovely. The son of Zechariah (1 Chr. 27:21), the ruler of Manasseh in David’s time.
(3.) Timely. The father of Ahinadab, who was one of Solomon’s purveyors (1 Kings 4:14).
(4.) Lovely. A prophet of Judah who wrote the history of Rehoboam and Abijah (2 Chr. 12:15). He has been identified with Oded (2 Chr. 15:1).
(timely or lovely). The father of Abinadab. (1 Kings 4:14) A descendant of Gershom, son of Levi. (1 Chronicles 6:21) Son of Zechariah, ruler of the tribe of Manasseh east of Jordan in the time of David. (1 Chronicles 27:21) (B.C. 1014.) A seer whose "visions" against Jeroboam incidentally contained some of the acts of Solomon. (2 Chronicles 9:29) He appears to have written a chronicle or story relating to the life and reign of Abijah. (2 Chronicles 13:22) (B.C. 961.) The grandfather of the prophet Zechariah. (Zechariah 1:1,7) The chief of those who assembled at…
A prophet of Judah, who prophesied against Jeroboam, and wrote the history of Rehoboam and Abijah, 2Ch 9:29 12:15 13:22. Josephus and others are of opinion that he was sent to he, who was killed by a lion, 1Ki 13:1-25. Several other persons of this name are mentioned in Scripture, 1Ch 27:21 Ezr 10:44 Zec 1:1.
גִּנְּתוֹן (Ginnethon) refers to a priest who returned from exile, noted for his covenant with Nehemiah. The name is derived from a root meaning 'gardener.' He is mentioned in Nehemiah 10:6 and also referred to as Ginnetho in Nehemiah 12:4. The lexicons consistently identify him as a significant figure among the exiles.
גִּנְּתוֹן n.pr.m. a priest among the returned exiles
base
H1599 גִּנְּתוֹן
1599 Ginnthown ghin-neth-one
or Ginnthow {ghin-neth-o'}; from 1598; gardener; Ginnethon or
Ginnetho, an Israelite:--Ginnetho, Ginnethon.
see HEBREW for 01598
גִּנְּתוֹן (gin.n.ton) — Ginnethon.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Neh.10.6; also called Ginnethoi (KJV: Ginnetho) at Neh.12.4;
§ Ginnetho or Ginnethon = "gardener"
a priest among the exiles who returned with Zerubbabel and who covenanted with Nehemiah
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
The Hebrew word אֲבִיָּ֫הוּ (*Abiyah*) means 'father of Jah' and is associated with several figures in the Old Testament. It refers to a king of Judah, the second son of Samuel, and others, including a woman and a man from the tribe of Benjamin. The name is linked to the meaning 'Jehovah is (my) father'.
אֲבִיָּ֫הוּ n.pr.m. & f. (Yah(u) is (my) father)—so † 2 Ch 13:20, 21 = אֲבִיָּם † 1 K 14:31 15:1, 7, 7, 8 (𝔊 Ἀβιου, Ἀβια); = אֲבִי † 2 K 18:2 (𝔊 Ἀβου, Ἀβουθ); = אֲבִיָּה 1 S 8:2 22 t.—
king of Judah, son & successor of Rehoboam
2nd son of Samuel
son of Jerob.
son of Becher, a Benjamite
head of a priestly house
id.
wife of Hezron
mother of Hezekiah
base
H29 אֲבִיָּ֫הוּ
29 'Abiyah ab-ee-yaw'
or prolonged Abiyahuw {ab-ee-yaw'-hoo}; from 1 and 3050;
father (i.e. worshipper) of Jah; Abijah, the name of several
Israelite men and two Israelitesses:--Abiah, Abijah.
see HEBREW for 01
see HEBREW for 03050
אֲבִיָּה (a.viy.yah) — Abijah.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.8.2;
son of: Samuel (H8050);
brother of: Joel (H3100)
§ Abia or Abiah or Abijah = "Jehovah is (my) father"
second son of Samuel
אֲבִיָּה (a.viy.yah) — Abijah.
A man of the Kingdom of Israel, living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ki.14.1;
son of: Jeroboam (H3379);
brother of: Nadab (H5070H)
§ Abia or Abiah or Abijah = "Jehovah is (my) father"
1) king of Judah, son and successor of Rehoboam
2) second son of Samuel
3) son of Jeroboam the first, king of Israel
4) son of Becher, a Benjamite
5) head of a priestly house (one of the 24 Levite groups)
6) head of a priestly house (after the exile)
7) wife of Hezron
8) mother of Hezekiah (cf H021)
אֲבִיָּ֫הוּ, אֲבִיָּה (a.viy.yah) — Abijah.
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
Abijah
Father (i.e., “possessor or worshipper”) of Jehovah. (1.) 1 Chr. 7:8. (2.) 1 Chr. 2:24.
(3.) The second son of Samuel (1 Sam. 8:2; 1 Chr. 6:28). His conduct, along with that of his brother, as a judge in Beer-sheba, to which office his father had appointed him, led to popular discontent, and ultimately provoked the people to demand a royal form of government.
(4.) A descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, a chief of one of the twenty-four orders into which the priesthood was divided by David (1 Chr. 24:10). The order of Abijah was one of those which did not return from the Captivity (
1. Called, in Lu 1:5, Abia; founder of a family among the posterity of Aaron. When David divided the priests into twenty-four courses, to perform the temple-service, in turn, the eighth class was called after him, 1Ch 24:10. To this class of course Zacharias belonged.
2. Son of Jeroboam, the first king of Israel. He died young, and much beloved and lamented, for in him there was found some good thing towards the Lord, 1Ki 14:1-18
3. Son of Rehoboam, the first king of Judah; called in, 1Ki 22:53, Abijam. He came to the throne A.M. 3046, and reigned only three years. In war with Jeroboam he gained a signal victory, 2Ch…
the Lord is my father