Nehemiah 7:30 — Word Study
WLCאַנְשֵׁ֤י הָֽרָמָה֙ וָגָ֔בַע שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת עֶשְׂרִ֥ים וְאֶחָֽד׃ ס
BSAof RamahRâmâh [a city in Palestine, a place of battle] and GebaGebaʻ [a city in the tribe of Benjamin, near Jerusalem] 621shêsh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אַנְשֵׁ֤י | [the] men of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| הָֽרָמָה֙ | Ramah | Particle, noun proper |
| וָגָ֔בַע | and Geba | Conjunction, noun proper |
| שֵׁ֥שׁ | six | Adj |
| מֵא֖וֹת | hundred | |
| עֶשְׂרִ֥ים | twenty | |
| וְאֶחָֽד׃ ס | and one | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the men of Ramah and Geba, 621; |
| KJV | The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and one. |
| ASV | The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and one. |
| YLT | Men of Ramah and Gaba: six hundred twenty and one. |
| WEB | The men of Ramah and Geba: six hundred twenty-one. |
| BBE | The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one. |
There are no significant differences among the translations on this verse.
The structure is simple, consisting of a main clause followed by a numeral phrase indicating the count.
3 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott, 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 7:30
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 from Exilegenerated
Nehemiah 7:30 is part of a list detailing the men who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. This verse specifically mentions the men from Ramah and Geba, contributing to the overall count of those who came back to rebuild their homeland. Such records are significant for understanding the restoration of the Jewish community and their identity after captivity.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua 18:24–25 | Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve cities, along with their villages. |
| 2 | Ezra 2:26 | the men of Ramah and Geba, 621; |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — אַנְשֵׁ֤י, 'an.Sheigenerated
The word אַנְשֵׁ֤י ('an.Shei) is a masculine plural form of אִישׁ (ish), meaning 'men' or 'people'. It denotes individuals or groups of humans, emphasizing their identity as members of a community.
In this context, it specifies the men from Ramah and Geba, indicating their participation in the return to Jerusalem. This word sets the tone for the collective identity of those returning to restore their city.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The verse is translated in the Berean Standard Bible as well as the KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE, all of which agree on the phrase 'the men of Ramah and Geba'.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb is absent in this enumeration, as the structure consists of noun phrases and a numeral phrase. The phrase begins with אַנְשֵׁ֤י, followed by the names of the cities and the numeral phrase indicating the count.
This structure emphasizes the listing of individuals from specific locations, which is typical in census-like records.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates אַנְשֵׁ֤י as ἄνδρες (G435), which also means 'men'. This choice reflects a straightforward rendering of the Hebrew term without additional interpretation.
The other terms are generally matched, indicating a close correspondence between the Hebrew and Greek texts in this instance.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 7:30 lists the men from Ramah and Geba who returned to Jerusalem after the exile, totaling 621. This verse is part of a larger account of those who came back to rebuild their city.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It refers to the male inhabitants of Ramah and Geba who returned to Jerusalem.
The count reflects the number of people who returned to restore their community after exile.
Both cities are significant locations in the tribe of Benjamin, contributing to the historical and geographical context of the return.
It is part of a census that highlights the restoration efforts of the Jewish community after their return from Babylonian captivity.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean to be part of a community that is returning to its roots?
- How can understanding the history of these cities inform our view of the biblical narrative?
- What lessons can we learn from the collective effort of these men in rebuilding their city?
- In what ways can we contribute to the restoration of our own communities today?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 7:30 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThese are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem
Read Robert Jamieson on Nehemiah 7 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(5-73) The genealogical reckoning of the people, as the first step towards increasing the population of the metropolis, is determined on, not without express Divine suggestion; the allusion to this inspiration from God, is, as in Nehemiah 2:12, very emphatic. The original register of Zerubbabelis found and copied. The express language of both Ezra and Nehemiah makes it plain that this is no other than the list of those who came up with Zerubbabel and Joshua after the decree of Cyrus, in B.C. 538. Nehemiah’s own census follows, in Nehemiah 11. The exposition, especially as compared with Ezra 2, has been given on that chapter.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Nehemiah 7 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges30. Geba] Some copies of the A.V. have ‘Gaba’; but ‘Geba’ stands in the 1611 edition.
Read Cambridge on Nehemiah 7 →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
the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
The men of Ramah and Geba: six hundred twenty-one.
the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
Tyndale line
The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and one.
The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and one.
The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and one.
The men of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred and twenty one.
The men of Ramah and Gaba, sixe hundreth and one and twentie.
Strictly literal
The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one.
Men of Ramah and Gaba: six hundred twenty and one.
men of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred twenty-one;
The men of Ramah and Gaba', six hundred twenty and one,
The men of Ramah and Geba, 621.
From the Latin
The men of Rama and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.
Simplified
the people from Ramah and Geba, 621;
The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one.
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 five of the seven words in this verse, indicating a strong consistency in the transmission of this part of the text.
אַנְשֵׁ֤י הָֽרָמָה֙ וָגָ֔בַע שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת עֶשְׂרִ֥ים וְאֶחָֽד׃ ס
5 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 7:30
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.
אֱנוֹשׁ (enowsh) refers to man or mankind, often used in a poetic context. It denotes a mortal individual, distinguishing humans from more dignified terms for man. The word encompasses both singular and collective meanings, indicating people or persons in general. Its Aramaic equivalent is אֱנָשׁ (e.nash), also meaning 'man'.
אֱנוֹשׁ n.m. man, mankind, mostly poet.
of individ.
coll. men
man, mankind
base
H582 אֱנוֹשׁ man, mankind, mostly poet.
582 'enowsh en-oshe'
from 605; properly, a mortal (and thus differing from the
more dignified 120); hence, a man in general (singly or
collectively):--another, X (blood-)thirsty, certain,
chap(-man); divers, fellow, X in the flower of their age,
husband, (certain, mortal) man, people, person, servant, some
( X of them), + stranger, those, + their trade. It is often
unexpressed in the English versions, especially when used in
apposition with another word . Compare 376.
see HEBREW for 0605
see HEBREW for 0120
see HEBREW for 0376
אֱנוֹשׁ (e.nosh) — human.
1) man, mortal man, person, mankind
1a) of an individual
1b) men (collective)
1c) man, mankind
Aramaic equivalent: e.nash (אֱנָשׁ "man" H0606)
HNcmpc — Noun common · masculine plural constructHNcmpc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
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)
Art | N-proper — Particle · noun properHTd/Npl
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
גֶּ֫בַע (Geba) refers to a Levitical city located in the territory of Benjamin, identified with the modern site 'Jeba'. The name means 'hill', reflecting its elevated position northeast of Jerusalem. The entries also note that it is associated with other locations like Gibeah and Gibeon. There is some overlap in naming, as it is sometimes referred to as Gibeah.
גֶּ֫בַע n.pr.loc. Levitical city, in Benjamin
base
H1387 גֶּ֫בַע Levitical city in Benjamin
1387 Geba` gheh'-bah
from the same as 1375, a hillock; Geba, a place in
Palestine:--Gaba, Geba, Gibeah.
see HEBREW for 01375
גֶּ֫בַע (ge.va) — Geba.
§ Gaba or Geba or Gibeah = "hill"
a city in Benjamin, modern 'Jeba', which stands on the top of a steep terraced hill, six miles or ten kilometres north east of Jerusalem and three miles or five kilometres from Gibeah, on the edge of the Wadi Suweinit looking northward to the opposite village of ancient Michmash, modern 'Mukhmas'
גֶּ֫בַע (ge.va) — Gibeah.
Gaba or Geba or Gibeah = "hill"
a city in Benjamin, modern 'Jeba', which stands on the top of a steep terraced hill, six miles or ten kilometres north east of Jerusalem and three miles or five kilometres from Gibeah, on the edge of the Wadi Suweinit looking northward to the opposite village of ancient Michmash, modern 'Mukhmas'
Another spelling of giv.ah (גִּבְעָה "Gibeah" H1390H)
גֶּ֫בַע (ge.va) — Geba.
Gaba or Geba or Gibeah = "hill"
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
ge'-ba (gebha`, "hill"):
(1) A town on the Northeast boundary of the territory of Benjamin (Jos 18:24), given to the Levites (Jos 21:17; 1Ch 6:60). It stood on the northern frontier of the kingdom of Judah, Geba and Beersheba marking respectively the northern and southern limits (2Ki 23:8). In 2Sa 5:25 "Geba" should be altered to "Gibeon," which stands in the corresponding passage, 1Ch 14:16. In Jud 20:10,33; 1Sa 13:3,16, the Hebrew reads "Geba," the…
Geba
The hill, (2 Sam. 5:25 [1 Chr. 14:16, “Gibeon”]; 2 Kings 23:8; Neh. 11:31), a Levitical city of Benjamin (1 Kings 15:22; 1 Sam. 13:16; 14:5, wrongly “Gibeah” in the A.V.), on the north border of Judah near Gibeah (Isa. 10:29; Josh. 18:24, 28). “From Geba to Beersheba” expressed the whole extent of the kingdom of Judah, just as “from Dan to Beersheba” described the whole length of Palestine (2 Kings…
(a hill), a city of Benjamin, with "suburbs," allotted to the priests. (Joshua 21:17; 1 Chronicles 6:60) It is named amongst the first group of the Benjamite towns --apparently those lying near to and along the north boundary. (Joshua 18:24) Here the name is given as GABA. During the wars of the earlier part of the reign of Saul, Geba was held as a garrison by the Philistines, (1 Samuel 13:3) but they were ejected by Jonathan. It is now the modern village of Jeba , which stands picturesquely on the top of its steep terraced hill, six miles north of Jerusalem, on the very edge of the great Wady Suweinit , looking northward to the opposite village of ancient Michmash, which…
A Levitical town of Benjamin, Jos 18:24 21:17 1Ch 8:6, near Ramah, Ne 7:30 Isa 10:29, and not far from the northern border of the kingdom of Judah, 2Ki 23:8 Zec 14:10. Near Geba David defeated the Philistines, 2Sa 5:25. Asa renewed it from the ruins of Ramah, 1Ki 15:22. It was six or seven miles from Jerusalem, and was separated from Michmash on the north by a deep valley. See GIBEAH.
The Hebrew word שֵׁשׁ, transliterated as shesh, means 'six' and can function as both a cardinal and ordinal number, indicating the sixth position. It is a primitive number that signifies an excess beyond five, as noted in the entries. The Aramaic equivalent is שֵׁת (shet).
שֵׁשׁ, שִׁשָּׁה 216 n.m. et f. six
base
H8337 שֵׁשׁ, שִׁשָּׁה six
8337 shesh shaysh
masculine shishshah {shish-shaw'}; a primitive number; six
(as an overplus (see 7797) beyond five or the fingers of the
hand); as ord. sixth:--six((-teen, -teenth)), sixth.
see HEBREW for 07797
שֵׁשׁ (shesh) — six.
1) six
1a) six (cardinal number)
1b) sixth (ordinal number)
1c) in combination with other numbers
Aramaic equivalent: shet (שֵׁת "six" H8353)
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.
אֶחָד (echad) means 'one' and is derived from a numeral. It encompasses meanings such as each, every, a certain, and can serve as an indefinite article. It is also used as an ordinal to denote 'first' and appears in various combinations, including eleven. The entries consistently emphasize its numerical and qualitative aspects.
אֶחָד 972 adj.num. one
one
= each, every
= a certain
= indef. art.
only, & (fem.) once
one … another, one … the other
as ordinal first
in combin.
base
H259 אֶחָד one . one
. = each, every
. = a certain
. = indef. art.
. only, & (fem.) once
. one … another, one … the other
. as ordinal first
. in combin.
259 'echad ekh-awd'
a numeral from 258; properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an
ordinal) first:--a, alike, alone, altogether, and,
any(-thing), apiece, a certain, (dai-)ly, each (one), +
eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only,
other, some, together,
see HEBREW for 0258
אֶחָד (e.chad) — one.
1) one (number)
1a) one (number)
1b) each, every
1c) a certain
1d) an (indefinite article)
1e) only, once, once for all
1f) one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one
1g) first
1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal)
HC/Acfsa — ConjunctionHC/Acfsa
wun.
See NUMBER.