Nehemiah 7:38 — Word Study
WLCבְּנֵ֣י סְנָאָ֔ה שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת אֲלָפִ֔ים תְּשַׁ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת וּשְׁלֹשִֽׁים׃ פ
BSAand the descendantsbên [sons, children, or offspring] of SenaahÇᵉnâʼâh [Hassenaah, a place in Palestine and a man's name, three thousand nine hundred and thirty, a large company] 3,930shâlôwsh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּנֵ֣י | [the] descendants of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| סְנָאָ֔ה | Senaah | Noun proper masculine |
| שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת | three | Adj |
| אֲלָפִ֔ים | thousand | |
| תְּשַׁ֥ע | nine | |
| מֵא֖וֹת | hundred | |
| וּשְׁלֹשִֽׁים׃ פ | and thirty | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | and the descendants of Senaah, 3,930. |
| KJV | The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty. |
| ASV | The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty. |
| YLT | Sons of Senaah: three thousand nine hundred and thirty. |
| WEB | The children of Senaah: three thousand nine hundred thirty. |
| BBE | The children of Senaah, three thousand, nine hundred and thirty. |
Where they part company is שְׁלֹשֶׁת — see How Translations Differ.
The structure is straightforward, with a main clause followed by a numeral phrase indicating the count of descendants.
2 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott & 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 7:38
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 the Exilesgenerated
Nehemiah 7:38 provides a record of the descendants of those who returned from Babylonian exile, emphasizing the importance of lineage and community in the restoration of Jerusalem. This census serves to identify the people who would help rebuild the city and re-establish its worship practices, as seen in the broader context of Nehemiah's work.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ezra 2:35 | and the descendants of Senaah, 3,630. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — סְנָאָה, se.na.'Ahgenerated
The word בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'descendant' and is used here to indicate familial relationships. It can refer to a wide range of descendants, including children and grandchildren, and emphasizes the continuity of family lines.
In this verse, it connects the descendants of Senaah to their heritage, highlighting their role in the community of returnees. The plural form indicates a large family or clan, which is significant in the context of the returning exiles.
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 structured around the noun phrase בְּנֵי סְנָאָ֔ה (the descendants of Senaah), which serves as the subject, followed by the numeral phrase indicating the total number of descendants.
The sentence lists the descendants and their count in a straightforward manner, reflecting the typical Hebrew style of enumeration in census records.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בְּנֵי as υἱοὶ (sons), which aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning, emphasizing familial ties.
However, the Greek rendering of סְנָאָה is σαναα, which does not carry the same connotations as the Hebrew, suggesting a simplification in the translation process.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 7:38 lists the descendants of Senaah, totaling 3,930 individuals. This count is part of a larger record of those who returned from exile to help rebuild Jerusalem and re-establish their community.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It refers to the children or offspring of Senaah, indicating a lineage that connects back to a common ancestor.
The number emphasizes the size of the family and their importance in the rebuilding of Jerusalem, reflecting the community's strength.
Senaah is both a place and a personal name, suggesting a connection to a specific lineage and heritage among the returning exiles.
It contributes to the census of returnees, highlighting the importance of family and community in the restoration efforts after exile.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean to be a descendant in the context of community and heritage?
- How can understanding the lineage of the exiles help us appreciate the importance of family today?
- In what ways does this verse reflect the value of numbers and community in biblical narratives?
- How can we apply the lessons of restoration and community from Nehemiah's time to our lives today?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 7:38 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 →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 the descendants of Senaah, 3,930.
The children of Senaah: three thousand nine hundred thirty.
and the descendants of Senaah, 3,930.
the descendants of Senaah, 3,930.
Tyndale line
The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
The sonnes of Senaah, three thousand, nine hundreth and thirtie.
Strictly literal
The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
Sons of Senaah: three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
The people of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
The men of Senaah, 3,930.
From the Latin
The children of Senaa, three thousand nine hundred thirty.
Simplified
the sons of Senaah, 3,930.
The children of Senaah, three thousand, nine hundred and thirty.
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 in content, with four out of seven words matched. The Septuagint's word order and articles differ, indicating a distinct translation approach.
בְּנֵ֣י סְנָאָ֔ה שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת אֲלָפִ֔ים תְּשַׁ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת וּשְׁלֹשִֽׁים׃ פ
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 7:38
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.
בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'male child' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including descendants, young animals, and even figurative uses like sparks or arrows. It can refer to members of a tribe or class and is used in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, such as in 1 Chronicles 24:26. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to build' and implies a connection to family or lineage.
בֵּן 4870 n.m. son
son, male child, born of a woman
children (male and female)
youth, young men
the young of animals
of plant shoots
fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows
member of a guild, order or class
of animals son of (the) herd
ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.
n. relat. of age
base
בְּנוֹ 1 Ch 24:26, 27 as n.pr.m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son, cf. VB & Be Öt.
done
H1121a בֵּן son . son, male child, born of a woman
. children (male and female)
. youth, young men
. the young of animals
. of plant shoots
. fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows
. . member of a guild, order or class
. of animals son of (the) herd
. ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.
. n. relat. of age
H1121b בְּנוֹ as n. pr. m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son
1121 ben bane
from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the
widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship,
including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition,
etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-)
(Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to,
(+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born,
bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X
came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of
first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, +
kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+)
people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, +
spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous
one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
see HEBREW for 01129
see HEBREW for 01
see HEBREW for 0251
בֵּן (ben) — son: child.
: child/son
בְּנוֹ (be.no) — Beno.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.26;
son of: Jaaziah (H3269);
brother of: Shoham (H7719), Zaccur (H2139I) and Ibri (H5681)
§ Beno = "his son"
the sons of Jaaziah and the sons of Merari by Jaahziah (his son)
בֵּן (ben) — son: descendant/people.
: descendant, people, tribe, nation
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : child/son
בֵּן (ben) — son: young animal.
: calf/lamb/young(ANIMAL)
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : descendant
בֵּן (ben) — son: type of.
: rebel/son(Belial)
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : people/men/nation/tribe
בֵּן (ben) — son.
: [inheriting]son/heir
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
בֵּן (ben) — son: warrior.
: warrior/son(strong)
N-mp — 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…
סְנָאָה (sen-ah) refers to a place name in Palestine, associated with the meaning 'thorny.' It is linked to a family that returned from exile with Zerubbabel and is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 9:7 and Nehemiah 3:3. The term may also imply 'sons of a hated woman,' suggesting a connection to the poorer classes of Jerusalem.
סְנָאָה appar. n.pr.m. = sons of hated (rejected) woman, i.e. the poorer classes of Jerusalem.
base
H5570 סְנָאָה
5570 Cna'ah sen-aw-aw'
from an unused root meaning to prick; thorny; Senaah, a place
in Palestine:--Senaah, Hassenaah (with the article).
סְנָאָה (se.na.ah) — Senaah.
§ Senaah or Hassenaah [with the article] = "thorny"
ancestor of a family who returned from exile with Zerubbabel
סְנָאָה (se.na.ah) — Hassenaah.
A man descended from Senaah (H5570) of the tribe of Levi before time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at 1Ch.9.7; including Hodaviah (H1938I) and Judah (H3063I); also called Hassenaah at Neh.3.3
Another name of se.nu.ah (סְנוּאָה "Hassenuah" H5574)
§ Senaah or Hassenaah [with the article] = "thorny"
ancestor of a family who returned from exile with Zerubbabel
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
se-na'-a, sen'-a-a (cena'ah; Codex Vaticanus Sanana; Sananat; Codex Alexandrinus Sanana, Sennaa, Hasan): The children of Senaah are mentioned as having formed part of the company returning from the captivity with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:35; Ne 7:38). The numbers vary as given by Ezr (3,630) and Ne (3,930), while 1 Esdras 5:23 puts them at 3,330. In the last place the name is Sanaas, the King James Version "Annaas" (Codex Vaticanus Sama; Codex Alexandrinus Sanaas). In Ne 3:3 the name occurs with the definite article, ha-senaah. The people may be identical with the Benjamite clan Hassenuah (1Ch 9:7). Eusebius, in Onomasticon, speaks of Magdalsenna a village about 7 miles North of…
(thorny). The "children (i.e. the inhabitants) of Senaah" are enumerated among the "people of Israel" who returned from the captivity with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:35; Nehemiah 7:38) (B.C. 536.) The Magdal Senna of Eusebius and Jerome denotes a town seven miles north of Jericho ("Senna").
bramble; enemy
The Hebrew word שָׁלֹשׁ (*shalosh*) means 'three' or 'triad.' It can also refer to the ordinal 'third' and is used in various contexts, including multiplication as 'thrice.' The entries consistently define it as a primitive number without significant disagreement.
שָׁלֹשׁ, שָׁלוֹשׁ, שְׁלֹשָׁה 430 n.m. et f. a three, triad
base
H7969 שָׁלֹשׁ, שָׁלוֹשׁ, שְׁלֹשָׁה a three, triad
7969 shalowsh shaw-loshe'
or shalosh {shaw-loshe'}; masculine shlowshah {shel-o-shaw'};
or shloshah {shel-o-shaw'}; a primitive number; three;
occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multipl.) thrice:--+ fork,
+ often(-times), third, thir(-teen, -teenth), three, + thrice.
Compare 7991.
see HEBREW for 07991
שָׁלֹשׁ (sha.losh) — three.
1) three, triad
1a) 3, 300, third
Aramaic equivalent: te.lat (תְּלָת "three" H8532)
Adj — AdjHAcbsc
(shalosh; treis).
See NUMBER.
The phrase "three days and three nights," Mt 12:40, was equivalent in Hebrew to the English "three days;" the Jews employing the expression "a day and a night" to denote our "day" of twentyfour hours. Nor did "three days," 1Sa 30:13, literally "this third day," according to their usage, necessarily include the whole of three days, but a part of three days, a continuous period including one whole day of twenty-four hours, and a portion of the day preceding it and the day following it. Compare Ge 7:12,17 1Sa 30:12-13.
אֶ֫לֶף (eleph) means 'thousand' in Hebrew. It can refer to the numeral itself or denote a company or clan, particularly a group of men under one leader. The word is built from the concept of a thousand, and it is associated with the ox's head, which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
אֶ֫לֶף n.m. thousand
base
H505 אֶ֫לֶף thousand
505 'eleph eh'-lef
prop, the same as 504; hence (the ox's head being the first
letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral)
a thousand:--thousand.
see HEBREW for 0504
אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) — thousand.
: thousand
1) a thousand
1a) as numeral
2) a thousand, company
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops
אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) — thousand: clan.
: clan
1) a thousand
1a) as numeral
2) a thousand, company
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops
HAcbpa — HAcbpa
thou'-zand ('eleph; chilioi).
See NUMBER.
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
HAcbsc — HAcbsc
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.
שְׁלֹשִׁים (*shlowshiym*) means 'thirty' and can also refer to 'thirtieth' as an ordinal number. It is an indeclinable noun and is derived from the root word for 'three.' The entries indicate that it is used in various contexts, but there are no significant disagreements among the lexicons.
שְׁלֹשִׁים (very seldom שְׁלוֹשִׁים, שְׁלֹשִׁם) 174 n.indecl. thirty
bef. n. sg.
as ordin.
base
H7970 שְׁלֹשִׁים (very seldom שְׁלוֹשִׁים, שְׁלֹשִׁם) n. indecl. thirty . bef. n. sg.
. as ordin.
7970 shlowshiym shel-o-sheem'
or shloshiym {shel-o-sheem'}; multiple of 7969; thirty; or
(ordinal) thirtieth:--thirty, thirtieth. Compare 7991.
see HEBREW for 07969
see HEBREW for 07991
שְׁלֹשִׁים (she.lo.shim) — thirty.
thirty, thirtieth
Aramaic equivalent: te.la.tin (תְּלָתִין "thirty" H8533)
HC/Acmpa — ConjunctionHC/Acmpa