Nehemiah 7:42 — Word Study
WLCבְּנֵ֣י חָרִ֔ם אֶ֖לֶף שִׁבְעָ֥ה עָשָֽׂר׃ פ
BSAand the descendantsbên [children, sons] of HarimChârim [dedicated, a priest or family head] 1,017ʼeleph
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּנֵ֣י | [the] descendants of | Noun common, masculine plural construct |
| חָרִ֔ם | Harim | Noun proper masculine |
| אֶ֖לֶף | one thousand | Adj |
| שִׁבְעָ֥ה | seven- | |
| עָשָֽׂר׃ פ | teen |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | and the descendants of Harim, 1,017. |
| KJV | The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen. |
| ASV | The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen. |
| YLT | sons of Harim: a thousand and seventeen. |
| WEB | The children of Harim: one thousand seventeen. |
| BBE | The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen. |
The translations agree on the structure and meaning of the descendants of Harim, with no significant differences noted.
The sentence consists of a main clause followed by a numeral phrase, presenting the family and their count succinctly.
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 7:42
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 Returning Exilesgenerated
Nehemiah 7:42 is part of a larger census that lists the families and numbers of those who returned from Babylonian exile. This census emphasizes the restoration of the community and the importance of lineage in Israel's history. The descendants of Harim are specifically noted, highlighting their role in the post-exilic community alongside others mentioned in the surrounding verses.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Chronicles 24:8 | the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, |
| 2 | Ezra 2:39 | and the descendants of Harim, 1,017. |
| 3 | Ezra 10:31 | From the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בֵּן, be.Neigenerated
The word בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'descendant' and can refer to a range of familial relationships, including grandsons and broader lineage. In this verse, it signifies the descendants of Harim, indicating their familial connection and inheritance.
The grammatical form is a masculine plural construct, meaning it refers to multiple descendants. This word appears frequently in the Old Testament, often in genealogical contexts, underscoring the importance of family lineage in Israel.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The verse is rendered in the Berean Standard Bible as well as in the KJV and ASV, which all agree on the translation of the descendants of Harim as a specific family group.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause is governed by the noun phrase בְּנֵ֣י חָרִ֔ם, the descendants of Harim, followed by a numeral phrase that states the number of descendants: אֶ֖לֶף שִׁבְעָ֥ה עָשָֽׂר, 1,017.
The structure emphasizes the family connection first, followed by the numerical count, which is typical in Hebrew prose, highlighting the importance of lineage.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בְּנֵי as υἱοὶ (huioi), meaning 'sons' or 'children', which aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning of descendants.
The choice of ηραμ for חָרִם reflects a direct translation of the name, maintaining the identity of this family line in the Greek text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 7:42 lists the descendants of Harim, numbering 1,017. This verse is part of a census that records the families returning from exile, emphasizing the importance of lineage in the restoration of the Jewish community.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The descendants of Harim are a family group that returned from Babylonian exile, as noted in the genealogical records of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Lineage is crucial for establishing identity, inheritance, and community roles in post-exilic Israel, as seen in the census records.
This verse contributes to the theme of restoration and rebuilding the community after exile, highlighting the importance of each family's role in that process.
Other families mentioned include the descendants of Pashhur and Jeshua, among others, which collectively illustrate the diverse groups returning to Jerusalem.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean to be part of a family lineage, and how does that shape identity?
- How can understanding these genealogies help us appreciate the history of the Jewish people?
- In what ways does the restoration of community after exile relate to our own experiences of rebuilding in life?
- How can we honor our own family histories while also looking forward to the future?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 7:42 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two. No JFB commentary on these verses.
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 Harim, 1,017.
The children of Harim: one thousand seventeen.
and the descendants of Harim, 1,017.
the descendants of Harim, 1,017.
Tyndale line
The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
The sonnes of Harim, a thousande and seuenteene.
Strictly literal
The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
sons of Harim: a thousand and seventeen.
sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.
The children of Charim, one thousand and seventeen.
The descendants of Harim, 1,017.
From the Latin
The children of Arem, one thousand and seventeen. The Levites:
Simplified
the sons of Harim, 1,017.
The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
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 both agree on the wording of this verse, with all five words matched, indicating consistency in the transmission of this genealogical record.
בְּנֵ֣י חָרִ֔ם אֶ֖לֶף שִׁבְעָ֥ה עָשָֽׂר׃ פ
5 of the 5 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 7:42
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…
חָרִם (Charim) refers to a name meaning 'dedicated' and is associated with various individuals in the Old Testament. It includes a priest during David's reign, heads of families of exiles who returned with Zerubbabel, and a ruler in Nehemiah's time. The entries indicate that Charim is linked to the concept of dedication and service in the priestly context.
חָרִם n.pr.m. (consecrated)
priest of the third course, David’s time
priest of time of Nehemiah
heads of families of returning exiles
a prince
base
H2766 חָרִם
2766 Charim khaw-reem'
from 2763; snub-nosed; Charim, an Israelite:--Harim.
see HEBREW for 02763
חָרִם (cha.rim) — Harim.
A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.8
§ Harim = "dedicated"
1) a priest in the time of David who had charge of the 3rd course
2) head of a family of exiles totalling 1017 who returned with Zerubbabel
3) another head of a family of exiles totalling 320 who returned with Zerubbabel
4) a priest in the time of Nehemiah
5) a ruler of the people under Nehemiah
חָרִם (cha.rim) — Harim.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.32
§ Harim = "dedicated"
1) a priest in the time of David who had charge of the 3rd course
2) head of a family of exiles totalling 1017 who returned with Zerubbabel
3) another head of a family of exiles totalling 320 who returned with Zerubbabel
4) a priest in the time of Nehemiah
5) a ruler of the people under Nehemiah
חָרִם (cha.rim) — Harim.
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
ha'-rim (charim): A family name.
(1) A non-priestly family that returned from captivity with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:32; Ne 7:35); mentioned among those who married foreign wives (Ezr 10:31); also mentioned among those who renewed the covenant (Ne 10:27).
(2) A priestly family returning with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:39; Ne 7:42; 12:3,15 (see REHUM)); members of this family covenanted to put away their foreign wives (Ezr 10:21; Ne 10:5). A family of this name appears as the…
Harim
Flat-nosed. (1.) The head of the second course of priests (1 Chr. 24:8). (2.) Ezra 2:32, 39; Neh. 7:35, 42. (3.) Neh. 3:11. (4.) 12:3. (5.) 10:5
(flat-nosed). A priest who had charge of the third division in the house of God. (1 Chronicles 24:8) (B.C. 1014.) Bene-Harim, probably descendants of the above, to the number of 1017, came from Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:39; Nehemiah 7:42) (B.C. 536.) It further occurs in a list of the families of priests "who went up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua," and of those who were their descendants in the next generation. (Nehemiah 12:16) Another family of Bene-Harim, 320 in number, came from the captivity in the same caravan. (Ezra 2:82; Nehemiah 7:35) (B.C. 536.) They also…
destroyed; dedicated to God
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
Adj — AdjHAcbsa
thou'-zand ('eleph; chilioi).
See NUMBER.
שֶׁ֫בַע (sheba`) means 'seven' and is a cardinal number. It can also imply 'seven times' or refer to a week. The term appears in various contexts, including combinations like 17 or 700. Its Aramaic equivalent is שִׁבְעָה (shiv.ah), also meaning 'seven'.
שֶׁ֫בַע, שִׁבְעָה 394 n.m. et f. seven
base
H7651 שֶׁ֫בַע, שִׁבְעָה seven
7651 sheba` sheh'-bah
or (masculine) shibrah {shib-aw'}; from 7650; a primitive
cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also
(adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by
extension, an indefinite number:--(+ by) seven(-fold),-s,
(-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare 7658.
see HEBREW for 07650
see HEBREW for 07658
שֶׁ֫בַע (she.va) — seven.
1) seven (cardinal number)
1a) as ordinal number
1b) in combination-17, 700 etc
Aramaic equivalent: shiv.ah (שִׁבְעָה "seven" H7655)
HAcbsa — HAcbsa
sev'-'-n (shebha`; hepta).
See NUMBER.
Seven
This number occurs frequently in Scripture, and in such connections as lead to the supposition that it has some typical meaning. On the seventh day God rested, and hallowed it (Gen. 2:2, 3). The division of time into weeks of seven days each accounts for many instances of the occurrence of this number. This number has been called the symbol of perfection, and also the symbol of rest. “Jacob’s seven years’ service to Laban; Pharaoh’s seven fat oxen and seven lean ones; the seven branches of the golden candlestick; the seven trumpets and the seven priests who sounded them; the seven days’ siege of Jericho; the seven churches, seven spirits, seven stars, seven seals, seven vials, and many others, sufficiently prove the importance of this sacred number” (see Lev. 25:4;
The frequent recurrence of certain numbers in the sacred literature of the Hebrews is obvious to the most superficial reader, but seven so far surpasses the rest, both in the frequency with which it recurs and in the importance of the objects with which it is associated, that it may fairly be termed the representative symbolic number. The influence of the number seven was not restricted to the Hebrews; it prevailed among the Persians, ancient Indians, Greeks and Romans. The peculiarity of the Hebrew view consists in the special dignity of the seventh, and not simply in that of seen. The Sabbath being the seventh day suggested the adoption of seven as the coefficient, so to say, for their appointment of all sacred periods; and we thus find the 7th month ushered in by the Feast of Trumpets, and signalized by the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Great Day of Atonement; 7…
As from the beginning this was the number of days in the week, so it often has in Scripture a sort of emphasis attached to it, and is very generally used as a round or perfect number. Clean beasts were taken into the ark by sevens, Ge 7:1-24. The years of plenty and famine in Egypt were marked by sevens, Ge 41:1-57. With the Jews, not only was there a seventh day Sabbath, but every seventh year was a Sabbath, and after every seven times seven years came a jubilee. Their great feasts of unleavened bread and of tabernacles were observed for seven days; the number of animals in many of their sacrifices was limited to seven. The golden candlestick had seven branches. Seven priests with seven trumpets went around the walls of Jericho seven days, and seven times on the seventh day. In…
עָשָׂר (asar) means 'ten' and is used exclusively in combination with other numbers to form the teen numbers (11-19), both as cardinal and ordinal forms. The entries indicate that it is derived from another Hebrew root, but do not elaborate on its etymology.
עָשָׂר, עֶשְׂרֵה ten, only after units to make num. 11-19, both cardinal and ordinal
base
H6240 עָשָׂר, עֶשְׂרֵה ten, only after units to make num. 11-19, both cardinal and ordinal
6240 `asar aw-sawr'
for 6235; ten (only in combination), i.e. -teen; also
(ordinal) -teenth:--(eigh-, fif-, four-, nine-, seven-,
six-, thir-)teen(-th), + eleven(-th), + sixscore thousand, +
twelve(-th).
see HEBREW for 06235
עָשָׂר (a.sar) — ten.
1) ten, -teen (in combination with other numbers)
1a) used only in combination to make the numbers 11-19
HAcbsa — HAcbsa