Nehemiah 7:68 — Word Study
WLCסוּסֵיהֶם שְׁבַע מֵאוֹת שְׁלֹשִׁים וְשִׁשָּׁה פִּרְדֵיהֶם מָאתַיִם וְאַרְבָּעִ֥ים וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃ ס
BSAcamelgâmâl fourʼarbaʻ hundredmêʼâh thirtyshᵉlôwshîym fivechâmêsh donkeychămôwr sixshêsh thousandʼeleph sevenshebaʻ hundredmêʼâh twentyʻesrîym
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| סוּסֵיהֶם | horses their | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| שְׁבַע | seven | Adj |
| מֵאוֹת | hundred | Adj |
| שְׁלֹשִׁים | thirty | Adj |
| וְשִׁשָּׁה | and six | Conjunction |
| פִּרְדֵיהֶם | mules their | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| מָאתַיִם | two hundred | Adj |
| וְאַרְבָּעִ֥ים | and forty | Conjunction |
| וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃ ס | and five | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | They had 736 horses, 245 mules, |
| KJV | Their horses, seven hundred thirty and six: their mules, two hundred forty and five: |
| ASV | Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five; |
| YLT | Their horses [are] seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred [and] forty and five; |
| WEB | Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five; |
| BBE | They had seven hundred and thirty-six horses, two hundred and forty-five transport beasts; |
There are no significant differences in the translations concerning the livestock mentioned.
The sentence is a straightforward enumeration of livestock owned by the people.
4 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott, AdamClarke, 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 7:68
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 Inventory of Livestockgenerated
Nehemiah 7:68 provides a detailed account of the livestock owned by the returned exiles. It lists their horses and mules, which were crucial for transportation and labor. This inventory reflects the community's restoration and readiness to rebuild after returning from exile, as seen in the broader context of Nehemiah's work.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ezra 2:66–67 | They had 736 horses, 245 mules, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — סוּסֵיהֶם, su.sei.Hemgenerated
The word סוּס (sus) means 'horse' in Hebrew, often referring to horses used in chariots. The term captures the strength and speed of these animals, essential for travel and military purposes.
This noun is in the plural construct form, indicating possession — סוּסֵיהֶם means 'their horses'. The context emphasizes the importance of these animals in the life of the community.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses horses and mules consistently across translations.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause is introduced by אֵ֔לֶּה, these, which serves as the subject of the sentence. The structure lists the livestock owned by the people, emphasizing the quantities.
The sentence is straightforward, with a series of noun phrases detailing the numbers of horses and mules, reflecting a simple enumeration.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint uses the Greek word κάμηλοι for סוּסֵיהֶם, which translates as 'camels' rather than 'horses'. This choice indicates a different emphasis or understanding of the livestock's role in the community.
The variation in translation may reflect the translators' perspective on the significance of these animals in the context of transportation and labor.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 7:68 tells us that the people had 736 horses and 245 mules. These animals were important for transportation and work. This count shows how the community was rebuilding and preparing for their new life after returning from exile.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Horses and mules were essential for transportation and labor, indicating the community's readiness to rebuild and work together.
The number 736 reflects the scale of resources available to the community, highlighting their ability to support transportation needs.
This verse illustrates the restoration of the community and their preparation for rebuilding Jerusalem after returning from exile.
In the surrounding verses, other livestock such as camels and donkeys are also mentioned, showing the variety of resources available.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What resources do I have that I can use to support my community?
- How can I contribute to rebuilding efforts in my own life or community?
- What does it mean to be prepared for work in my own context?
- How do I see God's provision in the resources available to me?
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 7:68 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, 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 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 68. Their horses, c.] The whole of this verse is wanting in fifty of Kennicott's MSS., and in twenty-nine of those of De Rossi, in the edition of Rab. Chayim, 1525, in the Roman Edit. of the Septuagint also in the Syriac and in the Arabic. It should however be observed, that the Arabic omits the whole list, having nothing of the chapter but the first five verses. The whole is found in the parallel place, Ezra 2:66. Calmet's note on this passage is incorrect.
Read AdamClarke on Nehemiah 7 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges68. This verse does not appear in some of the oldest Hebrew MSS., and is not reckoned in the computation of 685 verses assigned to these books in the Massoretic note at its close. The omission, however, is not supported by the parallel passages in Ezra and 1 Esdr., nor by the LXX. and Vulg. If therefore it be an interpolation from Ezra 2:66, it must have been inserted at a very early date. The alternative is most probable that the omission is the result of an oversight on the part of a copyist, whose eye passed from the ‘five’ at the end of Neh 7:67 to that at the end of Neh 7:68.
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
They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five;
They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
Tyndale line
Their horses, seven hundred thirty and six: their mules, two hundred forty and five:
Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;
Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;
Their horses, seven hundred and thirty six: their mules, two hundred and forty five:
Their horses were seuen hundreth and sixe and thirtie, and their mules two hundreth and fiue and fourtie.
Strictly literal
Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules, two hundred and forty-five;
Their horses [are] seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred [and] forty and five;
Their horses [are] seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred [and] forty-five;
Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;
Their horses were 736 in number, their mules, 245,
From the Latin
Their horses, seven hundred thirty-six: their mules two hundred forty-five:
Simplified
They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
They had seven hundred and thirty-six horses, two hundred and forty-five transport beasts;
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, with 4 of the 9 words matched. However, the Septuagint's choice of κάμηλοι indicates a different focus than the Hebrew text.
סוּסֵיהֶם שְׁבַע מֵאוֹת שְׁלֹשִׁים וְשִׁשָּׁה פִּרְדֵיהֶם מָאתַיִם וְאַרְבָּעִ֥ים וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃ ס
4 of the 9 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 7:68
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.
סוּס (sus) refers to both a 'swallow' and a 'horse,' derived from a root meaning to skip or leap. The word captures the swift nature of both the bird and the animal, often associated with chariot horses in the context of the Old Testament. There is a note in the entries about a comparison with another Hebrew word, but no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
סוּס n.[m.] swallow or swift
base
סוּס 138 n.m. horse
base
H5483a סוּס swallow or swift H5483b סוּס horse
5483 cuwc soos
or cuc {soos}; from an unused root meaning to skip (properly,
for joy); a horse (as leaping); also a swallow (from its rapid
flight):--crane, horse((-back, -hoof)). Compare 6571.
see HEBREW for 06571
סוּס (sus) — swallow.
swallow, swift
סוּס (sus) — Horse (Gate).
This name means horse
סוּס (sus) — horse.
1) horse
1a) chariot horses
HNcmpc/Sp3mp — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3mp
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)
Adj — AdjHAcbsc
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…
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)
Adj — AdjHAcfpa
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)
Adj — AdjHAcmpa
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 — ConjunctionHC/Acfsa
פֶּ֫רֶד (pered) refers to a mule, derived from the root word for a solitary creature. The entries consistently identify it as a noun without significant variation in meaning.
פֶּ֫רֶד n.m. mule
base
H6505 פֶּ֫רֶד mule
6505 pered peh'-red
from 6504; a mule (perhaps from his lonely habits):--mule.
see HEBREW for 06504
פֶּ֫רֶד (pe.red) — mule.
mule
HNcmpc/Sp3mp — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3mp
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)
Adj — AdjHAcfda
hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).
See NUMBER.
אַרְבָּעִים (arba`iym) simply means 'forty' in Hebrew. It is a multiple of the number 702 and is consistently defined across various lexicons. There are no significant disagreements among the entries regarding its meaning.
אַרְבָּעִים a forty
base
H705 אַרְבָּעִים a forty
705 'arba`iym ar-baw-eem'
multiple of 702; forty:---forty.
see HEBREW for 0702
אַרְבָּעִים (ar.ba.im) — forty.
forty
HC/Acmpa — ConjunctionHC/Acmpa
חָמֵשׁ (chamesh) means 'five' in Hebrew. It serves as both a cardinal number and can indicate a multiple of five when combined with another number. The word also has an ordinal form, 'fifth.' The entries consistently define this numeral without any noted disagreement.
חָמֵשׁ, חֲמִשָּׁה 342 n.m. and f. five
base
H2568 חָמֵשׁ, חֲמִשָּׁה five
2568 chamesh khaw-maysh'
masculine chamishshah {kham-ish-shaw}; a primitive numeral;
five:--fif(-teen), fifth, five (X apiece).
חָמֵשׁ (cha.mesh) — five.
1) five
1a) five (cardinal number)
1b) a multiple of five (with another number)
1c) fifth (ordinal number)
Conj | Adj — ConjunctionHC/Acbsa
fiv (chamesh; pente).
See NUMBER.