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Numbers 31:48 — Word Study

Depth

WLCוַֽיִּקְרְבוּ֙ אֶל־ מֹשֶׁ֔ה הַפְּקֻדִ֕ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר לְאַלְפֵ֣י הַצָּבָ֑א שָׂרֵ֥י הָאֲלָפִ֖ים וְשָׂרֵ֥י הַמֵּאֽוֹת׃

BSAThen the officerspâqad [leaders, commanders] whoʼăsher were over the unitsʼeleph [divisions, companies] of the armytsâbâʼ [host, military forces] the commanderssar [captains, rulers] of thousandsʼeleph [large groups, companies] and of hundredsmêʼâh [smaller units, battalions] approachedqârab [came near, drew near to] MosesMôsheh [the Israelite leader, prophet]

Word
Listen & take awayNumbers 31
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 48 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (ha.me.'ot) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Numbers 31:48quick helps
In a sentenceThe officers in charge of the army units approached Moses with a report.
Who is speakingThe officers, who are leaders of the military divisions.
Where we areThis verse occurs in the context of the Israelites' military organization.
The hard wordהַפְּקֻדִ֕ים
Take awayThe officers are reporting to Moses after a census of the soldiers.
3 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Cambridge & more — read them › clause verbקָרַב The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

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 — Numbers 31:48

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 Report of the Officersgenerated

47From the Israelites’ half, Moses took one out of every fifty persons and animals and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded him.
48Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses
49and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.
50So we have brought to the LORD an offering of the gold articles each man acquired—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.”

Numbers 31:48 describes how the military officers, responsible for overseeing the divisions of the Israelite army, approached Moses after conducting a census of the soldiers. This moment highlights the organization and accountability within the Israelite military structure, as well as the officers' duty to report to their leader.


Cross References


The Key Word הַפְּקֻדִ֕ים, ha.pe.ku.Dimgenerated

The term הַפְּקֻדִ֕ים (ha-pequdim) is a plural noun derived from the root פָּקַד (paqad), meaning to oversee or appoint. It refers to the officers or leaders responsible for the troops, emphasizing their role in military organization and command.

This word suggests a sense of authority and responsibility, indicating that these officers were tasked with the oversight of their respective units within the army, ensuring that each soldier was accounted for and properly led.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

In the Berean Standard Bible, the term is rendered as the officers, which is consistent across the KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb governing the sentence is וַֽיִּקְרְבוּ֙, and they drew near, which is followed by a prepositional phrase indicating direction to Moses, and a noun phrase that identifies the subject as the officers of the army. This structure emphasizes the action of approaching as the central focus of the verse.

The word order places the action of the officers drawing near at the forefront, highlighting their initiative in reporting to Moses.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates the verb וַֽיִּקְרְבוּ֙ as προσῆλθον (prosēlthon), which means 'they approached'. This choice conveys a similar sense of coming near, but the Greek term can carry connotations of a more formal or respectful approach.

The translation reflects the officers' intent to present their report to Moses, aligning with the Hebrew meaning of the original text.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Numbers 31:48 tells us that the officers in charge of the army units approached Moses to report on their counts. They were responsible for overseeing the soldiers and ensuring that everyone was accounted for.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

Who were the officers mentioned in this verse?

The officers were military leaders responsible for overseeing the divisions of the Israelite army, ensuring that each unit was properly managed.

What was the significance of the officers approaching Moses?

Their approach signifies accountability and leadership within the military structure, as they reported on the soldiers under their command.

What does the term 'officers' imply in this context?

The term implies a role of authority and responsibility, indicating that these individuals were tasked with leadership and oversight of the military units.

How does this verse connect to the overall narrative of the Israelites?

This verse highlights the organizational structure of the Israelite army and the importance of leadership and accountability as they prepared for military actions.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What qualities do you think are important for a leader in any organization?
  2. How can accountability play a role in your life or community?
  3. In what ways can you demonstrate leadership in your own context?
  4. What can we learn from the military organization of the Israelites about teamwork and responsibility?

Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Numbers 31:48 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the officers which were over thousands of the host,.... Over the twelve thousand, of which the host or army consisted: namely, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near

Read John Gill on Numbers 31 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses: Officers ... said ... there lacketh not one man of us.

Read Robert Jamieson on Numbers 31 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

25–54. The apportionment of the spoil. Those who fought and those who remained behind were to receive equal shares. This was an ancient custom, which was traced to the action of David (1 Samuel 30:24 f.). But before the appropriation by individuals, a religious tax was to be paid. The fighters were to pay from their share 1/500th to the priests, and the others 1/50th to the Levites. Such a tax is not mentioned elsewhere in the O.T., but perhaps, like the foregoing regulation, it had an ancient custom behind it. Mohammed, whose religion was ultimately based on the O.T., enjoined a similar tax of 1/5th (Koran viii. 42, cited by Gray).

Read Cambridge on Numbers 31 →

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

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses

WEBWorld English Bible2000

The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses

NETBNew English Translation2006

Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders over thousands and the commanders over hundreds, approached Moses

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

¶ And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses:

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And the officers that were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses;

RVARevised Version, American1894

And the officers which were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses:

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And the officers who were over thousands of the hosts, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near to Moses:

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Then the captaines which were ouer thousandes of the hoste, the captaines ouer the thousandes, and the captaines ouer the hundreds came vnto Moses:

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And the officers who were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near to Moses,

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And the inspectors whom the thousands of the host hath, (heads of the thousands and heads of the hundreds), draw near unto Moses,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And the inspectors whom the thousands of the host have (heads of the thousands and heads of the hundreds), draw near to Moses,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And there came near unto Moses the officers who had been over the thousands of the army, the captains of the thousands, and the captains of the hundreds.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Then the officers of the army, the commanders over thousands and the captains over hundreds, came to Moses.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And when the commanders of the army, and the tribunes and centurions were come to Moses, they said:

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

The army officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, came to Moses

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Then the men in authority over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, came to Moses,

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.

וַֽandclauseverbיִּקְרְבוּ֙they.drew.nearprepositional phrase · prepositionalאֶלtoמֹשֶׁ֔הMosesnoun phrase · subjectnoun phraseהַthenoun phraseפְּקֻדִ֕יםofficersrelpאֲשֶׁ֖רwhoclauseprepositional phrase · predicateלְ[were].ofnoun phraseאַלְפֵ֣יthe.thousandsnoun phraseהַofצָּבָ֑אthe.armynoun phrasenoun phraseשָׂרֵ֥יthe.commandersnoun phraseהָofאֲלָפִ֖יםthe.thousandsוְandnoun phraseשָׂרֵ֥יthe.commandersnoun phraseהַofמֵּאֽוֹתthe.hundreds

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text is supported by the Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees word for word. The Septuagint matches seven of the eleven words in the Hebrew text, but its structure differs. The Dead Sea Scrolls show some restoration but maintain the core meaning of the verse.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וַֽיִּקְרְבוּ֙ אֶל־ מֹשֶׁ֔ה הַפְּקֻדִ֕ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר לְאַלְפֵ֣י הַצָּבָ֑א שָׂרֵ֥י הָאֲלָפִ֖ים וְשָׂרֵ֥י הַמֵּאֽוֹת׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַֽיִּקְרְבוּ֙προσῆλθονאֶל־πρὸςמֹשֶׁ֔הμωυσῆνהַפְּקֻדִ֕יםκαθεσταμένοιלְאַלְפֵ֣יεἰςהַצָּבָ֑אδυνάμεωςוְשָׂרֵ֥יκαὶ

7 of the 11 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.

Samaritan Pentateuchthe Torah as the Samaritan community kept it

ויקרבו אל משׁה הפקדים אשׁר לאלפי הצבא שׂרי האלפים ושׂרי המאות

Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q27a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[ויקרבו] אל מושה כול הפקודים אשר לאלפי הצבא שרי [האלפים] [ושרי] [המאות] [הבאים] [מצבא] המלחמה

7 words on the leather — 2 partly restored, 6 supplied entire by an editor.

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.

Numbers 31:48קָרֵבand they drand they drew nקָרֵבאֶלtotoאֶלמֹשֶׁהMosesMosesמֹשֶׁהפָּקַדthe officerthe officersפָּקַדאֲשֶׁרwhowhoאֲשֶׁראֶ֫לֶף[were] of [[were] of [the]אֶ֫לֶףצָבָאthe armythe armyצָבָאשַׂר[the] comma[the] commanderשַׂראֶ֫לֶףthe thousanthe thousandsאֶ֫לֶףשַׂרand [the] cand [the] commaשַׂרמֵאָהthe hundredthe hundredsמֵאָהשָׂרַרto ruleto ruleשָׂרַרמָשָׁהto drawto drawמָשָׁהאֶ֫לֶףcattlecattleאֶ֫לֶףצָבָאto serveto serveצָבָאחֲמִשִּׁיםfiftyfiftyחֲמִשִּׁיםצָוָהto commandto commandצָוָהמֵאָהhundredhundredמֵאָהחָמֵשׁfivefiveחָמֵשׁקָרְבָּןofferingofferingקָרְבָּןאִשֶּׁהfood offerfood offeringאִשֶּׁהפָּלַלto prayto prayפָּלַליִרְמְיָ֫הJeremiahJeremiahיִרְמְיָ֫האַהֲרֹןAaronAaronאַהֲרֹןמִשְׁפָּחָהfamilyfamilyמִשְׁפָּחָהכֹּהthusthusכֹּהנְאֻםutteranceutteranceנְאֻםאֶ֫לֶףthousandthousandאֶ֫לֶף
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Numbers 31:48

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.

and they drew near to Moses the officers who [were] of [the] thousands of the army [the] commanders of the thousands and [the] commanders of the hundreds
וַֽיִּקְרְבוּ֙vai.yik.re.Vu and they drew near H7126 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
280× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To approach or come near someone or something, often with a sense of purpose or intention, like Moses approaching the burning bush in Exodus 3:5. This word can also mean to bring someone or something near, as in presenting an offering to God.
Amplified meaning
came near, drew near to
Tyndale gloss
to present: come
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

קָרַב (qarab) is a Hebrew verb meaning to approach or come near, with various nuances including bringing or presenting something. It encompasses different forms such as Qal (to approach), Niphal (to be brought near), and Hiphil (to bring near). The term is often associated with offerings or dedications to God, particularly in the context of the book of Ezekiel.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[קָרֵב], קָרַב 279 vb. come near, approach

Qal 93 approach

Niph. he shall be brought unto God

Pi. cause to approach, bring near

Hiph.

177

bring near, bring, present

of time

as term techn. (c. 158 t.), chiefly Ez HP, bring near, of presenting, dedicating, or offering to י׳

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7126 קָרֵב, קָרַב come near, approach .approach

. he shall be brought unto God

. cause to approach, bring near

. . . bring near, bring, present

. of time

. as term techn. (c. 158 t.), chiefly Ez HP, bring near, of presenting, dedicating, or offering to י׳

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7126 qarab kaw-rab'

a primitive root; to approach (causatively, bring near) for

whatever purpose:--(cause to) approach, (cause to) bring

(forth, near), (cause to) come (near, nigh), (cause to) draw

near (nigh), go (near), be at hand, join, be near, offer,

present, produce, make ready, stand, take.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

קָרַב (qa.rav) — to present: come.

: come/approach

1) to come near, approach, enter into, draw near

1a) (Qal) to approach, draw near

1b) (Niphal) to be brought near

1c) (Piel) to cause to approach, bring near, cause to draw near

1d) (Hiphil) to bring near, bring, present

קָרַב (qa.rav) — to present: bring.

: bring/offer

1) to come near, approach, enter into, draw near

1a) (Qal) to approach, draw near

1b) (Niphal) to be brought near

1c) (Piel) to cause to approach, bring near, cause to draw near

1d) (Hiphil) to bring near, bring, present

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
Hc/Vqw3mp
and they drew near to Moses the officers who [were] of [the] thousands of the army [the] commanders of the thousands and [the] commanders of the hundreds
אֶל־'el- to H413 Preposition
5,518× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means 'to' or 'toward', showing direction or movement. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus, to indicate where someone is going. The KJV translates it in various ways, like 'about', 'according to', or 'against'.
Tyndale gloss
to(wards)
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֶל (el) is primarily a preposition indicating motion towards or direction to a person or place. It can also imply entering a limit, presence at a location, or a hostile direction (against). Additionally, it may express concepts such as concerning, in addition to, or according to. The entries highlight its versatility in both physical and metaphorical contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph),

prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).of motion to or unto a person or place

Where the limit is actually entered, into

Of direction towards anything

Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

Of rule or standard according to (rare)

Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H413 אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), . of motion to or unto a person or place

. Where the limit is actually entered, into

. Of direction towards anything

. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

. Of rule or standard according to (rare)

. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

413 'el ale

(but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el});

a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but

occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or

among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after,

against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and,

by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of,

over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether,

with(-in).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶל (el) — to(wards).

1) to, toward, unto (of motion)

2) into (limit is actually entered)

2a) in among

3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion)

4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character)

5) in addition to, to

6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of

7) according to (rule or standard)

8) at, by, against (of one's presence)

9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR — Preposition
HR
and they drew near to Moses the officers who [were] of [the] thousands of the army [the] commanders of the thousands and [the] commanders of the hundreds
מֹשֶׁ֔הmo.Sheh Moses H4872 Noun proper masculine
766× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Moses, the Israelite leader, was born to Amram and Jochebed and led the Exodus from Egypt. He received the law from God and is considered a key figure in the Bible. Moses means 'drawn' in Hebrew.
Amplified meaning
the Israelite leader, prophet
Tyndale gloss
Moses
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מֹשֶׁה (Mosheh) refers to Moses, the prominent Hebrew leader, prophet, and lawgiver. The name is derived from the root meaning 'drawing out,' indicating his rescue from water. He is a key figure in the Old Testament, first mentioned in Exodus 2:10, and is known for leading the Israelites during the Exodus.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מֹשֶׁה 767 n.pr.m. Moses, the great Hebrew leader, prophet and lawgiver

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4872 מֹשֶׁה Moses, the great Hebrew leader, prophet and lawgiver

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4872 Mosheh mo-sheh'

from 4871; drawing out (of the water), i.e. rescued; Mosheh,

the Israelite lawgiver:--Moses.

see HEBREW for 04871

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מֹשֶׁה (mo.sheh) — Moses.

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Exo.2.10;

son of: Amram (H6019) and Jochebed (H3115);

brother of: Aaron (H0175) and Miriam (H4813); married to Zipporah (H6855);

father of: Gershom (H1647) and Eliezer (H0461H); also called Manasseh at Jdg.18.30(?)

§ Moses = "drawn"

the prophet and lawgiver, leader of the exodus

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mo'-zez, mo'-ziz (mosheh; Egyptian mes, "drawn out," "born"; Septuagint Mouse(s)). The great Hebrew national hero, leader, author, law-giver and prophet.

I. LIFE

1. Son of Levi

2. Foundling Prince

3. Friend of the People

4. Refuge in Midian

5. Leader of Israel

II. WORK AND CHARACTER

1. The Author

2. The Lawgiver

3. The Prophet

LITERATURE

The traditional view of the Jewish church and of the Christian church, that Moses was a person and that the narrative with which his life-story is interwoven is real history, is in the main sustained by commentators and critics of all classes.

It is needless to mention the old writers among whom these questions were hardly under discussion. Among the advocates of the current radical criticism may be mentioned Stade and Renan, who minimize the historicity of the Bible narrative at this point. Renan thinks the narrative "may be very probable." Ewald, Wellhausen…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Moses

Drawn (or Egypt. mesu, “son;” hence Rameses, royal son). On the invitation of Pharaoh (Gen. 45:17-25), Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt. This immigration took place probably about 350 years before the birth of Moses. Some centuries before Joseph, Egypt had been conquered by a pastoral Semitic race from Asia, the Hyksos, who brought into cruel subjection the native Egyptians, who were an African race. Jacob and his retinue were accustomed to a shepherd’s life, and on their arrival in Egypt were received with favour by the king, who assigned them the “best of the land”, the land of Goshen, to dwell in. The Hyksos or “shepherd” king who thus showed favour to Joseph and his family was in all probability the Pharaoh Apopi (or Apopis).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(Heb. Mosheh , "drawn," i.e. from the water; in the Coptic it means "saved from the water"), the legislator of the Jewish people, and in a certain sense the founder of the Jewish religion. The immediate pedigree of Moses is as follows: Levi was the father of: Gershon -- Kohath -- Merari Kohath was the father of: Amram = Jochebed Amram = Jochebed was the father of: Hur = Miriam -- Aaron = Elisheba -- Moses = Zipporah Aaron = Elisheba was the father of: Nadab -- Abihu -- Eleazar -- Ithamar Eleazar was the father of: Phineas Moses = Zipporah was the father of: Gershom -- Eliezer Gershom was the father of: Jonathan The history of Moses naturally divides itself into three periods of 40 years each. Moses was born at Goshen, In Egypt, B.C. 1571. The story of his birth is thoroughly Egyptian in its scene. His mother made extraordinary efforts for his preservation from the general destruction of…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The name of the illustrious prophet and legislator of the Hebrews, who led them from Egypt to the Promised Land. Having been originally imposed by a native Egyptian princess, the word is no doubt Egyptian in its origin, and Josephus gives its true derivation—from the two Egyptian words, MO, water, and USE, saved. With this accords the Septuagint form, MOUSES. The Hebrews by a slight change accommodated it to their own language, as they did also in the case of some other foreign words; calling it MOSHIE, from the verb MASHA, to draw. See Ex 2:10. Moses was born about 15.71 B. C., the son of Amram and Jochebed, of the tribe of Levi, and the younger brother of Miriam and Aaron. His history is too extensive to permit insertion here, and in general too well known to need it. It is enough simply to remark, that it is divided into three…

and they drew near to Moses the officers who [were] of [the] thousands of the army [the] commanders of the thousands and [the] commanders of the hundreds
הַפְּקֻדִ֕יםha.pe.ku.Dim the officers H6485 Particle · verb qal participle (passive) masculine plural
303× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to visit or oversee, and can imply a range of actions, from friendly to hostile. It is used in various contexts, including appointing, avenging, or delivering something into someone's care. The KJV translates it in many ways, including appoint, avenge, or commit.
Amplified meaning
leaders, commanders
Tyndale gloss
to reckon: list
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

פָּקַד (paqad) is a Hebrew verb that encompasses a range of meanings including to attend to, visit, muster, appoint, and punish. It can imply oversight or care, as well as the act of seeking or lacking something. The word can also be used in various grammatical forms, indicating actions such as being appointed or being visited upon. The plural form פְּקוּדִים refers to musterings or expenses.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

פָּקַד 303 vb. attend to, visit, muster, appoint

Qal

pay attention to, observe (with care, practical interest)

attend to, in act, see to

seek (with interest, desire)

seek in vain, need, miss, lack

specif. visit, c. acc., for different purposes

c. עַל pers., visit upon

pass in review, muster (nearly = number), c. acc.

appoint

Niph.

be (sought, i.e. needed) missed, lacking

be visited (graciously)

be visited upon, עַל pers.

be appointed

Pi. (intens.) muster a host

Pu. be passed in review; be caused to miss, deprived

Hithp. be mustered

Hothp. id.

Hiph.

c. acc. pers. set (over), make overseer

c. acc. rei (implic.)

commit, entrust

deposit

Hoph.

be visited in punishment

be deposited

be made overseer

base

[פְּקוּדִים] n.pl.[m.] abstr. musterings, i.e. expenses;—cstr. Ex 38:21

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6485a פָּקַד attend to, visit, muster, appoint .. . . pay attention to, observe (with care, practical interest)

. attend to, in act, see to

. seek (with interest, desire)

. seek in vain, need, miss, lack

. specif. visit, c. acc., for different purposes

. c. עַל pers., visit upon

. pass in review, muster (nearly = number), c. acc.

. appoint

. . be (sought, i.e. needed) missed, lacking

. be visited (graciously)

. be visited upon, עַל pers.

. be appointed

. (intens.) muster a host

. be passed in review; be caused to miss, deprived

. be mustered

. id.

. . c. acc. pers. set (over), make overseer

. c. acc. rei (implic.) . commit, entrust

. deposit

. . be visited in punishment

. be deposited

. be made overseer

H6485b פְּקוּדִים n. pl. [m.] abstr. musterings, i.e. expenses

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6485 paqad paw-kad'

a primitive root; to visit (with friendly or hostile intent);

by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss,

deposit, etc.:--appoint, X at all, avenge, bestow, (appoint

to have the, give a) charge, commit, count, deliver to keep,

be empty, enjoin, go see, hurt, do judgment, lack, lay up,

look, make, X by any means, miss, number, officer, (make)

overseer, have (the) oversight, punish, reckon, (call to)

remember(-brance), set (over), sum, X surely, visit, want.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

פָּקַד (pa.qad) — to reckon: list.

: list/count

1) to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to pay attention to, observe

1a2) to attend to

1a3) to seek, look about for

1a4) to seek in vain, need, miss, lack

1a5) to visit

1a6) to visit upon, punish

1a7) to pass in review, muster, number

1a8) to appoint, assign, lay upon as a charge, deposit

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be sought, be needed, be missed, be lacking

1b2) to be visited

1b3) to be visited upon

1b4) to be appointed

1b5) to be watched over

1c) (Piel) to muster, call up

1d) (Pual) to be passed in review, be caused to miss, be called, be called to account

1e) (Hiphil)

1e1) to set over, make overseer, appoint an overseer

1e2) to commit, entrust, commit for care, deposit

1f) (Hophal)

1f1) to be visited

1f2) to be deposited

1f3) to be made overseer, be entrusted

1g) (Hithpael) numbered

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | V-Qal-Inf-c — Particle · verb qal participle (passive) masculine plural
HTd/Vqsmpa
and they drew near to Moses the officers who [were] of [the] thousands of the army [the] commanders of the thousands and [the] commanders of the hundreds
אֲשֶׁ֖ר'a.Sher who H834 Particle
5,500× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word is a conjunction that connects ideas and events in the Bible, like in the book of Genesis, where it's used to describe the relationship between God and His creation.
Tyndale gloss
which
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֲשֶׁר (*asher*) is a relative pronoun that can mean 'who,' 'which,' or 'that.' It serves various grammatical functions, including as an adverb or conjunction, indicating relationships between clauses, places, or conditions. Variants like בַאֲשֶׁר (*ba-asher*), מֵאֲשֶׁר (*me-asher*), and כַּאֲשֶׁר (*ka-asher*) expand its usage to specific contexts such as location, causation, and time.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause.

base

בַאֲשֶׁר

in (that) which

adv. in (the place) where

conj. in that, inasmuch as

on account of whom?

base

מֵאֲשֶׁר

from (or than) that which

adv. from (the place) where

conj. from (the fact) that …, since

base

כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when

according to that which, according as, as

with a causal force, in so far as, since

with a temporal force, when

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H834a אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause. H834b בַאֲשֶׁר . in (that) which

. adv. in (the place) where

. conj. in that, inasmuch as

. on account of whom?

H834c מֵאֲשֶׁר . from (or than) that which

. adv. from (the place) where

. conj. from (the fact) that …, since

H834d כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when . according to that which, according as, as

. with a causal force, in so far as, since

. with a temporal force, when

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

834 'aher ash-er'

a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number);

who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction)

when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.:--X after, X

alike, as (soon as), because, X every, for, + forasmuch, +

from whence, + how(-soever), X if, (so) that ((thing) which,

wherein), X though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where

(+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, +

whither(- soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is

indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun

expletively, used to show the connection.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֲשֶׁר (a.sher) — which.

A: 1) (relative part.)

1a) which, who

1b) that which

2) (conj)

2a) that (in obj clause)

2b) when

2c) since

2d) as

2e) conditional if

B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which

2) (adv)

2a) where

3) (conj)

3a) in that, inasmuch as

3b) on account of

C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which

2) from (the place) where

3) from (the fact) that, since

D: Kaph+

1) (conj.), according as, as, when

1a) according to that which, according as, as

1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since

1c) with a temporal force: when

בַאֲשֶׁר (ba.a.sher) — in which.

1) in (that) which

2) (adv)

2a) where

3) (conj)

3a) in that, inasmuch as

3b) on account of

מֵאֲשֶׁר (me.a.sher) — whence.

1) from (or than) that which

2) from (the place) where

3) from (the fact) that, since

כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka.a.sher) — as which.

conj

1) according as, as, when

1a) according to that which, according as, as

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Rel — Particle
HTr
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and they drew near to Moses the officers who [were] of [the] thousands of the army [the] commanders of the thousands and [the] commanders of the hundreds
לְאַלְפֵ֣יle.'al.Fei [were] of [the] thousands of H505 Preposition · noun common both plural construct
506× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A thousand, as in Exodus 20:6 where God shows love to thousands of people. It represents a large number or a company of people under one leader, like an army or a group of soldiers.
Amplified meaning
divisions, companies
Tyndale gloss
thousand
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶ֫לֶף n.m. thousand

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H505 אֶ֫לֶף thousand

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

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

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | Adj — Preposition · noun common both plural construct
HR/Ncbpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

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…

and they drew near to Moses the officers who [were] of [the] thousands of the army [the] commanders of the thousands and [the] commanders of the hundreds
הַצָּבָ֑אha.tza.Va' the army H6635 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
485× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means a large group of people or things, often referring to an army or a campaign, and is also used to describe the Lord's hosts. It appears in the Bible as a name for God, emphasizing His power and authority. In the KJV, it's translated as 'host' or 'army'.
Amplified meaning
host, military forces
Tyndale gloss
army
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word צָבָא (*tsaba'*) primarily means 'army' or 'warfare,' encompassing organized groups for battle, divine hosts, and even celestial bodies. It can also refer to service or duty in a military context. The term appears in various forms, including צְבָאוֹת (*tsaba'ot*), which denotes the 'hosts' of the Lord, particularly in relation to God's role in warfare.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

צָבָא 485 n.m. army, war, warfare

army, host

war, warfare, service

service

צְבָאוֹת, in name of י׳ as God of war, prob. first in time of warlike David (some connect with sacred ark, but ark older)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6635a צָבָא army, war, warfare . army, host

. war, warfare, service

. service

H6635b צְבָאוֹת army, war, warfare . army, host

. war, warfare, service

. service

. צְבָאוֹת, in name of י׳ as God of war, prob. first in time of warlike David (some connect with sacred ark, but ark older)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6635 tsaba' tsaw-baw'

or (feminine) tsbadah {tseb-aw-aw'}; from 6633; a mass of

persons (or figuratively, things), especially reg. organized

for war (an army); by implication, a campaign, literally or

figuratively (specifically, hardship, worship):--appointed

time, (+) army, (+) battle, company, host, service, soldiers,

waiting upon, war(-fare).

see HEBREW for 06633

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

צָבָא (tsa.va) — army.

: army

1) that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host

1a) army, host

1a1) host (of organised army)

1a2) host (of angels)

1a3) of sun, moon, and stars

1a4) of whole creation

1b) war, warfare, service, go out to war

1c) service

צָבָא (tsa.va) — Hosts.

The Hosts (of the Lord)

Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

צָבָא (tsa.va) — army: war.

: war

1) that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host

1a) army, host

1a1) host (of organised army)

1a2) host (of angels)

1a3) of sun, moon, and stars

1a4) of whole creation

1b) war, warfare, service, go out to war

1c) service

צָבָא (tsa.va) — army: duty.

: duty

1) that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host

1a) army, host

1a1) host (of organised army)

1a2) host (of angels)

1a3) of sun, moon, and stars

1a4) of whole creation

1b) war, warfare, service, go out to war

1c) service

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-cs — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ar'-mi (chayil, "army," tsabha', "host," ma`arakhah, "army in battle array" gedhudh, "troop"):

1. The First Campaign of History

2. In the Wilderness

3. The Times after the Conquest

4. In the Early Monarchy

5. From the Time of Solomon Onward

6. Organization of the Hebrew Army

7. The Army in the Field

8. The Supplies of the Army

9. In the New Testament

The Israelites were not a distinctively warlike people and their glory has been won on other fields than those of war. But Canaan, between the Mediterranean and the desert, was the highway of the East and the battle-ground of nations. The Israelites were, by the necessity of their geographical position, often involved in wars not of their own seeking, and their bravery and endurance even when worsted in their conflicts won for them the admiration and respect of their conquerors.

1. The First Campaign of History:

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Army

The Israelites marched out of Egypt in military order (Ex. 13:18, “harnessed;” marg., “five in a rank”). Each tribe formed a battalion, with its own banner and leader (Num. 2:2; 10:14). In war the army was divided into thousands and hundreds under their several captains (Num. 31:14), and also into families (Num. 2:34; 2 Chr. 25:5; 26:12). From the time of their entering the land of Canaan to the time of the kings, the Israelites made little progress in military affairs, although often engaged in warfare. The kings introduced the custom of maintaining a bodyguard (the Gibborim; i.e., “heroes”), and thus the nucleus of…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

I. JEWISH ARMY.--Every man above 20 years of age was a soldier, (Numbers 1:3) each tribe formed a regiment, with its own banner and its own leader (Numbers 2:2; 10:14) their positions in the camp or on the march were accurately fixed, Numb. 2; the whole army started and stopped at a given signal, (Numbers 10:5,6) thus they came up out of Egypt ready for the fight. (Exodus 13:18) On the approach of an enemy a conscription was made from the general body, under the direction of a muster-master, (20:5; 2 Kings 25:19) by whom also the officers were appointed. (20:9) The army had then divided into thousands and hundreds under…

and they drew near to Moses the officers who [were] of [the] thousands of the army [the] commanders of the thousands and [the] commanders of the hundreds
שָׂרֵ֥יsa.Rei [the] commanders of H8269 Noun common · masculine plural construct
421× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A leader or person in charge, like a prince or captain, as seen in the Bible with King David and other rulers.
Amplified meaning
captains, rulers
Tyndale gloss
ruler
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שַׂר (sar) refers to a leader or ruler, encompassing a range of meanings from prince and chief to official and captain. It denotes various ranks, including military commanders and religious leaders, and can also imply a noble or merchant of high status. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to rule'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שַׂר 420 n.m. chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8269 שַׂר chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8269 sar sar

from 8323; a head person (of any rank or class):--captain

(that had rule), chief (captain), general, governor, keeper,

lord, ((-task- ))master, prince(-ipal), ruler, steward.

see HEBREW for 08323

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שַׂר (sar) — ruler.

1) prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain

1a) chieftain, leader

1b) vassal, noble, official (under king)

1c) captain, general, commander (military)

1d) chief, head, overseer (of other official classes)

1e) heads, princes (of religious office)

1f) elders (of representative leaders of people)

1g) merchant-princes (of rank and dignity)

1h) patron-angel

1i) Ruler of rulers (of God)

1j) warden

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural construct
HNcmpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

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…

and they drew near to Moses the officers who [were] of [the] thousands of the army [the] commanders of the thousands and [the] commanders of the hundreds
הָאֲלָפִ֖יםha.'a.la.Fim the thousands H505 Particle
506× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A thousand, as in Exodus 20:6 where God shows love to thousands of people. It represents a large number or a company of people under one leader, like an army or a group of soldiers.
Amplified meaning
large groups, companies
Tyndale gloss
thousand
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶ֫לֶף n.m. thousand

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H505 אֶ֫לֶף thousand

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

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

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | Adj — Particle
HTd/Acbpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Thousands

(Micah 5:2), another name for “families” or “clans” (see Num. 1:16; 10:4; Josh. 22:14, 21). Several “thousands” or “families” made up a “tribe.”

and they drew near to Moses the officers who [were] of [the] thousands of the army [the] commanders of the thousands and [the] commanders of the hundreds
וְשָׂרֵ֥יve.sa.Rei and [the] commanders of H8269 Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct
421× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A leader or person in charge, like a prince or captain, as seen in the Bible with King David and other rulers.
Tyndale gloss
ruler
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שַׂר (sar) refers to a leader or ruler, encompassing a range of meanings from prince and chief to official and captain. It denotes various ranks, including military commanders and religious leaders, and can also imply a noble or merchant of high status. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to rule'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שַׂר 420 n.m. chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8269 שַׂר chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8269 sar sar

from 8323; a head person (of any rank or class):--captain

(that had rule), chief (captain), general, governor, keeper,

lord, ((-task- ))master, prince(-ipal), ruler, steward.

see HEBREW for 08323

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שַׂר (sar) — ruler.

1) prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain

1a) chieftain, leader

1b) vassal, noble, official (under king)

1c) captain, general, commander (military)

1d) chief, head, overseer (of other official classes)

1e) heads, princes (of religious office)

1f) elders (of representative leaders of people)

1g) merchant-princes (of rank and dignity)

1h) patron-angel

1i) Ruler of rulers (of God)

1j) warden

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HC/Ncmpc — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct
HC/Ncmpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

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…

and they drew near to Moses the officers who [were] of [the] thousands of the army [the] commanders of the thousands and [the] commanders of the hundreds
הַמֵּאֽוֹת׃ha.me.'ot the hundreds H3967 Particle
581× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Means a hundred, used as a simple number or part of a larger number in the Bible. It appears in various forms, including fractions like one one-hundredth. Found in books like Genesis and Psalms.
Amplified meaning
smaller units, battalions
Tyndale gloss
hundred
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מֵאָה 583 n.f. hundred

as simple number

as part of larger number

a hundredth part

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3967 מֵאָה hundred . as simple number

. as part of larger number

. a hundredth part

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

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)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | Adj — Particle
HTd/Acfpa
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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