Βενιαμίν
Beniamín
G958 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Personal name; refers to 'Benjamin', originally signifying the youngest son of Jacob/Israel and Rachel in Israelite tradition. In Greek texts, Βενιαμίν designates (1) the individual son of Jacob, (2) the tribe descended from him, or (3) a member of that tribe. The term may also function as a designation for the territory allotted to his descendants.
Semantic Range
a male personal name (Benjamin), the eponymous ancestor of an Israelite tribe, the tribe of Benjamin, a member or descendant of the tribe
Root / Etymology
Transliteration of Hebrew בִּנְיָמִין (Binyamin). The Hebrew name is traditionally interpreted as 'son of the right hand' or 'son of the south'. The Greek form Βενιαμίν is directly adopted from the Hebrew, without Greek morphological adaptation.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Βενιαμίν appears in the Septuagint as the standard Greek form of the Hebrew name בִּנְיָמִין. Its primary reference in Greek sources is to (1) the patriarch Benjamin, son of Jacob, (2) the Israelite tribe descended from him, or (3) to tribal members, as in Romans 11:1 and Philippians 3:5. Unlike many Greek names, Βενιαμίν is treated as a foreign proper noun and remains indeclinable in Greek, reflecting its non-Greek origin. The name is not used to refer to a generalized community or identity outside specific genealogical or tribal contexts. Traditional English translations render this as 'Benjamin', following the Hebrew and later Christian tradition. The name carries ancestral and sometimes territorial significance in Second Temple and New Testament periods; later medieval and modern usage as 'Benjamin' sometimes broadens to figurative meanings (i.e., youngest son), but such extension is not present in biblical Greek.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of Hebrew origin (בִּנְיָמִין); Benjamin, an Israelite:--Benjamin.
Root Family
Βενιαμίν (Beniamin) — Benjamin, tribal ancestor, descendant of Jacob/Israel
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G958-01 |
Βενιαμείν | beniamein | N GEN M SG |
Benjamin | of Benjamin | Beniamin | 4 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G958-01 |
Acts 13:21 | Βενιαμείν | beniamein | N GEN M SG |
of Benjamin | of Benjamin | Beniamin |
G958-01 |
Romans 11:1 | Βενιαμείν | beniamein | N GEN M SG |
of Benjamin | of Benjamin | Beniamin |
G958-01 |
Philippians 3:5 | Βενιαμείν | beniamein | N GEN M SG |
Benjamin | of Benjamin | Beniamin |
G958-01 |
Revelation 7:8 | Βενιαμεὶν | beniamein | N GEN M SG |
Benjamin | of Benjamin | Beniamin |