בֵּן (H1123) — Hebrew Lexicon

בֵּן

𐤁𐤍

bên

H1123 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בנה to build, to construct, to establish family

Definition

Male offspring; in a broad sense, a descendant, member, or affiliate of a family, group, or category. Used both literally for a biological son and metaphorically for descendant, member of a profession, class, or people; also signifies youth or young man in certain contexts. The semantic range extends to designate an individual with a particular relationship of belonging, association, or derivation within a lineage, tribe, nation, or collective.

Semantic Range

son, male offspring, descendant, member of a family, child (in some contexts), youth, young man, member/affiliate of a group or class (e.g., 'sons of the prophets'), person of a particular characteristic or occupation (e.g., 'sons of valor'), member of a people or nation

Root / Etymology

בנה (Aramaic form of the Hebrew root בנה) meaning 'to build.' The noun בֵּן derives from the concept of 'one who is built' (i.e., offspring or descendant), reflecting the role of children in establishing and continuing the family or lineage. While this term is Aramaic, it remains closely related in meaning and form to the Hebrew בֵּן, sharing the same core derivation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Daniel, Ezra), בֵּן functions directly as the standard term for 'son,' identical in meaning to the Hebrew בֵּן. Beyond its literal use, it often appears in patronymic formulas (e.g., 'son of X'), in tribal designations (e.g., 'sons of Israel' meaning 'Israelites'), or in expressions of group identity (e.g., 'sons of the prophets' for prophetic disciples). The term is also used idiomatically to indicate youth or someone belonging to a particular vocation. English translations as 'son' or 'child' capture the foundational meaning, but the full breadth—genealogical, social, and metaphorical—is sometimes missed, especially in collective, idiomatic, or figurative uses. No major semantic shift is evident between the Hebrew and Aramaic uses in the context of the Hebrew Bible; however, distinctions should be observed between literal, collective, and figurative referents. The English term 'Jew' occasionally appears in translations for collective identities (e.g., 'sons of Judah'), but this is a later development and should not replace the lexical sense tied to descent or group identity in the First and Second Temple periods.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to בֵּן; {a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense}; child, son, young.

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Root Family

בנה (b-n-h) — to build, construct, establish family

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H1004	בַּיִת	in the houses
H1005	בַּיִת	the built-house
H1006	בַּיִת	the house
H1007	בֵּית אָוֶן	house-of
H1008	בֵּית־אֵל	in house of
H1009	בֵּית אַרְבֵּאל	house of
H1010	בֵּית בַּעַל מְעוֹן	house-of
H1011	בֵּית בִּרְאִי	and in the house of
H1012	בֵּית בָּרָה	house of
H1013	בֵּית־גָּדֵר	house-of
H1014	בֵּית גָּמוּל	house of
H1015	בֵּית דִּבְלָתַיִם	house-of
H1016	בֵּית־דָּגוֹן	house-of
H1017	בֵּית הָאֱלִי	house of
H1018	בֵּית הָאֵצֶל	house of
H1020	בֵּית הַיְשִׁימוֹת	house-of
H1021	בֵּית הַכֶּרֶם	house-of
H1022	בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי	house of
H1023	בֵּית הַמֶּרְחָק	house-of
H1024	בֵּית הַמַּרְכָּבוֹת	and house of
H1025	בֵּית הָעֵמֶק	house of
H1026	בֵּית הָעֲרָבָה	house-of
H1027	בֵּית הָרָם	house-of
H1028	בֵּית הָרָן	house of
H1029	בֵּית הַשִּׁטָּה	house-of
H1030	בֵּית הַשִּׁמְשִׁי	house-of
H1031	בֵּית חׇגְלָה	house of
H1032	בֵּית חוֹרוֹן	house-of
H1033	בֵּית כַּר	to the built-house of
H1034	בֵּית לְבָאוֹת	and house-of
H1035	בֵּית לֶחֶם	in the house of
H1036	בֵּית לְעַפְרָה	in the built-house of
H1038	בֵּית מַעֲכָה	house of
H1039	בֵּית נִמְרָה	house of
H1041	בֵּית עַזְמָוֶת	house of
H1042	בֵּית עֲנוֹת	and house of
H1043	בֵּית עֲנָת	and house-of
H1044	בֵּית עֵקֶד	house-of
H1046	בֵּית פֶּלֶט	and house of
H1047	בֵּית פְּעוֹר	house of
H1048	בֵּית פַּצֵּץ	and house-of
H1049	בֵּית צוּר	house of
H1050	בֵּית רְחוֹב	house-of
H1051	בֵּית רָפָא	house of
H1052	בֵּית שְׁאָן	in the built-house of
H1053	בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ	in the built-house of
H1054	בֵּית תַּפּוּחַ	and house of
H1121	בֵּן	sons
H1122	בֵּן	son
H1124	בְּנָא	the ones building
H1125	בֶּן־אֲבִינָדָב	son
H1126	בֶּן־אוֹנִי	son
H1127	בֶּן־גֶּבֶר	son
H1128	בֶּן־דֶּקֶר	son
H1129	בָּנָה	he built
H1130	בֶּן־הֲדַד	son
H1131	בִּנּוּי	Built-Up One
H1132	בֶּן־זוֹחֵת	and son of
H1133	בֶּן־חוּר	son
H1134	בֶּן־חַיִל	to a son of
H1135	בֶּן־חָנָן	son
H1136	בֶּן־חֶסֶד	son
H1137	בָּנִי	Built-one
H1138	בֻּנִּי	Built One
H1139	בְּנֵי־בְּרַק	and sons of
H1140	בִּנְיָה	and the built-structure
H1141	בְּנָיָה	Yahweh has built
H1142	בְּנֵי יַעֲקָן	among sons of
H1145	בֶּן־יְמִינִי	son
H1146	בִּנְיָן	constructed structure
H1147	בִּנְיָן	the built structure
H1151	בֶּן־עַמִּי	son
H1323	בַּת	daughters
H1324	בַּת	daughter of
H1337	בַּת רַבִּים	daughter of
H1339	בַּת־שֶׁבַע	daughter of
H1340	בַּת־שׁוּעַ	to a daughter of
H205	אָוֶן	and building-stone
H2995	יַבְנְאֵל	and God-Builds
H2996	יַבְנֶה	Yabneh, Building-place
H2997	יִבְנְיָה	Yah Has Built
H2998	יִבְנִיָּה	Yah Builds
H358	אֵילוֹן בֵּית חָנָן	house of
H3845	לִבְנִי	to my son
H4011	מִבְנֶה	like the built-structure of
H4012	מְבֻנַּי	Built-Up One
H4996	נֹא	his son
H5524	סֻכּוֹת בְּנוֹת	daughters of
H5854	עַטְרוֹת בֵּית יוֹאָב	house of
H62	אָבֵל בֵּית־מֲעַכָה	house of
H68	אֶבֶן	your building-stones
H69	אֶבֶן	building-stone of
H72	אֶבֶן הָעֵזֶר	building-stone of
H8401	תֶּבֶן	the straw residue
H8403	תַּבְנִית	in building-pattern of
H885	בְּאֵרֹת בְּנֵי־יַעֲקַן	sons of
H935	בּוֹא	daughter of
H956	בּוּת	and daughter of
H995	בִּין	son of
H996	בֵּין	son

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H1123-01`	בְּנֵ֤י	beney	`ANcmpc`	sons of	sons of	6
`H1123-04`	וּ/בְנֽוֹ/הִי	uvenohi	`AC/Ncmpc/Sp3ms`	and his sons	and his sons	2
`H1123-02`	בְּנֵי/ה֣וֹן	beneyhon	`ANcmpc/Sp3mp`	their sons	their sons	1
`H1123-03`	וּ/בְנֵ֣י	uveney	`AC/Ncmpc`	and-sons-of	and sons of	1
`H1123-05`	בְנֵֽי	veney	`ANcmpc`	the sons of	sons of	1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H1123-01`	Daniel 2:25	בְּנֵ֤י	beney	`ANcmpc`	sons-of	sons of
`H1123-01`	Daniel 2:38	בְּֽנֵי	beney	`ANcmpc`	sons of	sons of
`H1123-01`	Daniel 5:13	בְּנֵ֤י	beney	`ANcmpc`	sons	sons of
`H1123-01`	Daniel 5:21	בְּנֵי֩	beney	`ANcmpc`	sons of	sons of
`H1123-01`	Daniel 6:14	בְּנֵ֨י	beney	`ANcmpc`	sons-of	sons of
`H1123-02`	Daniel 6:25	בְּנֵי/ה֣וֹן	beneyhon	`ANcmpc/Sp3mp`	their sons	their sons
`H1123-03`	Ezra 6:9	וּ/בְנֵ֣י	uveney	`AC/Ncmpc`	and-sons-of	and sons of
`H1123-04`	Ezra 6:10	וּ/בְנֽוֹ/הִי	uvenohi	`AC/Ncmpc/Sp3ms`	and his sons	and his sons
`H1123-05`	Ezra 6:16	בְנֵֽי	veney	`ANcmpc`	the sons of	sons of
`H1123-01`	Ezra 6:16	בְּנֵי	beney	`ANcmpc`	the sons of	sons of
`H1123-04`	Ezra 7:23	וּ/בְנֽוֹ/הִי	uvenohi	`AC/Ncmpc/Sp3ms`	and his sons	and his sons

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