בֶּן־גֶּבֶר

𐤁𐤍־𐤂𐤁𐤓

Ben-Geber

H1127 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בנה, גבר to build, produce offspring, be strong, prevail, be mighty

Definition

Ben-Geber is a personal name meaning 'son of Geber.' It occurs as a proper noun designating an individual, most notably one of King Solomon's district officials. The semantic value is that of patronymic identity, indicating lineage from a man named Geber. The construction does not suggest unusual qualities beyond descent from Geber, though the underlying root גבר itself relates to strength or manliness.

Semantic Range

personal name formed by patronymic construction, designation of lineage as 'son of Geber,' identification of an official by family origin

Root / Etymology

Composed of two constituents: בֵּן (ben), meaning 'son,' from root בנה (to build, to produce offspring), and גֶּבֶר (Geber), from root גבר (to be strong, to prevail, to be mighty), which as a noun denotes 'man,' especially in the sense of an adult male, often with connotations of strength. The name thus literally means 'son of Geber.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Ben-Geber appears in the context of the united monarchy within the administrative divisions under Solomon (1 Kings 4:13). The formation follows a common Israelite pattern of personal identification by patronymic construction. The inclusion of 'Geber' ('man' or 'strong man') in the father's name may reflect aspiration, family status, or a given proper name. In later periods, similar name constructions continue but frequently with different patronymics. English translations usually retain the proper noun without conveying underlying meanings. The use of 'Israelite' is appropriate for this context, reflecting lineage within the northern tribes during Solomon's reign. There are no theological, religious, or later ethnic implications to the name itself. The construction should be understood as denoting family or clan origin, not a title.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בֵּן and גֶּבֶר; son of (the) hero; Ben-Geber, an Israelite; the son of Geber.

Bantu Hebrew

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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

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1127-01 בֶּן ben HNcmsc son of son 1
H1127-02 גֶּ֖בֶר gever HNp Geber Son of Geber 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1127-01 1 Kings 4:13 בֶּן ben HNcmsc son of son
H1127-02 1 Kings 4:13 גֶּ֖בֶר gever HNp Geber Son of Geber