בֻּנִּי

𐤁𐤍𐤉

Bunnîy

H1138 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בנה to build, construct, establish

Definition

Bunnîy (בֻּנִּי or fuller form בּוּנִי) — a masculine personal name meaning 'built' or 'constructed,' designating at least two different individuals in post-exilic Israelite texts. The primary lexical sense denotes a person whose name reflects the root concept of construction or establishment. In context, used as the name of Israelite men listed among returnees from Babylonian exile and Levitical genealogies.

Semantic Range

personal name—'built' or 'constructed'; name of Israelite men in post-exilic community lists; appears exclusively as a proper noun in genealogies and communal registers

Root / Etymology

From the verbal root בנה (to build, construct, establish), with a personal name formation indicating 'one who is built' or 'built one.' The form is a passive participle or adjectival derivative. The fuller spelling (בוּנִי) preserves the original root vowel.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The name בֻּנִּי occurs in post-exilic literature: Nehemiah 9:4 (a Levite involved in the prayer of confession following the exile) and Nehemiah 10:16 (a signatory to the renewed covenant). The occurrences are associated with genealogies and lists of community leaders among returning Israelites. The name itself is typical of theophoric and descriptive names used during the Second Temple period, reflecting familial or divine establishment. English renderings frequently transliterate the name rather than translating its meaning. The underlying verb בנה is widespread in Hebrew for building, but as a personal name, the noun form was primarily used in the late biblical or post-exilic periods, and does not denote an office or title. No evidence suggests the usage of this name for non-Israelites or outside post-exilic contexts. The English term 'Jew' appears in many translations to describe individuals such as Bunnîy in this period, but the more precise historical referent is 'Israelite' or 'member of the returned community.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (fuller) בּוּנִי; from בָּנָה; built; Bunni or Buni, an Israelite; Bunni.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

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

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

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1138-01 בֻּנִּ֥י buni HNp Bunni Built One 3

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1138-01 Nehemiah 9:4 בֻּנִּ֥י buni HNp Bunni Built One
H1138-01 Nehemiah 10:16 בֻּנִּ֥י buni HNp Bunni Built One
H1138-01 Nehemiah 11:15 בּוּנִּֽי buni HNp Bunni Built One