בְּנֵי־בְּרַק
𐤁𐤍𐤉־𐤁𐤓𐤒
Beney Beraq
H1139 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A place-name meaning 'Sons of Baraq' or 'Children of Lightning'; most likely indicating a settlement or community tracing its lineage or association to an individual named Baraq ('Lightning'), or possibly referencing a meteorological or symbolic aspect (such as brilliance or swiftness). In the biblical context, it refers to a specific town situated in the territory allotted to the tribe of Dan.
Semantic Range
sons of (group or clan), children (descendants); lightning, gleam, flash; as a place name: Bene-berak, 'sons of Baraq' or 'sons of lightning' (a specific settlement or town)
Root / Etymology
Compound of the noun בֵּן (ben, 'son') in its construct plural form בְּנֵי (bᵉnê, 'sons of') and the proper name or noun בָּרָק (baraq, 'lightning'). The toponym reflects a common ancient Near Eastern pattern of place-names derived from ancestor or founder names, or descriptive natural elements. The core sense of the root ברק is 'to flash, to gleam', notably used to denote 'lightning'.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בְּנֵי־בְּרַק appears in Joshua 19:45 as a town listed among the allotments of the tribe of Dan in the southern coastal region. The name preserves the formulaic 'sons of X' construction, used both for real kin groups and for settlements linked to eponymous founders or remarkable features. In later periods, the site is attested in extrabiblical sources (including rabbinic literature), located northeast of Jaffa. Standard English translations usually render it Bene-berak or Bene-barak, but this preserves the foreignness of the name without conveying its literal meaning. There is no indication that the community or town had any direct religious or mythological association with natural lightning, but the use of 'lightning' as a personal eponym or as a vivid descriptor is well-attested in West Semitic onomastics. Distinct from literal 'sons of lightning', the phrase is primarily a conventional place-name formation reflecting regional patterns in naming settlements after prominent persons or attributes. The shift from an original association with a group or founder to a fixed place-name likely occurred in the early monarchic period or earlier.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the plural construction of בֵּן and בָּרָק; sons of lightning, Bene-berak, a place in Palestine; Bene-barak.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
בן, ברק (Beney Beraq) — to beget, to bear, to be a son, to flash, to gleam, to lighten
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1139-01 |
וּ/בְנֵֽי | uveney | HC/Np |
and-Bene | and sons of | and Beney Beraq | 1 |
H1139-02 |
בְרַ֖ק | veraq | HNp |
berak | Sons of Lightning | Beney Beraq | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1139-01 |
Joshua 19:45 | וּ/בְנֵֽי | uveney | HC/Np |
and-Bene | and sons of | and Beney Beraq |
H1139-02 |
Joshua 19:45 | בְרַ֖ק | veraq | HNp |
berak | Sons of Lightning | Beney Beraq |