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בְּנָיָה

𐤁𐤍𐤉𐤄

Benayah

H1141 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A personal name meaning 'Yahweh has built' or 'Yahweh has established.' Used for multiple individuals in the Hebrew Bible, especially notable as the name of one of King David's elite warriors from Kabzeel, later a military commander under Solomon. The name expresses the notion of foundational strength or establishment attributed to Yahweh. In naming contexts it typically reflects confidence in divine support or origin, and was common among Israelite families.

Semantic Range

personal name, 'Yahweh has built,' 'Yahweh has established,' name of individuals, theophoric expression of divine support or establishment

Root / Etymology

Formed from the verb root בנה (to build, to establish) and the theophoric suffix יה (shortened form of Yahweh), yielding the construct 'Yahweh has built/established.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

This name appears in a variety of narrative and genealogical contexts, generally for different individuals in the monarchic and postexilic periods—twelve bearers are listed in the Hebrew Bible. The use of theophoric names (names incorporating a deity's name) such as בְּנָיָה affirms the cultural pattern of expressing devotion or familial blessing through names. Although modern English translations often use the rendering 'Benaiah,' this Anglicization obscures the theophoric element and the compound meaning. In biblical tradition, the name is never used as a title or description but strictly as a proper noun; it is always attached to the historical figure's direct genealogy or achievements. The meaning and structure are shared with other theophoric names from the biblical period. Later Jewish tradition associates the name with virtue or strength, though the biblical usage is strictly nominative. Contrast with names formed on the root בנה without the theophoric element: these carry a simple 'build/establish' semantic domain without specifically attributing action to Yahweh.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or בּנָיָהוּ; (prolonged) from בָּנָה and יָהּ; Jah has built; Benajah, the name of twelve Israelites; Benaiah.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

בנה (Bayit) — to build, construct, establish

Root בנה to build, to establish
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1004 בַּיִת in the houses
H1005 בַּיִת the built-house
H1121 בֵּן sons
H1122 בֵּן son
H1123 בֵּן sons of

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1141-04 וּ/בְנָיָ֡הוּ uvenayahu HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah 14
H1141-02 בְּנָיָ֖הוּ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah 13
H1141-01 בְּנָיָ֨ה benayah HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah 8
H1141-03 וּ/בְנָיָֽה uvenayah HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah 3
H1141-05 וְ/לִ/בְנָיָ֧הוּ velivenayahu HC/R/Np and to Benaiah and to Yahweh-has-built and to Benayah 2
H1141-06 בְנָיָ֛הוּ venayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh-has-built Benayah 2

Occurrences in Scripture

42 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1141-04 2 Samuel 8:18 וּ/בְנָיָ֨הוּ֙ uvenayahu HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-03 2 Samuel 20:23 וּ/בְנָיָה֙ uvenayah HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-04 2 Samuel 23:20 וּ/בְנָיָ֨הוּ uvenayahu HC/Np And Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-02 2 Samuel 23:22 בְּנָיָ֖הוּ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-02 2 Samuel 23:30 בְּנָיָ֨הוּ֙ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-04 1 Kings 1:8 וּ/בְנָיָ֨הוּ uvenayahu HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-04 1 Kings 1:10 וּ/בְנָיָ֜הוּ uvenayahu HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-05 1 Kings 1:26 וְ/לִ/בְנָיָ֧הוּ velivenayahu HC/R/Np and-to-Benaiah and to Yahweh-has-built and to Benayah
H1141-05 1 Kings 1:32 וְ/לִ/בְנָיָ֖הוּ velivenayahu HC/R/Np and to Benaiah and to Yahweh-has-built and to Benayah
H1141-02 1 Kings 1:36 בְּנָיָ֧הוּ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-04 1 Kings 1:38 וּ/בְנָיָ֣הוּ uvenayahu HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-04 1 Kings 1:44 וּ/בְנָיָ֨הוּ֙ uvenayahu HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-02 1 Kings 2:25 בְּנָיָ֣הוּ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-02 1 Kings 2:29 בְּנָיָ֧הוּ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-06 1 Kings 2:30 בְנָיָ֜הוּ venayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh-has-built Benayah
H1141-02 1 Kings 2:30 בְּנָיָ֤הוּ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-02 1 Kings 2:34 בְּנָיָ֨הוּ֙ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-02 1 Kings 2:35 בְּנָיָ֧הוּ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-02 1 Kings 2:46 בְּנָיָ֨הוּ֙ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-04 1 Kings 4:4 וּ/בְנָיָ֥הוּ uvenayahu HC/Np And Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-02 Ezekiel 11:1 בְּנָיָ֖הוּ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-01 Ezekiel 11:13 בְּנָיָ֖ה benayah HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-03 Ezra 10:25 וּ/בְנָיָֽה uvenayah HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-01 Ezra 10:30 בְּנָיָ֤ה benayah HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-01 Ezra 10:35 בְּנָיָ֥ה benayah HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-01 Ezra 10:43 בְּנָיָֽה benayah HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-03 1 Chronicles 4:36 וּ/בְנָיָֽה uvenayah HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-01 1 Chronicles 11:22 בְּנָיָ֨ה benayah HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-02 1 Chronicles 11:24 בְּנָיָ֖הוּ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-01 1 Chronicles 11:31 בְּנָיָ֖ה benayah HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-04 1 Chronicles 15:18 וּ/בְנָיָ֡הוּ uvenayahu HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-04 1 Chronicles 15:20 וּ/בְנָיָ֑הוּ uvenayahu HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-04 1 Chronicles 15:24 וּ/בְנָיָ֤הוּ uvenayahu HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-04 1 Chronicles 16:5 וּ/בְנָיָהוּ֩ uvenayahu HC/Np Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-04 1 Chronicles 16:6 וּ/בְנָיָ֥הוּ uvenayahu HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-04 1 Chronicles 18:17 וּ/בְנָיָ֨הוּ֙ uvenayahu HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
H1141-02 1 Chronicles 27:5 בְּנָיָ֧הוּ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-06 1 Chronicles 27:6 בְנָיָ֛הוּ venayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh-has-built Benayah
H1141-01 1 Chronicles 27:14 בְּנָיָ֥ה benayah HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-02 1 Chronicles 27:34 בְּנָיָ֨הוּ֙ benayahu HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-01 2 Chronicles 20:14 בְּ֠נָיָה benayah HNp Benaiah Yahweh has built Benayah
H1141-04 2 Chronicles 31:13 וּ/בְנָיָ֑הוּ uvenayahu HC/Np and Benaiah and Yahweh-has-built and Benayah
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