בִּנְיָמִין
𐤁𐤍𐤉𐤌𐤉𐤍
Bineyamin
H1144 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun denoting a personal name, Benjamin: youngest son of Jacob and Rachel. By extension, the tribe descended from him and later, the territory allocated to this tribe. The name fundamentally refers to an individual but is used metonymically for the tribal group and their allotted land. In personal and genealogical contexts, the sense is of a direct descendant; in collective or territorial contexts, it signals group or geographic identity.
Semantic Range
(a) Personal name: youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, (b) Tribal name: the group descended from him, (c) Territorial term: the region associated with the tribe of Benjamin; (d) Extended: used for individuals descending from the tribe, e.g., Saul, Mordecai
Root / Etymology
Compound of בֵּן (ben, 'son') and יָמִין (yāmîn, 'right hand; south'). The root ב-נ-ה (בנה) means 'to build, create', but in this construction, 'ben' functions as 'son'. 'Yamin' comes from י-מ-נ (ימן), meaning 'right; right hand; south direction', tied to orientation in the Hebrew worldview.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בִּנְיָמִין appears primarily as a personal name—Jacob’s twelfth and youngest son according to Genesis narratives—and subsequently as the eponym for one of the twelve Israelite tribes. In later books and Second Temple period literature, it may refer to the territory or community descended from that figure, while maintaining the stronger bond to tribal lineage than to a strictly geographic sense. Some interpretations suggest 'son of the right hand' connotes favor or strength (since the right hand often symbolized power in the ancient Near East), though opinions differ, and alternate suggestions like 'son of the south' occur (based on southern orientation relative to Israelite tribal land). English translations customarily render the name as 'Benjamin', which obscures the literal components and cultural resonances in Hebrew. The tribe of Benjamin occupies significant narrative ground in Judges (notably in the atrocity at Gibeah), in the story of Saul (the first king, a Benjaminite), and in post-exilic lists where Benjaminites return to Yehud. Unlike Judahites (tribe of Judah), Benjaminites retained distinct tribal identity into the Second Temple period. The term does not map onto later religious or ethnic terms such as 'Jew' or 'Judean', which denote different historical and socio-political realities.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from בֵּן and יָמִין; son of (the) right hand; Binjamin, youngest son of Jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory; Benjamin.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בן , ימן (b-n ; y-m-n) — son, right hand, south, descendant, favored
Word Forms
13 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1144-03 |
בִּנְיָמִין֙ | bineyamin | HNp |
Benjamin | Right-hand son | 55 |
H1144-11 |
בִנְיָמִֽין | vineyamin | HNp |
Benjamin | Son of the Right Hand | 55 |
H1144-10 |
וּ/בִנְיָמִֽן | uvineyamin | HC/Np |
and Benjamin | and Son-of-the-Right-Hand | 27 |
H1144-04 |
לְ/בִ֨נְיָמִ֔ן | levineyamin | HR/Np |
for Benjamin | to Son-of-the-Right-Hand | 12 |
H1144-05 |
מִ/בִּנְיָמִ֔ן | mibineyamin | HR/Np |
from Benjamin | from Binyamin | 8 |
H1144-02 |
בְּ/בִנְיָמִן֙ | bevineyamin | HR/Np |
in Benjamin | in Son-of-the-Right-Hand | 2 |
H1144-09 |
וּ/בְ/בִנְיָמִ֖ין | uvevineyamin | HC/R/Np |
and against Benjamin | and in Son-of-the-Right-Hand | 2 |
H1144-13 |
בני/מן | vnymn | HNcmpc/R |
of the sons | sons of Benjamin | 1 |
H1144-07 |
וּ/מִ/בִּנְיָמִ֗ן | umibineyamin | HC/R/Np |
and from Benjamin | and from Son-of-the-Right-Hand | 1 |
H1144-08 |
וּ/בְנְיָמִֽן | uveneyamin | HC/Np |
and Benjamin, | and Son-of-the-Right-Hand | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
167 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1144-11 |
Genesis 35:18 | בִנְיָמִֽין | vineyamin | HNp |
Benjamin | Son of the Right Hand |
H1144-10 |
Genesis 35:24 | וּ/בִנְיָמִֽן | uvineyamin | HC/Np |
and Benjamin | and Son-of-the-Right-Hand |
H1144-03 |
Genesis 42:4 | בִּנְיָמִין֙ | bineyamin | HNp |
Benjamin | Right-hand son |
H1144-03 |
Genesis 42:36 | בִּנְיָמִ֣ן | bineyamin | HNp |
Benjamin | Right-hand son |
H1144-03 |
Genesis 43:14 | בִּנְיָמִ֑ין | bineyamin | HNp |
Benjamin | Right-hand son |
H1144-03 |
Genesis 43:15 | בִּנְיָמִ֑ן | bineyamin | HNp |
Benjamin | Right-hand son |
H1144-03 |
Genesis 43:16 | בִּנְיָמִין֒ | bineyamin | HNp |
Benjamin | Right-hand son |
H1144-03 |
Genesis 43:29 | בִּנְיָמִ֣ין | bineyamin | HNp |
Benjamin | Right-hand son |
H1144-03 |
Genesis 43:34 | בִּנְיָמִ֛ן | bineyamin | HNp |
Benjamin's | Right-hand son |
H1144-03 |
Genesis 44:12 | בִּנְיָמִֽן | bineyamin | HNp |
Benjamin | Right-hand son |