בִּנְיָמִיןBinyâmîyn
proper name, masculine: son of (the) right hand
Pronunciation: bin-yaw-mene' · Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) · H1144
Meanings
1. youngest son of Jacob, so called by him, but by Rachel, the mother, who died at Benjamin's birth, called בֶּןאֿוֺנִי (q. v.) Gen 35:18 own brother of Joseph Gen 35:24; Gen 42:4; Gen 43:29; Gen 45:12 compare Gen 42:36; Gen 45:15; Gen 45:34 +; name of tribe of Benjamin Num 1:11; Deut 27:12; Deut 33:12; Judg 5:14 + 23 t. Judges; 32 t. Samuel Kings Chronicles; Hos 5:8; Ezek 48:23; Obad 1:19; Ps 68:28; Ps 80:3 בְּנֵי בנימן (literal Gen 46:21) of tribe Num 1:36; Num 2:22; Num 7:60; Num 26:38; Num 26:41; Josh 18:20; Josh 18:28; Judg 20:3; Judg 20:14; Judg 20:15; Judg 20:18; Judg 20:21; Judg 20:23; Judg 20:24; Judg 20:28; Judg 20:30; Judg 20:31; Judg 20:32; Judg 20:36; Judg 20:48; Judg 21:18; Judg 21:20; Judg 21:23; 2Sam 2:25; 2Sam 4:2; 2Sam 23:29; 1Chr 8:40; 1Chr 9:3; 1Chr 9:7; 1Chr 11:31; 1Chr 12:17; 1Chr 12:30; Neh 11:4; Neh 11:7; Neh 11:31; Jer 6:1; Judg 1:21 (twice in verse) (but בני יהודה in || Josh 15:63 compare BuRS 7); explicitly מַטֵּה בִנְיָמִן Num 1:37; Num 2:22; Num 13:9; Num 34:21; Josh 21:4; 1Chr 6:45 compare Josh 21:17 מַטֵּה ׳ בְנֵי ב Num 10:24; Josh 18:11; Josh 18:21; 1Chr 6:50 ׳ שֵׁבֶט ב 1Sam 10:20; 1Sam 10:21; 1Kgs 12:21 observe also ׳ כָּלשִֿׁבְטֵי ב Judg 20:12 compare 1Sam 9:21 אִישׁ בִּנְיָמִן Judg 20:41; 1Sam 4:12 compare אִישׁ מִבִּןיָֿ֯מִין 1Sam 9:1 אֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן Judg 21:21; 1Sam 9:16; 2Sam 21:14; Jer 1:1; Jer 17:26; Jer 32:44; Jer 33:13; Jer 37:12 compare Jer 32:8 ׳ גְּבוּל ב 1Sam 10:2; Ezek 48:22 (strike out Co) Ezek 48:24 בֵּית בִּנְיָמִן 2Sam 3:19 בֵּית ׳ יְהוּדָה וּב 1Kgs 12:23; 2Chr 11:1 in name of a temple-gate הָעֶלְיוֺן ׳ שַׁעַר ב Jer 20:2 compare Jer 37:13; Jer 38:7; Ezek 48:32; Zech 14:10. (Genesis 35:18; Genesis 35:24; Genesis 42:4)
2. a son of Bilhan and great-grandson of Benjamin 1 (1 Chronicles 7:10)
3. a Jew of Ezra's time (Ezra 10:32; Nehemiah 3:23; Nehemiah 12:34)
Same root
- בֵּןbên · H1121a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
- יָמִיןyâmîyn · H3225the right hand or side (leg, eye) of a person or other object (as the stronger and more dexterous); locally, the south
- ΒενιαμίνBeniamín · G958Benjamin, an Israelite
- בֶּן־יְמִינִיBen-yᵉmîynîy · H1145a Benjaminite, or descendent of Benjamin
Where it appears
Appears 166 times in the Bible.
- Genesis 35:18 Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son of my sorrow”). The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin (which means “son of my right hand”).
- Genesis 35:24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
- Genesis 42:4 But Jacob wouldn’t let Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin, go with them, for fear some harm might come to him.
- Genesis 42:36 Jacob exclaimed, “You are robbing me of my children! Joseph is gone! Simeon is gone! And now you want to take Benjamin, too. Everything is going against me!”
- Genesis 43:14 May God Almighty give you mercy as you go before the man, so that he will release Simeon and let Benjamin return. But if I must lose my children, so be it.”
- Genesis 43:15 So the men packed Jacob’s gifts and double the money and headed off with Benjamin. They finally arrived in Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph.
See every passage
- Genesis 35:18, 35:24, 42:4, 42:36, 43:14, 43:15, 43:16, 43:29, 43:34, 44:12, 45:12, 45:14, 45:22, 46:19, 46:21, 49:27
- Exodus 1:3
- Numbers 1:11, 1:36, 1:37, 2:22, 7:60, 10:24, 13:9, 26:38, 26:41, 34:21
- Deuteronomy 27:12, 33:12
- Joshua 18:11, 18:20, 18:21, 18:28, 21:4, 21:17
- Judges 1:21, 5:14, 10:9, 19:14, 20:3, 20:4, 20:10, 20:12, 20:13, 20:14, 20:15, 20:17, 20:18, 20:20, 20:21, 20:23, 20:24, 20:25, 20:28, 20:30, 20:31, 20:32, 20:35, 20:36, 20:39, 20:40, 20:41, 20:43, 20:44, 20:46, 20:48, 21:1, 21:6, 21:13, 21:14, 21:15, 21:16, 21:17, 21:18, 21:20, 21:21, 21:23
- 1 Samuel 4:12, 9:1, 9:16, 9:21, 10:2, 10:20, 10:21, 13:2, 13:15, 13:16, 14:16
- 2 Samuel 2:9, 2:15, 2:25, 2:31, 3:19, 4:2, 19:17, 21:14, 23:29
- 1 Kings 4:18, 12:21, 12:23, 15:22
- 1 Chronicles 2:2, 6:60, 6:65, 7:6, 7:10, 8:1, 8:40, 9:3, 9:7, 11:31, 12:2, 12:16, 12:29, 21:6, 27:21
- 2 Chronicles 11:1, 11:3, 11:10, 11:12, 11:23, 14:8, 15:2, 15:8, 15:9, 17:17, 25:5, 31:1, 34:9, 34:32
- Ezra 1:5, 4:1, 10:9, 10:32
- Nehemiah 3:23, 11:4, 11:7, 11:31, 11:36, 12:34
- Psalms 68:27, 80:2
- Jeremiah 1:1, 6:1, 17:26, 20:2, 32:8, 32:44, 33:13, 37:12, 37:13, 38:7
- Ezekiel 48:22, 48:23, 48:24, 48:32
- Hosea 5:8
- Obadiah 1:19
- Zechariah 14:10
Source: Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain; markup by unfoldingWord, CC BY (github.com/unfoldingWord/Brown-Driver-Briggs-Enhanced).