לְ/בֶן
𐤋/𐤁𐤍
Ben
a son
Male child, son; by extension, a male descendant, member of a group, or bearer of a particular quality. The primary lexical meaning is 'son,' but in broader usage, it encompasses: (1) a son as a direct male offspring; (2) a male descendant more generally (i.e., grandson); (3) a member or representative of a group (e.g., b'nei Israel, 'children of Israel'); (4) a person characterized by a certain quality or situation (e.g., 'son of valor' for a brave man, 'sons of light'); and (5) used in various construct phrases to mean people of a category, community, or geographical/national origin.
Bana "Children" (Tswana) · Beine "sons of" (Runyankore) · Bana "children" (Kisii (Gusii)) +13 more1 Samuel 18:17 · Word #16
Lexicon H1121
| Lemma | בֵּן |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤁𐤍 |
| Transliteration | Ben |
| Strong's | H1121 |
| Definition | Male child, son; by extension, a male descendant, member of a group, or bearer of a particular quality. The primary lexical meaning is 'son,' but in broader usage, it encompasses: (1) a son as a direct male offspring; (2) a male descendant more generally (i.e., grandson); (3) a member or representative of a group (e.g., b'nei Israel, 'children of Israel'); (4) a person characterized by a certain quality or situation (e.g., 'son of valor' for a brave man, 'sons of light'); and (5) used in various construct phrases to mean people of a category, community, or geographical/national origin. |
Morphology HR/Ncmsc
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | c — Common — Common noun |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | s — Singular — Singular |
| State | c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word |
Common Translation
| Phrase | a son |
SIBI-P1 Translation H1121-44
son of
| Morphological Notes | Noun, common masculine singular, construct state (בֵּן) with prefixed לְ preposition in the surface form; construct requires a following genitive. |
| Rendering Rationale | The noun בֵּן derives from בנה, reflecting the idea of one who is "built" as part of a household or lineage. In the masculine singular construct state, it functions relationally, best rendered "son of," preserving both its core filial sense and its grammatical linkage to what follows. |
View full lexicon entry for H1121 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
a son
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | 'son of' is misleading; the noun is absolute, not construct here. Context clearly means 'be to me a son of valor.' |
Bantu Hebrew
לְ/בֶן (Ben) — Male child, son; by extension, a male descendant, member of a group, or bearer of a particular quality. The primary lexical meaning is 'son,' but in broader usage, it encompasses: (1) a son as a direct male offspring; (2) a male descendant more generally (i.e., grandson); (3) a member or representative of a group (e.g., b'nei Israel, 'children of Israel'); (4) a person characterized by a certain quality or situation (e.g., 'son of valor' for a brave man, 'sons of light'); and (5) used in various construct phrases to mean people of a category, community, or geographical/national origin.
| Word | Meaning | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Bana | Children | Tswana |
| Beine | sons of | Runyankore |
| Bana | children | Kisii (Gusii) |
| bana | Children | Luhya (Logooli) |
| Bana | Children | Lingala |
| baana | children | Luganda |
| bana | children | Swahili |
| Bana | children | Maragoli |
| Bana | children | Sepedi |
| bene | belongs to | Kirundi |
| bana | children | Kirundi |
| Bene nyina | those who have blood relationship with their son's mother | Kinyarwanda |
| Bana bange | my children | Kinyarwanda |
| Binadamu | son of Adam | Swahili |
| Bana | Children | Bemba |
| Bene | sons of, children of, belonging to | Bemba |