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בִּין

𐤁𐤉𐤍

bîyn

H995 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To perceive or understand, especially through careful observation or discernment; to have insight or comprehension. The verb often denotes an active process of distinguishing or discerning between things, such as understanding a message, situation, or instruction; in some contexts, it can also mean to be wise or prudent in decisions and actions.

Semantic Range

to understand, to discern, to perceive, to have insight, to consider, to attend, to be prudent, to teach or cause to understand, to be skillful, to interpret, to comprehend, to separate mentally, to instruct

Root / Etymology

The root is בּין (b-y-n), whose basic sense refers to distinguishing or discerning. The verb בִּין derives from this root and conveys the act of gaining understanding or insight, particularly by distinguishing between options, concepts, or signals. It is a denominative verb from the noun בֵּין (bein, 'between'), implying making distinctions between things.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, בִּין is foundational to concepts of wisdom and discernment, appearing frequently in contexts where someone is called upon to interpret, understand, or make careful distinctions (e.g., Daniel interpreting dreams, or a ruler judging a case). It is distinguished from דָּעַת (knowing as accumulated knowledge or facts) and חָכָם (wisdom as skill or expertise). The nuance of בִּין often lies in process—actively organizing, discerning, or comprehending—whereas דָּעַת may denote the possession of knowledge. In later biblical Hebrew, בִּין continues to denote understanding, and related forms become important in wisdom literature (e.g., Proverbs) for moral and practical discernment. English translations may variously render it 'understand,' 'discern,' or 'perceive,' but often do not capture its focus on separation, distinction, and depth of comprehension. The term is central to Israelite wisdom traditions and education, especially in contexts stressing the need for discernment in navigating life, law, and relationships.

Translation Consistency

primary "understand" 22 occurrences

'Understand' is the most natural, widely used English verb that covers the primary semantic range of בִּין (perceive, discern, comprehend, have insight). It matches the majority of occurrences and will render idiomatically across forms (including causative uses: 'cause to understand') while remaining consistent and clear. Rarer senses (e.g., 'be prudent' or 'separate mentally') are secondary and can be handled contextually while retaining the same base verb.

Alternatives (28 occurrences):
"discern" (5x) "understood" (4x) "discerning ones" (3x) "caused him to discern" (2x) "discerning one" (2x) "those who are discerning" (2x) "consider" (2x) "looked" (1x) "discerning" (1x) "deeply discern" (1x) "considered" (1x) "deeply consider yourselves" (1x) "apply yourselves to discern" (1x) "discerned" (1x) "discernment" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to separate mentally (or distinguish), i.e.(generally) understand; attend, consider, be cunning, diligently, direct, discern, eloquent, feel, inform, instruct, have intelligence, know, look well to, mark, perceive, be prudent, regard, (can) skill(-full), teach, think, (cause, make to, get, give, have) understand(-ing), view, (deal) wise(-ly, man).

Bantu Hebrew

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

Root Family

בין (Yavin) — to separate, distinguish, perceive, understand

Root בין to distinguish, discern, perceive
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1143 בֵּנַיִם the between-two space
H2985 יָבִין like Yavin
H4000 מָבוֹן
H8394 תָּבוּן in discernment
H946 בּוּנָה and Bunah

Word Forms

68 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H995-64 יָבִ֔ין yavin HVqi3ms understands He discerns He will understand 20
H995-29 מֵבִ֖ין mevin HVhrmsa understanding understanding-giver understanding-giver 15
H995-65 יָבִ֖ינוּ yavinu HVhi3mp understand they discern they will understand 11
H995-32 נָב֣וֹן navon HVNrmsa discerning discerning one one who understands 9
H995-14 הֲבִינֵ֑/נִי havineni HVhv2ms/Sp1cs give me understanding Cause me to discern Cause me to understand 6
H995-13 הָבִ֖ין havin HVhc understanding to cause to discern to cause to understand 5
H995-36 תָּ֝בִ֗ין tavin HVqi2ms you will understand you will discern you will understand 5
H995-01 אָבִ֑ין avin HVqi1cs I perceive I discern I discern 4
H995-08 אֶתְבּ֫וֹנָ֥ן etebonan HVri1cs I gave attention I will reflectively discern I will reflectively understand 4
H995-27 לְ/הָבִ֖ין lehavin HR/Vhc to understand to cause to discern to understand 4

Occurrences in Scripture

171 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H995-32 Genesis 41:33 נָב֣וֹן navon HVNrmsa discreet discerning one one who understands
H995-32 Genesis 41:39 נָב֥וֹן navon HVNrmsa discerning discerning one one who understands
H995-44 Deuteronomy 1:13 וּ/נְבֹנִ֛ים unevonim HC/VNrmpa and-understanding discerning ones and discerning ones
H995-60 Deuteronomy 4:6 וְ/נָב֔וֹן venavon HC/VNrmsa and understanding and discerning one and understanding
H995-07 Deuteronomy 32:7 בִּ֖ינוּ binu HVqv2mp consider Discern! Discern
H995-66 Deuteronomy 32:10 יְב֣וֹנְנֵ֔/הוּ yevonenehu HVoi3ms/Sp3ms he instructed him he caused him to discern he caused him to discern
H995-65 Deuteronomy 32:29 יָבִ֖ינוּ yavinu HVqi3mp they would understand they discern they would discern
H995-50 1 Samuel 3:8 וַ/יָּ֣בֶן vayaven HC/Vqw3ms and perceived he discerned and he understood
H995-43 1 Samuel 16:18 וּ/נְב֥וֹן unevon HC/VNrmsc and prudent and discerning one and discerning one
H995-50 2 Samuel 12:19 וַ/יָּ֥בֶן vayaven HC/Vqw3ms and he understood he discerned and he understood
H995-27 1 Kings 3:9 לְ/הָבִ֖ין lehavin HR/Vhc to discern to cause to discern to discern
H995-13 1 Kings 3:11 הָבִ֖ין havin HVhc understanding to cause to discern to cause to understand
H995-60 1 Kings 3:12 וְ/נָב֔וֹן venavon HC/VNrmsa and discerning and discerning one and understanding one
H995-47 1 Kings 3:21 וָ/אֶתְבּוֹנֵ֤ן vaetebonen HC/Vrw1cs and I looked closely and I carefully discerned and I looked closely
H995-19 Isaiah 1:3 הִתְבּוֹנָֽן hitebonan HVrp3ms understand he carefully discerned understood
H995-43 Isaiah 3:3 וּ/נְב֥וֹן unevon HC/VNrmsc and expert and discerning one and discerning one
H995-34 Isaiah 5:21 נְבֹנִֽים nevonim HVNrmpa discerning those who are discerning those who are discerning
H995-37 Isaiah 6:9 תָּבִ֔ינוּ tavinu HVqj2mp understand may you discern you understand
H995-64 Isaiah 6:10 יָבִ֛ין yavin HVqi3ms understand He discerns He will understand
H995-35 Isaiah 10:13 נְבֻנ֑וֹתִי nevunoti HVNp1cs I-am-prudent I have been discerning I have been discerning
H995-68 Isaiah 14:16 יִתְבּוֹנָ֑נוּ yitebonanu HVri3mp will ponder they will deeply discern they will deeply discern
H995-64 Isaiah 28:9 יָבִ֣ין yavin HVhi3ms will he make understand He discerns will he make understand
H995-13 Isaiah 28:19 הָבִ֥ין havin HVhc to understand to cause to discern to cause to understand
H995-33 Isaiah 29:14 נְבֹנָ֖י/ו nevonayv HVNrmpc/Sp3ms their discerning ones his discerning ones his discerning ones
H995-17 Isaiah 29:16 הֵבִֽין hevin HVhp3ms understanding he caused to discern he caused to understand
H995-64 Isaiah 32:4 יָבִ֣ין yavin HVqi3ms will understand He discerns will understand
H995-52 Isaiah 40:14 וַ/יְבִינֵ֔/הוּ vayevinehu HC/Vhw3ms/Sp3ms and enlightened him and he caused him to discern and he caused him to discern
H995-15 Isaiah 40:21 הֲבִ֣ינֹתֶ֔ם havinotem HVhp2mp have you understood you have caused to discern you have understood
H995-61 Isaiah 43:10 וְ/תָבִ֨ינוּ֙ vetavinu HC/Vqi2mp and understand and you will discern and you will discern
H995-39 Isaiah 43:18 תִּתְבֹּנָֽנוּ titebonanu HVrj2mp consider show yourselves discerning consider
H995-65 Isaiah 44:18 יָבִ֑ינוּ yavinu HVqi3mp they understand they discern they understand
H995-21 Isaiah 52:15 הִתְבּוֹנָֽנוּ hitebonanu HVrp3cp they-considered they closely discerned they considered
H995-13 Isaiah 56:11 הָבִ֑ין havin HVhc to-understand to cause to discern to understand
H995-29 Isaiah 57:1 מֵבִ֔ין mevin HVhrmsa understanding understanding-giver understanding one
H995-58 Jeremiah 2:10 וְ/הִֽתְבּוֹנְנ֖וּ vehitebonenu HC/Vrv2mp and consider and discern yourselves and deeply consider yourselves
H995-34 Jeremiah 4:22 נְבוֹנִ֖ים nevonim HVNsmpa understanding those who are discerning those who are discerning
H995-62 Jeremiah 9:11 וְ/יָבֵ֣ן veyaven HC/Vqj3ms and-understands and may he discern and may he understand
H995-22 Jeremiah 9:16 הִתְבּֽוֹנְנ֛וּ hitebonenu HVrv2mp Consider Apply yourselves to discern Apply yourselves to discern
H995-40 Jeremiah 23:20 תִּתְבּ֥וֹנְנוּ titebonenu HVri2mp you will understand you will apply discernment you (pl) will understand
H995-40 Jeremiah 30:24 תִּתְבּ֥וֹנְנוּ titebonenu HVri2mp you will understand you will apply discernment you (pl) will understand
H995-31 Jeremiah 49:7 מִ/בָּנִ֔ים mibanim HR/Vqrmpa from the prudent from sons from the discerning ones
H995-64 Hosea 4:14 יָבִ֖ין yavin HVqi3ms understands He discerns it will understand
H995-62 Hosea 14:10 וְ/יָ֣בֵֽן veyaven HC/Vqj3ms and understands and may he discern and may he understand
H995-32 Hosea 14:10 נָב֖וֹן navon HVNrmsa discerning discerning one one who understands
H995-18 Micah 4:12 הֵבִ֖ינוּ hevinu HVhp3cp understand they caused to discern they discerned
H995-05 Psalms 5:2 בִּ֣ינָ/ה binah HVqv2ms/Sh consider discernment consider
H995-64 Psalms 19:13 יָבִ֑ין yavin HVqi3ms can understand He discerns can discern
H995-65 Psalms 28:5 יָבִ֡ינוּ yavinu HVqi3mp they understand they discern they understand
H995-13 Psalms 32:9 הָ֫בִ֥ין havin HVhc understanding to cause to discern discernment
H995-10 Psalms 33:15 הַ֝/מֵּבִ֗ין hamevin HTd/Vhrmsa the-one-who-understands the one who gives understanding the one who understands
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