What Does Ezra 2:38 Mean in the King James?

The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.

Ezra 2:38 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

THE KEY

The count makes a family line visible as something built across generations, not an anonymous crowd.

THE MEANING

The verse holds a family line in view through a number: these descendants belong to a named lineage within the whole. Continuity is present now in the lives carried forward from those who came before.

THE ROOT

בְּנֵי

bənê

GROWS FROM

בנה

Build; establish a structure.

“children” in this verse is bənê. Here, ⁨בְּנֵי⁩ means the descendants belonging to Pashur. The word for son, ⁨בֵּן⁩ (ben), is commonly connected with ⁨בָּנָה⁩ (banah, build), so the counted descendants can also be heard as the building of a continuing family line.

ALSO GROWS

banah: To build

בָּנָה

This is the root commonly associated with ben, son, bringing the image of building into the word for descendants.

binyan: Building or structure

בִּנְיָן

This noun from the same root makes the family-line image concrete: descendants form a structure carried through generations.

THE PATTERN

A count can hold a whole in view while tracing its members and belonging.

Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;

Numbers 1:2 · KJVThe count is organized through families and names, keeping the larger whole connected to its members.

He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

Psalm 147:4 · KJVThe stars are both counted and called by name, joining scale with particularity.

But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Luke 12:7 · KJVThe count reaches the smallest particulars and is tied directly to their value.

THE THREAD

And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

Genesis 16:2 · KJV

The phrase rendered “obtain children” uses a form of ⁨בנה⁩ (banah, build). It shares the root commonly associated with ⁨בֵּן⁩ (ben, son), bringing the building image into Ezra’s counted family line.

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