What Does Nehemiah 7:53 Mean in the King James?
The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,
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 repeated “children of” turns this roll call into a picture of households built across generations.
THE MEANING
You encounter three households through the descendants who carry their names. The repeated phrase keeps Bakbuk, Hakupha, and Harhur distinct in the record rather than reducing them to a number.
THE ROOT
בְּנֵי
bənê
GROWS FROM
בנה
Build, construct.
“children” in this verse is bənê. בְּנֵי (bənê, “sons” or “descendants”) is the plural form of בֵּן (ben, “son”), commonly linked to בָּנָה (banah, “build”). The phrase carries an image of a household built onward through its descendants, making lineage the structure this list preserves.
ALSO GROWS
ben: Son; descendant.
בֵּן
This is the singular behind the repeated “children of,” naming each household through its continuing line.
banah: Build; construct.
בָּנָה
It brings the image of a family line being built across generations into the repeated phrase.
binyan: Building; structure.
בִּנְיָן
It echoes the verse’s picture of named descendants as the structure through which a household remains present.
THE PATTERN
A people’s continuity is carried through named households and their descendants.
The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in their cities were, the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the Nethinims.Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;THE THREAD
The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,Ezra preserves this same sequence, repeating בְּנֵי (bənê, “sons” or “descendants”) before each family name. The shared wording makes the continuity of these households visible across both lists.
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