בִּנְיָמִין H1144
Benjamin; youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, the tribe and territory descended from him
Benjamin means 'son of the right hand,' the name Jacob gave his youngest son to replace the dying Rachel's choice of Ben-Oni, 'son of my sorrow' (Gen 35:18). This renaming itself captures a theological reversal from grief to honor. The tribe of Benjamin, though smallest (1 Sam 9:21), produced Israel's first king Saul and the apostle Paul. Its territory, wedged between Judah and Ephraim, included Jerusalem's northern approaches — making Benjamin a perpetual hinge in Israel's political and spiritual geography.
Senses
1. Benjamin (proper noun) — The proper name Benjamin, referring to Jacob's youngest son born to Rachel, and by metonymy the Israelite tribe and its territorial allotment. Across 169 occurrences the name appears in patriarchal narrative (Gen 42:4), tribal census lists (Num 1:36), territorial descriptions (Josh 18:20), and prophetic oracles (Hos 5:8). Translations consistently transliterate: 'Benjamín' (Spanish), 'Benjamin' (French/German), preserving the Hebrew etymological identity. 169×
AR["بِنْيامِينَ", "بِنْيَامِينَ", "بِنْيَامِينَ-", "بِنْيَامِينُ"]·ben["বিন্যামীন", "বিন্যামীনকে", "বিন্যামীনের"]·DE["Benjamin", "Benjamins"]·EN["Benjamin", "Benjamin-"]·FR["Benjamin", "Benjamin-"]·heb["בנימין", "בנימן"]·HI["बिन्यामीन", "बिन्यामीन-का", "बिन्यामीन-की", "बिन्यामीन-के"]·ID["Benyamin"]·IT["Beniamino", "Beniamino-"]·jav["Benyamin", "Bènyamin"]·KO["베냐민", "베냐민은", "베냐민을", "베냐민의", "베냐민이라"]·PT["Binyamin", "Binyamin-"]·RU["Биньямина", "Бинямина", "Вениамин", "Вениамина", "Вениамина-"]·ES["Benjamín", "Binyamin", "Binyamín"]·SW["Benjamin", "Benyamini", "Binyamini", "amtacho", "kaka", "kaka-yake", "kama", "kuu", "la-Benyamini", "mtoka", "na-Binyamini", "na-akasema", "ya-Binyamini"]·TR["Benyamin", "Benyamin'-", "Benyamin'i", "Benyamin'in"]·urd["بنیامین", "بنیامین-کا", "بنیامین-کی", "بنیامین-کے"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
בִּנְיָמִין Gn 35:18 +; usually בִּנְיָמִן n.pr.m.166 (son of (the) right hand)— 1. youngest son of Jacob, so called by him, but by Rachel, the mother, who died at Benjamin’s birth, called בֶּן־אוֹנִי (q.v.) Gn 35:18; own brother of Joseph Gn 35:24; 42:4; 43:29; 45:12; cf. 42:36; 45:15, 34 +; name of tribe of Benjamin Nu 1:11 Dt 27:12; 33:12 Ju 5:14 + 23 times Ju; 32 times S K Chr; Ho 5:8 Ez…