H3227b H3227b
Benjaminite, member of the tribe of Benjamin (gentilicic from Benjamin)
A gentilicic adjective meaning 'Benjaminite,' denoting someone from the tribe of Benjamin. This is an abbreviated form of the fuller phrase בֶּן־יְמִינִי (son of the right hand/Benjamin). The term appears in narratives about Saul's lineage and tribe: describing him as 'a Benjaminite man' (1 Samuel 9:1), referring to the 'land of the Benjaminites' (1 Samuel 9:4), and in David's rebuke to his men questioning whether a Benjaminite would reward them (1 Samuel 22:7). As Benjamin was Israel's smallest tribe (except Levi), yet produced the first king, Benjaminite identity carried both prestige and poignancy after the tribal civil war of Judges 19-21.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The ethnic-tribal designation for members of Benjamin's tribe. These three occurrences all relate to Saul and his context, emphasizing his tribal affiliation at a time when it mattered politically. The abbreviated form (יְמִינִי rather than בֶּן־יְמִינִי) suggests this was a common, well-understood designation. Multilingual glosses uniformly render it as 'Benjaminite,' recognizing the standard gentilicic form. 3×
AR["بِنْيَامِين", "يَمِينِي", "يَمِينِيٍّ"]·ben["বিন্যামীনীয়", "বিন্যামীনের"]·DE["Benjamin", "Benjaminite"]·EN["Benjamin", "Benjaminite"]·FR["Benjamin", "Benjaminite"]·heb["ימיני"]·HI["बिन्यमिन-के", "बिन्यामीनी-की", "बिन्यामीनी-के"]·ID["Benyamin"]·IT["Beniamino", "Benjaminite"]·jav["Bènyamin"]·KO["베냐민의"]·PT["Yemini"]·RU["Биньямина", "Биньяминянина"]·ES["Benjamín", "benjaminita"]·SW["Mbenyamini"]·TR["Benyamin", "Benyamin'in", "Benyaminli"]·urd["بنیامین-کے", "بنیامینی"]
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
† II. יְמִינִי adj.gent. from בִּנְיָמִן, abbrev. for בֶּן־יְמִינִי (q.v.);—אֶרֶץ יְמִינִי 1 S 9:4; אִישׁ יְמִינִי 2 S 20:1 Est 2:5; בֶּן־אִישׁ יְמִינִי 1 S 9:1.