בן

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
⁧ב־ן⁩ (b-n)

From Proto-Semitic *bin-.

Pronunciation

(Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ben/
(Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): [beːn]
(Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /bin/
(file)

Noun

⁧בֵּן⁩ • (bén) m (plural indefinite ⁧בָּנִים⁩, singular construct ⁧בֶּן־⁩, plural construct ⁧בְּנֵי־⁩, feminine counterpart ⁧בַּת⁩)

A son.
(no longer productive) A direct male descendant.
⁧בן אדם⁩ ― bén-adám ― a human [literally a son of Adam]

⁧בן ישראל⁩ ― bén-yisraél ― an Israelite [literally a son of Israel]
A guy, a boy.
(no longer productive, construct state) Possessor of (knowledge, ability, etc.)
⁧בן דעת⁩ ― bén dá'at ― someone legally competent

⁧בן תורה⁩ ― bén torá ― someone devoted to the Torah
(construct state) Used in expressing the age of a man, a boy, or the referent of a masculine noun: age, aged.
⁧הוא בן שש.⁩ ― hú bén shésh. ― He is six years old. [literally, a son of six]
- Tanach, Genesis 7:6, with translation of Robert Alter:
  ⁧וְנֹ֕חַ בֶּן־שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וְהַמַּבּ֣וּל הָיָ֔ה מַ֖יִם עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃⁩
  Noah was six hundred years old when the Flood came, water over the earth.
- 2011 September 28, Nir Hasson (⁧ניר חסון⁩), in Haaretz online:
  ⁧בית קברות בן 4,000 שנה שופך אור על י-ם בתקופת הברונזה⁩
  béit-k'varót bén 4,000 shaná shofékh ór ál y-m bit'kufát-hab'rónza
  4,000-year-old cemetery sheds light on Bronze-Age Jerusalem

Usage notes

In colloquial Modern Hebrew, the plural ⁧יְלָדִים⁩ is generally used to refer to children (of mixed or unknown sex) while ⁧בָּנִים⁩ is generally used to refer to boys.
When constructing new forms, the Aramaic loanword ⁧בַּר⁩ (bar) is more common, e.g. ⁧בַּר דַּעַת⁩ (bar dá'at), ⁧בַּר קַיָּמָא⁩ (bar kayamá).

Declension

Declension of ⁧בֵּן⁩

Number	Isolated forms		With possessive pronouns
	State	Form	Person	singular		plural
	State	Form	Person	m.	f.	m.	f.
singular	indefinite	⁧בֵּן⁩	first	⁧בְּנִי⁩		⁧בְּנֵנוּ⁩
	definite	⁧הַבֵּן⁩	second	⁧בִּנְךָ⁩	⁧בְּנֵךְ⁩	⁧בִּנְכֶם⁩	⁧בִּנְכֶן⁩
	construct	⁧בֶּן־⁩	third	⁧בְּנוֹ⁩	⁧בְּנָהּ⁩	⁧בְּנָם⁩	⁧בְּנָן⁩
plural	indefinite	⁧בָּנִים⁩	first	⁧בניי / בָּנַי⁩		⁧בָּנֵינוּ⁩
	definite	⁧הַבָּנִים⁩	second	⁧בָּנֶיךָ⁩	⁧בנייך / בָּנַיִךְ⁩	⁧בְּנֵיכֶם⁩	⁧בְּנֵיכֶן⁩
	construct	⁧בְּנֵי־⁩	third	⁧בָּנָיו⁩	⁧בָּנֶיהָ⁩	⁧בְּנֵיהֶם⁩	⁧בְּנֵיהֶן⁩

Derived terms

⁧אבות אכלו בוסר ושיני בנים תקהינה / אָבוֹת אָכְלוּ בֹּסֶר וְשִׁנֵּי בָּנִים תִּקְהֶינָה⁩ ('avót 'akh'lú bóser v'shinéi baním tikhéna)
⁧בֶּן אָדָם⁩ (ben adám)
⁧בֵּן אַחַר בֵּן⁩ (ben akhar ben)
⁧בֶּן אֱנוֹשׁ⁩ (ben enósh)
⁧בֶּן־דּוֹד⁩ (ben-dód)
⁧בֶּן זוּג⁩ (ben zúg)
⁧בֶּן זוֹנָה⁩ (ben-zoná)
⁧בֵּן־מֶלֶךְ⁩ (bén mélech)
⁧בֶּן מִשְׁפָּחָה⁩ (ben mishpakhá)
⁧בֵּן פּוֹרָת יוֹסֵף⁩ (bén porát yoséf)
⁧בֶּן־תַּרְבּוּת⁩ (ben tarbút)

Proper noun

⁧בֵּן⁩ • (bén) m

a male given name, Ben

Derived terms

Terms derived from the word בן

⁧בֶּן אָדָם⁩ (ben adám, “human being”)
⁧בֶּן בַּיִת⁩ (ben báyit, “roommate”)
⁧בֶּן בְּלִיַּעַל⁩ (ben bliyá'al, “roughneck, scoundrel”)
⁧בֶּן בְּרִית⁩ (ben brit, “ally”)
⁧בֶּן גִּיל⁩ (ben gil, “of age”)
⁧בֶּן דּוֹד⁩ (ben dod, “cousin”)
⁧בֶּן זוּג⁩ (ben zug, “spouse”)
⁧בֶּן זוֹנָה⁩ (ben zona, “son of a bitch, motherfucker, badass”)
⁧בֶּן הַזְּמַן⁩ (ben hazmán, “contemporary”)
⁧בֶּן זְקוּנִים⁩ (ben ziquním, “youngest child”)
⁧בֶּן חוֹרִין⁩ (ben ḥorín, “freeman”)
⁧בֶּן טוֹבִים⁩ (ben tovím, “one from a good family”)
⁧בִּנְיָמִין⁩ (binyamín, “Benjamin”)
⁧בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל⁩ (bnei yisraél, “Israelites”)
⁧בִּן לַיְלָה⁩ (bin láyla, “overnight”)
⁧בֵּן מֶלֶךְ⁩ (bén mélech, “prince”)
⁧בֶּן מִשְׁפָּחָה⁩ (ben mishpakhá)
⁧בֶּן עֲרֻבָּה⁩ (ben arubá, “hostage”)
⁧בֶּן פּוֹרָת יוֹסֵף⁩ (ben porát yoséf)
⁧בִּן רֶגַע⁩ (bin regá', “instantly”)
⁧בֶּן תּוֹרָה⁩ (ben torá)
⁧בֶּן תְּמוּתָה⁩ (ben tmutá, “mortal”)
⁧בֶּן תַּעֲרוֹבֶת⁩ (ben ta'aróvet, “mixed breed”)
⁧בֶּן תַּרְבּוּת⁩ (ben tarbút, “cultured person”)

Etymology 2

Root
⁧ב־י־ן⁩ (b-y-n)

Verb

⁧בָּן⁩ • (bán) third-singular masculine past (pa'al construction)

(rare, archaic) to understand.
- Tanach, Psalms 5:2, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
  ⁧אֲמָרַי הַאֲזִינָה יהוה בִּינָה הֲגִיגִי⁩
  'amaráy ha'azína YHWH bína hagigí
  Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.

Conjugation

Conjugation of ⁧בָּן⁩ (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

finite forms		singular		plural
non-finite forms		to-infinitive: ⁧לָבִין⁩ action noun: ⁧בִּינָה⁩
finite forms		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	⁧בַּנְתִּי⁩		⁧בַּנּוּ⁩
	second	⁧בַּנְתָּ⁩	⁧בַּנְתְּ⁩	⁧בַּנְתֶּם⁩	⁧בַּנְתֶּן⁩
	third	⁧בָּן⁩	⁧בָּנָה⁩	⁧בָּנוּ⁩
present		⁧בָּן⁩	⁧בָּנָה⁩	⁧בָּנִים⁩	⁧בָּנוֹת⁩
future	first	⁧אָבִין⁩		⁧נָבִין⁩
	second	⁧תָּבִין⁩	⁧תָּבִינִי⁩	⁧תָּבִינוּ⁩	⁧תָּבֵנָּה⁩¹
	third	⁧יָבִין⁩	⁧תָּבִין⁩	⁧יָבִינוּ⁩	⁧תָּבֵנָּה⁩¹
imperative		⁧בִּין⁩	⁧בִּינִי⁩	⁧בִּינוּ⁩	⁧בֵּנָּה⁩¹
notes		Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Preposition

⁧בָּן⁩ • (ban)

(poetic or archaic) Form of ⁧בְּ־⁩ (b'-) including third-person feminine plural personal pronoun as object.

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