Benjamin (Person)

This term has multiple meanings in the Bible:

  1. The youngest of Jacob’s 12 sons and full brother to Joseph. Jacob named him Benjamin (“son of my right hand”) after his dying mother Rachel had called him Ben-oni (“son of my sorrow,” Genesis 35:18). After Joseph had been sold into Egypt by his half brothers, their father, Jacob, assumed that Joseph was dead and became very protective of Benjamin. Later, because of a plan created by Joseph, Benjamin was used to help reunite Jacob with his 12 sons in Egypt (Genesis 42–45). In a prophecy about his sons, Jacob spoke of Benjamin’s skill as a warrior or predicted the military power of his tribe by saying, “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder” (Genesis 49:27).

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  2. Bilhan’s son and Jacob’s great-grandson (1 Chronicles 7:10).

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  3. Member of Harim’s clan after the exile in Babylon who married a non-Jewish wife (Ezra 10:32).

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  4. One who repaired a section of the wall next to his own house (Nehemiah 3:23).

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  5. One of the company of Jews who participated in the dedication of the wall at Jerusalem (Nehemiah 12:34). He may be the same as #4 above.

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From Tyndale Bible Dictionary, adapted by Mission Mutual. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Scripture References (7)

1 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah