בִּין
to understand
‘to understand’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Hiphil verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘perceive’
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”). Here: ‘understand’
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”).
- Hithpolel
- The reflexive counterpart of the Polel. Here: ‘shew oneself attentive’
- Polel
- A stem of hollow/geminate roots functioning like the Piel — intensive active. Here: ‘shew oneself attentive’
- Hithpael
- The reflexive or reciprocal stem (the subject acts on itself).
Form
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
60 distinct verses where H995 appears in the Qal stem, across 13 books. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Deuteronomy 2 verses
- Deuteronomy 32:7 בִּ֖ינוּ Qal impv 2mp Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations: Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you.
- Deuteronomy 32:29 יָבִ֖ינוּ Qal impf 3mp Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would consider their latter end!
1 Samuel 1 verse
2 Samuel 1 verse
2 Chronicles 1 verse
Ezra 1 verse
Nehemiah 2 verses
- Nehemiah 8:8 וַ/יָּבִ֖ינוּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp They read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading.
- Nehemiah 13:7 וָ/אָבִ֣ינָ/ה conj + Qal wimpf 1cs + sfx h and I came to Jerusalem, and understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.
Job 12 verses
- Job 6:30 יָבִ֥ין Qal impf 3ms Is there injustice on my tongue? Can't my taste discern mischievous things?
- Job 9:11 אָבִ֥ין Qal impf 1cs Behold, he goes by me, and I don't see him. He passes on also, but I don't perceive him.
- Job 13:1 וַ/תָּ֥בֶן conj + Qal wimpf 3fs "Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it.
- Job 14:21 יָבִ֥ין Qal impf 3ms His sons come to honor, and he doesn't know it; They are brought low, but he doesn't perceive it of them.
- Job 15:9 תָּ֝בִ֗ין Qal impf 2ms What do you know, that we don't know? What do you understand, which is not in us?
- Job 18:2 תָּ֝בִ֗ינוּ Qal impf 2mp "How long will you hunt for words? Consider, and afterwards we will speak.
- Job 23:5 וְ֝/אָבִ֗ינָה conj + Qal coh 1cs I would know the words which he would answer me, And understand what he would tell me.
- Job 23:8 אָבִ֥ין Qal impf 1cs "If I go east, he is not there; If west, I can't find him;
- Job 32:9 יָבִ֥ינוּ Qal impf 3mp It is not the great who are wise, Nor the aged who understand justice.
- Job 36:29 יָ֭בִין Qal impf 3ms Yes, can any understand the spreading of the clouds, And the thunderings of his pavilion?
- Job 38:20 תָ֝בִ֗ין Qal impf 2ms That you should take it to the bound of it, That you should discern the paths to the house of it?
- Job 42:3 אָבִ֑ין Qal impf 1cs You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I didn't know.
Psalms 12 verses
- Psalms 5:1 בִּ֣ינָ/ה Qal impv 2ms + sfx h Give ear to my words, Yahweh. Consider my meditation.
- Psalms 19:12 יָבִ֑ין Qal impf 3ms Who can discern his errors? Forgive me from hidden errors.
- Psalms 28:5 יָבִ֡ינוּ Qal impf 3mp Because they don't regard the works of Yahweh, Nor the operation of his hands, He will break them down and not build them up.
- Psalms 49:20 יָבִ֑ין Qal impf 3ms A man who has riches without understanding, Is like the animals that perish.
- Psalms 50:22 בִּֽינוּ Qal impv 2mp "Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you into pieces, and there be none to deliver.
- Psalms 58:9 יָבִ֣ינוּ Qal impf 3mp Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns, He will sweep away the green and the burning alike.
- Psalms 73:17 אָ֝בִ֗ינָה Qal coh 1cs Until I entered God's sanctuary, And considered their latter end.
- Psalms 82:5 יָבִ֗ינוּ Qal impf 3mp They don't know, neither do they understand. They walk back and forth in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
- Psalms 92:6 יָבִ֥ין Qal impf 3ms A senseless man doesn't know, Neither does a fool understand this:
- Psalms 94:7 יָ֝בִ֗ין Qal impf 3ms They say, "Yah will not see, Neither will Jacob's God consider."
- Psalms 94:8 בִּ֭ינוּ Qal impv 2mp Consider, you senseless among the people; You fools, when will you be wise?
- Psalms 139:2 בַּ֥נְתָּה Qal pf 2ms You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.
Proverbs 12 verses
- Proverbs 2:5 תָּ֭בִין Qal impf 2ms Then you will understand the fear of Yahweh, And find the knowledge of God.
- Proverbs 2:9 תָּ֭בִין Qal impf 2ms Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path.
- Proverbs 7:7 אָ֘בִ֤ינָה Qal coh 1cs I saw among the simple ones. I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding,
- Proverbs 14:15 יָבִ֥ין Qal impf 3ms A simple man believes everything, But the prudent man carefully considers his ways.
- Proverbs 19:25 לְ֝/נָב֗וֹן יָבִ֥ין prep + Niphal ptcp.act ms Qal impf 3ms Flog a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; Rebuke one who has understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
- Proverbs 20:24 יָּבִ֥ין Qal impf 3ms A man's steps are from Yahweh; How then can man understand his way?
- Proverbs 21:29 יָבִ֬ין Qal impf 3ms A wicked man hardens his face; But as for the upright, he establishes his ways.
- Proverbs 23:1 בִּ֥ין תָּ֝בִ֗ין Qal inf.abs Qal juss 2ms When you sit to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently what is before you;
- Proverbs 24:12 יָבִ֗ין Qal impf 3ms If you say, "Behold, we didn't know this;" Doesn't he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn't he know it? Shall he not render to every man according to his work?
- Proverbs 28:5 יָבִ֣ינוּ יָבִ֥ינוּ Qal impf 3mp Qal impf 3mp Evil men don't understand justice; But those who seek Yahweh understand it fully.
- Proverbs 29:7 יָבִ֥ין Qal impf 3ms The righteous care about justice for the poor. The wicked aren't concerned about knowledge.
- Proverbs 29:19 יָ֝בִ֗ין Qal impf 3ms A servant can't be corrected by words. Though he understands, yet he will not respond.
Isaiah 5 verses
- Isaiah 6:9 תָּבִ֔ינוּ Qal juss 2mp He said, "Go, and tell this people, 'You hear indeed, But don't understand; And you see indeed, But don't perceive.'
- Isaiah 6:10 יָבִ֛ין Qal impf 3ms Make the heart of this people fat; Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And turn again, and be healed."
- Isaiah 32:4 יָבִ֣ין Qal impf 3ms The heart of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.
- Isaiah 43:10 וְ/תָבִ֨ינוּ֙ conj + Qal impf 2mp You are my witnesses, says Yahweh, and my servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
- Isaiah 44:18 יָבִ֑ינוּ Qal impf 3mp They don't know, neither do they consider: for he has shut their eyes, that they can't see; and their hearts, that they can't understand.
Jeremiah 2 verses
- Jeremiah 9:12 וְ/יָבֵ֣ן conj + Qal juss 3ms Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and [who is] he to whom the mouth of Yahweh has spoken, that he may declare it? why is the land perished and burned up like a wilderness, so that none passes through?
- Jeremiah 49:7 מִ/בָּנִ֔ים prep + Qal ptcp.act mp Of Edom. Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?
Daniel 7 verses
- Daniel 9:2 בִּינֹ֖תִי Qal pf 1cs in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years about which the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishing of the desolations of Jerusalem, even seventy years.
- Daniel 9:23 וּ/בִין֙ וְ/הָבֵ֖ן conj + Qal impv 2ms conj + Hiphil impv 2ms At the beginning of your petitions the commandment went forth, and I am come to tell you; for you are greatly beloved: therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.
- Daniel 10:1 וּ/בִין֙ conj + Qal pf 3ms In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, even a great warfare: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
- Daniel 11:30 וְ/יָבֵ֔ן conj + Qal juss 3ms For ships of Kittim shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and shall return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, and shall do [his pleasure]: he shall even return, and have regard to those who forsake the holy covenant.
- Daniel 11:37 יָבִ֔ין יָבִ֑ין Qal impf 3ms Qal impf 3ms Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all.
- Daniel 12:8 אָבִ֑ין Qal impf 1cs I heard, but I didn't understand: then said I, my lord, what shall be the issue of these things?
- Daniel 12:10 יָבִ֖ינוּ יָבִֽינוּ Qal impf 3mp Qal impf 3mp Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but those who are wise shall understand.
Hosea 2 verses
- Hosea 4:14 יָבִ֖ין Qal impf 3ms I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute, Nor your brides when they commit adultery; Because the men consort with prostitutes, And they sacrifice with the shrine prostitutes; And the people that does not understand will come to ruin.
- Hosea 14:9 וְ/יָ֣בֵֽן נָב֖וֹן conj + Qal juss 3ms Niphal ptcp.act ms Who is wise, that he may understand these things? Who is prudent, that he may know them? For the ways of Yahweh are right, And the righteous walk in them; But the rebellious stumble in them.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
The Hebrew verb בין centers on the idea of “to understand.” The King James Version usually renders it “understand,” while modern versions prefer “discerning” (Berean Standard Bible) — see the renderings breakdown. Spanning 162 verses in 18 books, it ranks among the common words of the Hebrew Bible. Debuting at Genesis 41:33, it then recurs through the corpus. Read the stem: it spans 4 stems, including Qal and Niphal. Dig into 162-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H995 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 162
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 162 distinct verses.
- 18 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 18 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #270
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 270 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 162 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 162 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 118 verses · 73%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 37 verses · 23%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 7 verses · 4%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Understand 17×, Consider 9×, Understanding 7×
- American Standard Version: Understand 13×, Consider 11×, Understanding 8×
- Berean Standard Bible: Discerning 15×, Understand 15×, Understanding 12×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Understand 35×, Understanding 10×, Understanding one 10×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H995 across 169 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 90 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H995 across 167 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 91 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H995 across 166 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 80 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 3 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H995 across 203 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 76 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
40 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses one or more reduplicated stems (the Pōlēl/Pilpēl type), which for hollow or geminate roots behave much like Piel — often intensive or iterative.
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 40 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- Pf. בִּין Dn 10:1; בַּנְתָּה ψ 139:2; בִּינֹתִי Dn 9:2; Impf. יָבִין ψ 19:13 + 25 times; וְיָבֵן Je 9:11 + 2 times; וַיָּבֶן 1 S 3:8 + 2 times; אָבִינָה ψ 73:17 + 4 times; יָבִינוּ Pr 28:5 + 12 times; Imv. בִּין Dn 9:23; בִּינָה ψ 5:2; בִּינוּ Dt 32:7 + 2 times; Inf. abs. בִּין Pr 23:1; Pt. בָּנִים Je 49:7;— e.g. Daniel 10:1
- 1. perceive (with the senses):—
- a. eyes, acc. Pr 7:7, with לְ Jb 9:11; 14:21; 23:8 Pr 14:15. e.g. Proverbs 7:7
- b. ears, acc. Pr 29:19, with reflex. לְ Jb 13:1. e.g. Proverbs 29:19
- c. touch, acc. ψ 58:10. e.g. Psalms 58:10
- d. taste, acc. Jb 6:30. e.g. Job 6:30
- 2. understand, know (with mind):—
- a. abs. Jb 18:2; 38:20; 42:3 ψ 49:21; 82:5 Pr 24:12 Is 6:9, 10; 44:18 Dn 12:10 Ho 4:14; 14:10; שׁמעתי ולא אבין I heard but I could not understand Dn 12:8. e.g. Job 18:2
- b. acc. Jb 15:9; 23:5; 36:29 Pr 2:5, 9; 20:24; 28:5 ψ 19:13; 92:7 Je 9:11; יבין משׁפט Jb 32:9 Pr 28:5; יבין דעת Pr 29:7. e.g. Job 15:9
- c. with כִּי 1 S 3:8 2 S 12:19 Is 43:10. e.g. 1 Samuel 3:8
- d. with inf. & לְ, יבין לָדָ֑עַת Is 32:4. e.g. Isaiah 32:4
- 3. observe, mark, give heed to, distinguish, consider (with attention):—
- a. acc. Dt 32:7 ψ 5:2; 50:22; 94:7, 8 Pr 23:1; 21:29 (Qr) Dn 9:2; 10:1. e.g. Deuteronomy 32:7
- b. with לְ, ψ 73:17; 139:2 Dt 32:29. e.g. Psalms 73:17
- c. with בְּ, Ezr 8:15 Ne 13:7 Dn 9:23. e.g. Ezra 8:15
- d. with אל, ψ 28:5. e.g. Psalms 28:5
- e. with עַל, Dn 11:30, 37. e.g. Daniel 11:30
- 4. have discernment, insight, understanding Je 49:7. e.g. Jeremiah 49:7
Niphal
- נְבֻנוֹתִי Is 10:13; Pt. נָבוֹן Gn 41:33 + 15 times; pl. נְבוֹנִים Je 4:22, elsewhere נְבֹנִים Dt 1:13 Is 5:22 (Baer) Ec 9:11; נְבֹנָיו Is 29:14; be intelligent, discreet, discerning, have understanding 1 S 16:18 Pr 1:5; 10:13; 14:6; 16:21; 17:28; 19:25 Ec 9:11 Is 3:3; 5:21; 10:13; 29:14 Je 4:22 Ho 14:10; לֵב נָבוֹן intelligent mind Pr 14:33; 15:14; 18:15; נָבוֹן וְחָכָם Gn 41:33, 39; חכם ונבון Dt 4:6 1 K 3:12; חכמים ונבנים Dt 1:13. Poʿl. יְבוֹנֲנֵהוּ he attentively considereth him Dt 32:10. e.g. Isaiah 10:13
Hiphil
- Pf. הֵבִין Jb 28:23 + 5 times; Impf. יָבִין Is 28:9 + 4 times; וַיָּבֶן 2 Ch 11:23 Dn 9:22; Inf. הָבִין ψ 32:9 + 9 times; Imv. הָבֵן Dn 8:16 + 12 times; Pt. מֵבִין Pr 28:7 + 26 times;— e.g. Job 28:23
- 1. understand:—
- a. abs. Is 29:16; 40:21; 56:11 1 K 3:11 ψ 32:9 Dn 8:17; 10:12. e.g. Isaiah 29:16
- b. acc. 1 Ch 28:9 Jb 28:23 Pr 1:2, 6; 8:5; 14:8 Is 28:19 Dn 8:23 Mi 4:12; מֵבִין one with understanding Pr 8:9; 17:10, 24; 28:2, 7, 11; מְבִינֵי מַדָּע Dn 1:4; able to understand (i.e. old enough) Ne 8:3; 10:29, cf. 8:2 (sq. לִשׁמֹעַ). e.g. 1 Chronicles 28:9
- 2. give heed to, attend to, observe, discern, abs. Is 57:1 2 Ch 11:23 Dn 8:5; c. בְּ Ne 8:12 Dn 9:23; 10:11; מֵבִין בְּ skilled in 2 Ch 26:5; 34:12; c. אֶל ψ 33:15; בין טוב לרע 1 K 3:9. e.g. Isaiah 57:1
- 3. give understanding, make understand, teach:—
- a. abs. Dn 8:27; 9:22. e.g. Daniel 8:27
- b. with acc. pers. ψ 119:34, 73, 125, 130, 144, 169 Jb 32:8 Ne 8:7, 9 Is 40:14. e.g. Psalms 119:34
- c. with לְ pers. 2 Ch 35:3 Dn 11:33; with לְ pers. & acc. rei Jb 6:24 Dn 8:16. e.g. 2 Chronicles 35:3
- d. בְּ rei Ne 8:8, + acc. pers. Dn 1:17. e.g. Nehemiah 8:8
- e. double acc. Is 28:9 ψ 119:27 Dn 10:14; מֵבִין teacher 1 Ch 15:22; 25:7, 8; 27:32 Ezr 8:16. e.g. Isaiah 28:9
Hithpoʿl
- Pf. הִתְבּוֹנָ֑ן Is 1:3 + 6 times; Impf. אֶתְבּוֹנֵן Jb 23:15 + 3 times; אֶתְבּוֹנָ֑ן Jb 32:12 + 5 times; יִתְבּוֹנְנוּ ψ 107:43 + 2 times; יִתְבּוֹנָ֑נוּ Is 14:16; 43:18. e.g. Isaiah 1:3
- 1. shew oneself attentive, consider diligently:—
- a. abs. Jb 11:11; 23:15 Is 1:3 Je 2:10; 9:16. e.g. Job 11:11
- b. acc. Jb 37:14 ψ 107:43; 119:95 Is 43:18; 52:15. e.g. Job 37:14
- c. with אֶל 1 K 3:21 Is 14:16. e.g. 1 Kings 3:21
- d. with עַל Jb 31:1 ψ 37:10. e.g. Job 31:1
- e. with עד Jb 32:12; 38:18. e.g. Job 32:12
- f. with בְּ Jb 30:20 Je 30:24. e.g. Job 30:20
- 2. get understanding, understand Je 23:20 Jb 26:14 (sq. acc.) ψ 119:104. e.g. Jeremiah 23:20
- 3. shew oneself to have understanding ψ 119:100. e.g. Psalms 119:100
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. discern (Nö ZMG 1883, 532 f.; Arabic بَانَ become separated, be distinct, iv. speak perspicuously; Ethiopic በየነ: i. 2 consider, perceive, Aramaic ܒܰܝܶܢ make to understand, cf. Sab. בין (the) wise, as epith., Mordt ZMG 1876, 37)—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
בִּין
- , v. בוא) to pierce, split, penetrate; whence, to discern, understand; v. Hif.
- (cmp. בֵּין) to cause to penetrate, to saturate. Sifra Vayikra, N’dab., Par. 12, ch. XIV (ref. to Lev. II, 13) יכול תְּבוֹנֵּהוּ from bammelaḥ I might judge, ‘thou must thoroughly saturate it, ת"ל תמלח therefore it says, ‘timlaḥ’ (thou shalt strew). Men. 21ᵃ (quoting Sifra l. c.) מאי תבונהו what does the word t’bonnehu mean? Said R. b. U. ה"ק יכול יִתְבֹּונֶנּוּ כתבן (taking ת as radical, as if imperat. of a verb תבן, denom. of תֶּבֶן) it means, I might suppose, he must mix it up like straw in clay (v. infra). Said A. to him א"ה יתבוננו מיבעי ליה if so, then it ought to read (in the Sifra) yithbonennu (third person). But said A. (taking it fr. בנה) יכול יעשנו כבניין I might suppose, he shall heap the salt upon it like a building (a pile). Said R. to him, א"ה יבננו מיבעי ליה then it ought to read yibnennu. But said R. (you must correct the Sifra so as to read) יכול תבוניהו (corr. תָּבִינֵיהוּ) thou shalt make it savory … יתן בו טעם כבינה he shall put a taste into it as does understanding into a man, v. טַעַם. [Yalk. Lev. 454: מאי יתבנהו … יכול יתבלנו כתבן וטיט … תבלנו מ"ל … יכול יעשנו כבנין … א"ה.יבנהו מ"ל … יכול תבינהו … יכול יתן בו טעם בבינה—Ar. ed. Koh.: יכול תבניהו … מאי תבניהו … יכול יתבלנו (הרבה במלח) כתבן בטיט … יכול יתן בו טעם, correct: יכול תבינהו יתן וכ׳.] e.g. Leviticus 2:13
- (cmp. הוֹבִיר, s. v. בּוּר) (denomin. of בֵּין) to mediate, to be interpreter. Ab. Zar. III, 5 (45ᵃ) אני אוֹבִין לפניך (v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note 8) let me be thy interpreter (let me explain what you mean) כל מקום וכ׳ (the words על ההרים וכ׳, Deut. XII, 2, are explanatory) wherever thou findest a high mountain &c., know there must be an idol. [In the version אני אהיה אובין וכ׳, אוֹבֵין is used as a part. of a verb אָבֵין, denomin. of בֵּין, to act as a mediator or interpreter.] 2) הֵבִין (b. h.) to perceive, make intelligible, esp. to find analogies (between two cases). ה׳ דבר מתוך דבר prop. to bring out one thing from between another, i.e. to form a conclusion by analogy. Sabb. 31ᵃ הֵבַנְתָּה וכ׳ hast thou cultivated thy mind to conclude &c. (ref. to דעת Is. XXXIII, 6). Snh. 93ᵇ; a. fr. Ḥag. II, 1 (11ᵇ) חכם מֵבִין מדעתו (not ומבין, v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note) a student able to speculate by himself, a thinker.—Ib. 13ᵃ bot. היה מֵבִין בהשמל speculated over the ḥashmal (Ezek. I, 27); a. fr. e.g. Deuteronomy 12:2
- to understand one’s self, to be careful, to reflect. B. Kam. 27ᵇ להתבונן בדרכים to look around on roads (to be prepared for something in their way against which they might strike). Gen. R. s. 34 ויבן כתי׳ נתבונן the word ויבן (he built, Gen. VIII, 20) may be read vayaben, i.e. he reflected, argued. e.g. Genesis 8:20
בִּין ²
- ; v. infra.—Pa. בַּיֵּין, בַּיֵּן to teach, make wise. Targ. Ps. CXIX, 27. Targ. Job XXXII, 8. Ib. v. 9 יְבַיְּנוּן דינא explain the law (ed. Vienn. יְבִינוּן, Pe., understand).
- to reflect upon, to understand. Targ. Job XXXII, 12. Ib. XXVIII, 23; a. fr.
- to be considerate, cautious. Lam. R. to I, 16, beg., v. בְּחִי.
בַּיִן
- , only in constr. בֵּין, בינת־ (b. h.; preced., cmp. ביין, באיין) something split, or placed between; prep. between, among.—אין בין … ל there is no difference betw. … and … Meg. I, 5; a. fr.—בין השמשות (abbr. בה"ש) at twilight, dusk; v. בֵּי. Ab. V, 6; a. fr.—… ב׳ … ב׳ both … as well as … B. Kam. IV, 3; a. fr.—Yeb. 23ᵃ ב׳ אומרים לו וכ׳ whether the law says to thy father …, or &c. Koh. R. to VII, 11 בין ווי לוה וכ׳ owing to the difference between vay (woe) and vah (ah), R. J. escaped.—דברים שֶׁבֵּינוֹ לְבֵינָהּ private affairs concerning him (the husband) and her (the wife). Ned. 79ᵇ; a. fr.—Du. בֵּינַיִים, בֵּנַיִים, בֵּינְתַּיִים, בֵּנְתַּיִם (for בֵּינוֹתַיִם) between two, among, amid. Gen. R. s. 4 ביניים ובינתיים in the very centre. Y. Ber. II, 5ᵇ top. Y. Maasr. I, beg. 48ᶜ טול מבנת׳ take from what is between the two, i.e. qualifications common to both; a. fr.—Constr. בֵּינֵי־. Nidd. 67ᵇ מפסקת בֵּינֵיהֶן intervening between; a. fr.
בֵּין
- usu. pl. בֵּינֵי ch. same. Targ. Gen. I, 6; a. fr.—Ḥull. 114ᵃ; Sabb. 132ᵇ אתיא מִבֵּינַיָּיא from between the two (from both cases combined) it may be concluded.—מאי בֵינַיְיהוּ (abbr. מ"ב) wherein do they differ? איכא בינייהו (abbr. א"ב) they differ as to … B. Mets. 15ᵇ; a. v. fr.—ביני וביני a) in the meantime. Yeb. 71ᵇ; a. fr.—b) the difference between (these and other goods). Bets. 7ᵃ; a. fr.—Ḥull. 47ᵃ ההוא ב׳ וב׳ a case (of an abnormal lobe) between the normal lungs. [Targ. Am. IX, 9 מִבֵּינָהּ, Var. מבינא, read מִבֵּינֵיה from between its meshes.]
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 133 distinct written forms H995 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 73 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H995, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- בין bêyn H996 between
- בינה bîynâh H998 understanding
- מבון mâbôwn H4000 ones who taught, ones who gave
- תבון tâbûwn H8394 understanding
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 7 — not the complete family. 2 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 139 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 162 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 41:33
- Deuteronomy 1:13
- 1 Samuel 3:8
- 2 Samuel 12:19
- 1 Kings 3:9
- 1 Chronicles 15:22
- 2 Chronicles 11:23
- Ezra 8:15
- Job 6:24
- Psalms 5:1
- Proverbs 1:2
- Ecclesiastes 9:11
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
