בן

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
ב־ן (b-n)
3 terms

From Proto-Semitic *bin-. The unchanged form can still be found as a construct in certain proper nouns like יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן־נוּן (Joshua son of Nun) or בִּנְיָמִין (Benjamin).

Pronunciation

  • (Biblical Hebrew) IPA(key): /beːn/
  • (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA(key): /ben/, [beːn]
  • (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA(key): /ben/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

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

  1. son
  2. (no longer productive) A direct male descendant.
    בן אדםbén-adáma human (literally, “a son of Adam”)
    בן ישראלbén-yisraélan Israelite (literally, “a son of Israel”)
  3. A guy, a boy.
  4. (no longer productive, construct state) Possessor of (knowledge, ability, etc.)
    בן דעתbén dá'atsomeone legally competent
    בן תורהbén torásomeone devoted to the Torah
  5. (construct state) Used in expressing the age of a man, a boy, or the referent of a masculine noun: age, aged.
    הוא בן שש.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
      bét-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
isolated forms with possessive pronouns
Number: State: form Person: singular plural
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

Proper noun

בֵּן • (bénm

  1. a male given name, Ben

Etymology 2

Root
ב־י־ן (b-y-n)
8 terms

Verb

בָּן • (bán) (pa'al construction)

  1. (rare, archaic) to understand.
Conjugation
Conjugation of בָּן (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)
non-finite forms to-infinitive לָבִין
action noun בִּינָה
finite forms singular plural
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

1 Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Etymology 3

Preposition

בָּן • (ban)

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