Ben-:
Ben (prefix) (singular ben, "son of"; plural bene, "sons of" = Aramaic bar): This word is used in the singular or plural to express relationship of almost any kind:
(1) to a person; as such it is found as part of many compound names like Benjamin, Benhur, etc. (compare Bar);
(2) to a clan; in this connection it is found in the plural only: "children of Israel," "children of Ammon," etc.;
(3) to a town; perhaps as place of birth ("son of Jabesh"; 2Ki 15:10 ff);
(4) to occupation, state of life, age, character, quality even of things;
(5) peculiarly employed in the sense of "scholar disciple" ("son of prophet"), or in phrases like "son of death," etc.;
(6) in poetry, "sons of flame" for "sparks" (Job 5:7 margin), etc. The frequent metaphorical use of the word indicates that it was rarely used to express the relation of father to son like the Arabic Ibn. Compare HPN, 64 ff.
Written by Arthur L. Breslich
The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.
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