The Meaning of Nehemiah 11:17 Explained

Nehemiah 11:17

KJV: And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer: and Bakbukiah the second among his brethren, and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.

YLT: and Mattaniah son of Micha, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, is head -- at the commencement he giveth thanks in prayer; and Bakbukiah is second among his brethren, and Abda son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.

Darby: and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who was the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer; and Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun:

ASV: and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who was the chief to begin the thanksgiving in prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Mattaniah  the son  of Micha,  the son  of Zabdi,  the son  of Asaph,  [was] the principal  to begin  the thanksgiving  in prayer:  and Bakbukiah  the second  among his brethren,  and Abda  the son  of Shammua,  the son  of Galal,  the son  of Jeduthun. 

What does Nehemiah 11:17 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Nehemiah 11

1  The rulers, voluntary men, and the tenth man chosen by lot, dwell at Jerusalem
3  A catalogue of their names
20  Those who remain dwell in other cities

What do the individual words in Nehemiah 11:17 mean?

and Mattaniah son of Micah the son of Zabdi the son of Asaph the leader [who] began the thanksgiving with prayer and Bakbukiah the second among his brothers and Abda son of Shammua of Galal of Jeduthun Jeduthun
וּמַתַּנְיָ֣ה בֶן־ מִ֠יכָה בֶּן־ זַבְדִּ֨י בֶן־ אָסָ֜ף רֹ֗אשׁ הַתְּחִלָּה֙ יְהוֹדֶ֣ה לַתְּפִלָּ֔ה וּבַקְבֻּקְיָ֖ה מִשְׁנֶ֣ה מֵאֶחָ֑יו וְעַבְדָּא֙ בֶּן־ שַׁמּ֔וּעַ גָּלָ֖ל [ידיתון] (יְדוּתֽוּן)

וּמַתַּנְיָ֣ה  and  Mattaniah 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַתַּנְיָה 
Sense: the original name of the last king of Judah before the captivity; also known as ‘Zedekiah’.
בֶן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
מִ֠יכָה  of  Micah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִיכָה  
Sense: the 6th in order of the minor prophets; a native of Moresheth, he prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, and was contemporary with the prophets Hosea, Amos, and Isaiah.
בֶּן־  the  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
זַבְדִּ֨י  of  Zabdi 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: זַבְדִּי  
Sense: son of Zerah and grandson of Judah; grandfather of Achan.
בֶן־  the  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אָסָ֜ף  of  Asaph 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָסָף  
Sense: the father of Hezekiah’s secretary.
רֹ֗אשׁ  the  leader 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
הַתְּחִלָּה֙  [who]  began 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּחִלָּה  
Sense: beginning, first.
יְהוֹדֶ֣ה  the  thanksgiving 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָדָה 
Sense: to throw, shoot, cast.
לַתְּפִלָּ֔ה  with  prayer 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּפִלָּה  
Sense: prayer.
וּבַקְבֻּקְיָ֖ה  and  Bakbukiah 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּקְבֻּקְיָה  
Sense: a Levite in the time of Nehemiah.
מִשְׁנֶ֣ה  the  second 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁנֶה  
Sense: double, copy, second, repetition.
מֵאֶחָ֑יו  among  his  brothers 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
וְעַבְדָּא֙  and  Abda 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַבְדָּא  
Sense: father of Adoniram.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
שַׁמּ֔וּעַ  of  Shammua 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שַׁמּוּעַ  
Sense: son of Zaccur and the spy from the tribe of Reuben.
גָּלָ֖ל  of  Galal 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בִּגְלַל 
Sense: a Levite, one of the sons of Asaph.
[ידיתון]  of  Jeduthun 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
(יְדוּתֽוּן)  Jeduthun 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְדוּתוּן 
Sense: a Levite of the family of Merari and the chief of one of the 3 choirs of the temple whose descendants also formed one of the perpetual temple choirs; he is named at the beginning of 3 Psalms (39, 62, 77) either as the composer or the recipient of those Psalms but most likely as the leader of the choir by which those Psalms were to be sung.