|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
Benjamin
Benjamin ♂ Biblical name, borne by the youngest of the twelve sons of Jacob. His mother Rachel died in giving birth to him, and in her last moments she named him Benoni, meaning ‘son of my sorrow’. His father, however, did not wish him to bear such an ill-omened name, and renamed him Benyamin (Genesis 35:16–18; 42:4). This means either ‘son of the right hand’ or more likely ‘son of the south’ (Hebrew yamin can also mean ‘south’), since Benjamin was the only child of Jacob born in Canaan and not in Mesopotamia to the north. Another tradition is that the second element of the name is a variant of the Hebrew plural noun yamim, which means ‘days’ but is used idiomatically to mean ‘year’ or ‘years’. The name would then mean ‘son of (my) old age’ and refer to the fact that Benjamin was Jacob's youngest child. In the Middle Ages the name was often given to sons whose mothers had died in childbirth. Today it has no such unfortunate associations and it grew enormously in popularity following the release of the film The Graduate (1967), in which Dustin Hoffman played the role of Benjamin Braddock. It is used in Scotland as an Anglicized form of Gaelic Beathan.
Short forms: Ben(n). Pet forms: Benny, Bennie, Benji(e), Benjy. Cognates: German, Dutch: Benjamin. French: Benjamin. Spanish: Benjamín. Portuguese: Benjamim. Italian: Beniamino. Russian: Venyamin. Hungarian: Benjámim. |
|
|
Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Benjamin1.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Benjamin1.html |
|
Benjamin
Benjamin The younger son of Jacob and Rachel (Gen. 35: 18), from whom the tribe of Benjamin claimed to be descended. He is mentioned as being close to Joseph, and this suggests that historically the Benjaminites were associated with the northern (Joseph) tribes, which makes good sense as the name Benjamin means southerner. They occupied a strip of land which was a buffer south of Ephraim and north of Judah. After an atrocity which led to an onslaught from the other tribes (Judg. 20), a weakened Benjamin became dependent on Judah.
Saul came from the tribe, but so also did Shimei and Sheba, opponents of David (2 Sam. 16: 5; 20: 1). After the separation of Israel and Judah into two kingdoms, Benjamin became part of the southern kingdom (Neh. 11: 7) but descendants of the tribe still remembered their history, as did Jeremiah (1: 1) and Paul (Phil. 3: 5). |
|
|
Cite this article
W. R. F. BROWNING. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Benjamin.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Benjamin.html |
|
Benjamin
Benjamin a Hebrew patriarch, the youngest and favourite son of Jacob, whose elder brothers were forced by their unrecognized brother Joseph, whom they had wronged, to take back to Egypt with them.
In Egypt, an accusation of the theft of a cup is arranged against Benjamin, and it seems that Jacob will indeed lose him; however, this is the dramatic opening to Joseph's forgiveness of, and reconciliation with, the other brothers. Benjamin gave his name to the smallest tribe of Israel, traditionally descended from him. Benjamin's portion the largest portion of something, with allusion to Genesis 63:34, in which Joseph, giving food to his brothers, gives to Benjamin (the only one who is innocent of wrongdoing against him) five times the amount he has given to the others. |
|
|
Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Benjamin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Benjamin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Benjamin.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Benjamin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Benjamin.html |
|
Benjamin
Benjamin [Heb.,=son of fortune], younger son of Jacob and Rachel, eponymous ancestor of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. His mother, dying, named him Benoni [Heb.,=son of my sorrow]. According to the Book of Joshua, the tribe of Benjamin was allotted the plateau of E central Palestine lying W of the Jordan between Jerusalem and Bethel. The tribespeople were famous archers. It has been argued that the account in Joshua relates the conquest of Canaan from the point of view of the Benjamite clans. This tradition was later expanded to present a pan-Israelite conquest account. The name survived in the High Gate of Benjamin of the Temple at Jerusalem. The Bible attests that Saul and Paul were of the tribe of Benjamin. |
|
|
Cite this article
"Benjamin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Benjamin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-BenjBib.html "Benjamin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-BenjBib.html |
|
Benjamin
|
|
|
Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Benjamin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Benjamin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Benjamin.html JOHN BOWKER. "Benjamin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Benjamin.html |
|
Benjamin
Benjamin ♂ (French) Biblical.
|
|
|
Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Benjamin2.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Benjamin2.html |
|
Benjamin
Benjamin ♂ (French) Biblical.
|
|
|
Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Benjamin3.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Benjamin3.html |
|
Benjamin
Benjamin ♂ (French) Bibical.
|
|
|
Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Benjamin.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Benjamin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Benjamin.html |
|
Benjamin
Benjamin
•examine, famine, gamin
•admin • jasmine • Yasmin • Brahmin
•women • specimen • madwomen
•clanswomen • charwomen
•craftswomen • draughtswomen
•gentlewomen • Welshwomen
•Frenchwomen
•airwomen, chairwomen
•laywomen • stateswomen
•saleswomen • policewomen
•kinswomen • Englishwomen
•businesswomen • Irishwomen
•congresswomen • countrywomen
•jurywomen • servicewomen
•tribeswomen
•Scotswomen, yachtswomen
•forewomen • horsewomen
•sportswomen • oarswomen
•councilwomen • townswomen
•noblewomen • spokeswomen
•frontierswomen • alderwomen
•anchorwomen • washerwomen
•Ulsterwomen • churchwomen
•catechumen, illumine, lumen
•bitumen
•albumen, albumin
•Duralumin • cumin • Benjamin
•theremin • vitamin
•determine, ermine, vermin
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Benjamin." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Benjamin." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Benjamin.html "Benjamin." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Benjamin.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
