Boys · Hebrew · Old Testament · classic · Patriarchal
Benjamin
/BEN-juh-min/
בִּנְיָמִין
"Son of the right hand; son of the south"
Genesis 35:18
RoleYoungest son of Jacob; tribal patriarch
Etymology
From 'ben' (son) and 'yamin' (right hand/south). The right hand signified strength, favour, and honour. His mother Rachel, dying in childbirth, named him Ben-Oni ('son of my sorrow'), but his father Jacob changed it to Benjamin — transforming a name of grief into one of strength.
Who they were
Benjamin was born on the road near Bethlehem, and his birth cost his mother Rachel her life. With her last breath she named him Ben-Oni — son of my sorrow — but Jacob renamed him Benjamin, son of my right hand. He became the child Jacob clung to after Joseph's apparent death, and the story of Joseph testing his brothers in Egypt revolves around Benjamin: Joseph gives Benjamin five times more food than the others, plants a silver cup in his sack, and weeps uncontrollably when he finally reveals himself. The tribe of Benjamin was small but fierce — 'Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,' Jacob said in his blessing. Saul, Israel's first king, was a Benjaminite, and so was the apostle Paul. The tribe's territory included Jerusalem, placing them at the centre of Israel's story. Benjamin's dual naming — sorrow and strength — makes his name one of the most emotionally layered in scripture.
Family
- Father
- Jacob
- Mother
- Rachel (died at his birth)
Character qualities
- Beloved by father
- Fierceness of tribe
- Central to Israel's story
Where they appear
Themes
Variants & related forms
Ben · Benny · Benyamin · Benjamín
Read their story
Benjamin's story begins in Genesis.
The full passage is at Genesis 35:18. Any modern translation will do — the NLT and NIV are the most readable; the ESV and NKJV stay close to the wording the church has used for centuries.
Find a Bible to read it in →