בנה

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
ב־נ־ה (b-n-h)
7 terms

From Proto-Semitic *banay- (“to build”). Cognate with Arabic بَنَى (banā), Akkadian 𒆕 (banûm), Aramaic בְּנָא (bənā), Ugaritic 𐎁𐎐𐎊 (bny).

Pronunciation

• (בָּנָה, baná):
  • (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /baˈna/

Verb

בָּנָה • (baná) (pa'al construction, infinitive לִבְנוֹת, passive counterpart נִבְנָה)

1. (literally) to build, to construct, to raise, to erect (a building, structure, or the like)
   • Tanach, 1 Kings 8:13, with translation of the King James Version:

     בָּנֹה בָנִיתִי בֵּית זְבֻל לָךְ

     banó vaníti bet z'vúl lakh
     bɔnô ḇɔnīṯī bēṯ zəḇul lɔḵ

     I have surely built thee an house to dwell in

   • Tanach, Micah 3:10, with Young's Literal Translation:

     בֹּנֶה צִיּוֹן בְּדָמִים

     boné tsiyón b'damím
     bonɛ̂ ṣiyyōn bəḏɔmīm

     Building up Zion with blood

   • Tanach, Numbers 23:1, with translation of the King James Version:

     בְּנֵה־לִי בָזֶה שִׁבְעָה מִזְבְּחֹת

     b'né-li vazé shiv'á mizb'khót
     bənê-lī ḇɔzɛ̂ šiḇʕɔ̂ mizbəḥoṯ

     Build me here seven altars

2. (figuratively) to prepare, to raise, to lay the foundation of, to develop

Conjugation

Conjugation of בָּנָה (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לִבְנוֹת
		action noun		בְּנִיָּה
		passive participle		בָּנוּי
finite forms		singular		plural
		m	f	m	f
past	first	בָּנִיתִי		בָּנִינוּ
	second	בָּנִיתָ	בָּנִית	בְּנִיתֶם1	בְּנִיתֶן1
	third	בָּנָה	בָּנְתָה	בָּנוּ
present		בּוֹנֶה	בּוֹנָה	בּוֹנִים	בּוֹנוֹת
future	first	אֶבְנֶה		נִבְנֶה
	second	תִּבְנֶה	תִּבְנִי	תִּבְנוּ	תִּבְנֶינָה2
	third	יִבְנֶה	תִּבְנֶה	יִבְנוּ	תִּבְנֶינָה2
imperative		בְּנֵה	בְּנִי	בְּנוּ	בְּנֶינָה2

¹ Pronounced בָּנִיתֶם and בָּנִיתֶן in informal Modern Hebrew.
² Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Derived terms

• בַּנַּאי (banái)

References

• “בנה” in Abraham Even-Shoshan (אַבְרָהָם אֶבֶן־שׁוֹשָׁן) et al., הַמִּלּוֹן הֶחָדָשׁ (ha-milón he-khadásh, “The New Dictionary”), Kiryat-Sefer Ltd. (קִרְיַת־סֵפֶר בְּע״ם)‎ (1984), →ISBN.
• H1129 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Etymology 2

Noun

בְּנָהּ • (b'nah)

1. singular form of בֵּן (bén)‎ with third-person feminine singular personal pronoun as possessor.
   • Tanach, Exodus 4:25, with translation of the King James Version:

     וַתִּכְרֹת אֶת־עׇרְלַת בְּנָהּ

     vatikhrót et-orlát bnah
     wattiḵroṯ ʔɛṯ-ʕɔrlaṯ bənɔh

     and cut off the foreskin of her son