Word Study for H1128 (בֶּן־דֶּקֶר)

Ben-Deqer /ben-deh'-ker/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom בֵּן and a derivative of דָּקַר

Meaningson of piercing (or of a lance); Ben-Deker, an Israelite

KJV usagethe son of Dekar.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of Ben-Deqer — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew name Ben-Deqer, represented by H1128, is defined as son of piercing (or of a lance); Ben-Deker, an Israelite; the son of Dekar. It appears 1 time across 1 unique verse in the Bible. This name identifies a specific individual by his lineage, literally meaning "the son of Dekar."

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The single appearance of H1128 is in an administrative list. In the biblical narrative, Ben-Deqer is named as one of the officers responsible for providing for King Solomon's household. His jurisdiction included a specific region composed of several towns, as detailed in the record of Solomon's officials 1 Kings 4:9.

Related Words & Concepts

The passage mentioning Ben-Deqer connects him to his father and the region he managed:

H1857 Deqer (Dekar): This is the name of Ben-Deqer's father. The definition provided is "Deker, an Israelite."
H4739 Mâqats (Makaz): A location within Ben-Deqer's administrative district, defined as "Makaz, a place in Palestine" 1 Kings 4:9.
H8169 Shaʻalbîym (Shaalbim): Another location under his authority, defined as "Shaalbim or Shaalabbin, a place in Palestine" 1 Kings 4:9.
H1053 Bêyth Shemesh (Beth-shemesh): A key city in the region, defined as "Beth-Shemesh, a place in Palestine" 1 Kings 4:9.
H358 ʼÊylôwn Bêyth Chânân (Elon-bethhanan): The final location listed in his territory, defined as "Elon of Beth-chanan, a place in Palestine" 1 Kings 4:9.

Theological Significance

While the name Ben-Deqer does not carry direct theological weight, its inclusion in scripture is significant for historical and administrative reasons.

Historical Record: The mention of Ben-Deqer provides a specific detail about the civil organization of Solomon's kingdom, underscoring the structured nature of his rule.
Patronymic Identity: The use of the name, meaning "son of Dekar," reflects the common biblical practice of identifying individuals through their paternal lineage, establishing a clear line of identity.
Geographical Context: The listing of his territory helps to map the administrative divisions of Israel during this period, preserving a snapshot of the kingdom's scope 1 Kings 4:9.

Summary

In summary, H1128 is the proper name of an Israelite officer from the time of King Solomon. It is a patronymic, identifying him as the son of Dekar. Its sole biblical mention in 1 Kings 4:9 is not for theological instruction but for historical documentation, illustrating the organized administration of the kingdom and preserving the names of the men and places that constituted it.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

דֶּקֶר
בֶּן

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

1 verse, all in 1 Kings — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.