1142. Bene Yaaqan
Lexical Summary
Bene Yaaqan: Bene Jaakan

Original Word: בְּנֵי יַעֲקָן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Bney Ya`aqan
Pronunciation: beh-NAY yah-ah-KAHN
Phonetic Spelling: (ben-ay' yah-ak-awn')
KJV: Bene-jaakan
NASB: Bene-jaakan
Word Origin: [from the plural of H1121 (בֵּן - sons) and H3292 (יַעֲקָן - Jaakan)]

1. sons of Yaakan
2. Bene-Jaakan, a place in the Desert

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Bene-jaakan

From the plural of ben and Ya'aqan; sons of Yaakan; Bene-Jaakan, a place in the Desert -- Bene-jaakan.

see HEBREW ben

see HEBREW Ya'aqan

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from ben and Yaaqan
Definition
"sons of Jaakan," a place in the desert
NASB Translation
Bene-jaakan (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
בְּנֵי יַעֲָק֑ן proper name, of a location a station of Israel in wilderness Numbers 33:31,32 (= בְּאֵרוֺת בני יעקן Deuteronomy 10:6 q. v.; compare also יַעֲקָ֑ן 1 Chronicles 1:42 = וַעֲקָ֑ן Genesis 36:27, & Di Numbers 33:31).

Topical Lexicon
Etymology and Meaning

The name בְּנֵי יַעֲקָן (Bene Yaakan) means “sons (or children) of Jaakan,” hinting either at a family group descended from an otherwise unknown ancestor named Jaakan or at a settlement founded by such a clan. The plural “sons” was often applied to localities that originated as patriarchal encampments which later became fixed stations or villages.

Biblical References

Numbers 33:31 – “They set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.”
Numbers 33:32 – “They set out from Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.”

A related form, “Beeroth Bene Jaakan” (“wells of the sons of Jaakan”), appears in Deuteronomy 10:6, describing a stop made while the priestly garments were transferred, but that phrase is technically catalogued under a different Strong’s number.

Historical Context

Bene Yaakan belongs to the itinerary Moses preserved near the end of Israel’s forty-year wilderness sojourn. The list in Numbers 33 records forty-two encampments; Bene Yaakan is the thirty-second. The people had just departed Moseroth, where Aaron’s death had been commemorated, and they would next march to Hor Haggidgad, moving gradually toward Ezion-geber and the plains of Moab. The notice of Bene Yaakan demonstrates the methodical, ordered progression of the nation—every stage supervised by the pillar of cloud and fire (compare Exodus 40:36-38). Moses’ careful recording of these stages provided subsequent generations with a legal title to the land (Joshua 1:4) and a sober reminder of divine faithfulness despite human unbelief (Nehemiah 9:12-21; Psalm 78).

Geographical Location

Exact identification is uncertain. Proposals range from the Arabah south of the Dead Sea to wadis in the central Sinai Peninsula. Three data points guide researchers:

1. Proximity to Moseroth (often linked to Mount Hor near the modern Jebel Harun).
2. A position reachable en route to Hor Haggidgad.
3. Association with “wells” in Deuteronomy 10:6.

On balance, many conservative geographers place Bene Yaakan east or southeast of Mount Hor, near existing water sources that would have supported a tribal encampment. The obscurity of its location reinforces the transitory nature of Israel’s desert life, underscoring that God Himself was their dwelling (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Theological and Spiritual Significance

1. Memorial of Guidance – Each campsite, including Bene Yaakan, testifies that “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23).
2. Covenant Faithfulness – The itinerary validates the historicity of the Exodus narrative. Archaeological debates may continue, but Scripture’s internal record is coherent, sequential, and theologically purposeful.
3. Pilgrim Motif – Bene Yaakan represents one point on a journey that looked forward to “a better country” (Hebrews 11:16). Its brevity in the text reminds readers that no single earthly resting place can satisfy God’s people until they reach the promised inheritance.

Lessons for Today

• God keeps meticulous account of His people’s paths; nothing is forgotten.
• Obscure places and short seasons still serve eternal purposes.
• Trust grows by remembering how the Lord led in former stages—naming them, rehearsing them, and teaching them to the next generation (Psalm 78:4-7).

Forms and Transliterations
יַעֲקָ֑ן יַעֲקָֽן׃ יעקן יעקן׃ ya‘ăqān ya·‘ă·qān yaaKan
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Numbers 33:31
HEB: וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בִּבְנֵ֥י יַעֲקָֽן׃
NAS: and camped at Bene-jaakan.
KJV: and pitched in Benejaakan.
INT: Moseroth and camped Bene-jaakan

Numbers 33:32
HEB: וַיִּסְע֖וּ מִבְּנֵ֣י יַעֲקָ֑ן וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּחֹ֥ר
NAS: They journeyed from Bene-jaakan and camped
KJV: And they removed from Benejaakan, and encamped
INT: journeyed Bene-jaakan and camped Hor-haggidgad

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1142
2 Occurrences


ya·‘ă·qān — 2 Occ.

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