H68 — אֶבֶן (ʼeben)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H68
Original: אֶבֶן
Transliteration: ʼeben
Pronunciation: eh-ben
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: from a root related to building
Occurrences: 239 unique verses (315 tokens) in OT across 27 books
First Occurrence: Gen 2:12 — "there is bdellium and the onyx stone"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From the root of "to build" through the meaning to build; a stone: — carbuncle, mason, plummet, stone, stony, divers weights.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
stones	60	25.1%
stone	32	13.4%
with stones	19	7.9%
of stone	18	7.5%
a stone	16	6.7%
the stones / the stone	26	10.9%
weights / weight	7	2.9%
other stone phrases	61	25.5%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Zechariah	8	3.8
Habakkuk	2	3.6
Joshua	20	3.0
Deuteronomy	24	2.5
1 Kings	19	2.3
Exodus	25	2.1
Ezekiel	17	1.3
2 Chronicles	14	1.7
Genesis	13	0.8
Job	11	1.0
Other books	86	—

Usage clusters around material objects, memorials, covenant tablets, construction, precious stones, execution by stoning, and standard weights.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Natural Stone / Physical Material¶

Gen 28:11 — Jacob takes stones of the place for pillows.
Exod 15:5 — Egyptians sink "as a stone."
Job 6:12 — "Is my strength the strength of stones?"

2. Building Stone and Architectural Material¶

1 Kgs 5:17 — great and costly stones are brought for the foundation.
2 Kgs 12:12 — hewers of stone repair the house.
Hag 2:15 — stone laid upon stone in the temple.

3. Memorial / Witness Stones¶

Josh 4:6-7 — Jordan stones become a memorial sign.
1 Sam 7:12 — Samuel sets up the Ebenezer stone.
Josh 24:27 — a great stone witnesses covenant words.

4. Covenant Tablets and Written Stone¶

Exod 24:12 — tables of stone are given.
Deut 4:13 — the ten commandments are written on two tables of stone.
Josh 8:32 — a copy of the law is written on stones.

5. Precious Stones / Gems¶

Gen 2:12 — onyx stone in Havilah.
Exod 28:9-21 — stones in priestly garments.
2 Chr 3:6 — the house is garnished with precious stones for beauty.

6. Stoning and Hailstones¶

Num 15:36 — the congregation stones the offender with stones.
Josh 10:11 — great stones from heaven fall as hailstones.
Deut 13:10 — judicial stoning with stones.

7. Weights / Standard Measures¶

Prov 11:1 — a just weight is the LORD's delight.
Prov 16:11 — weights of the bag belong to the LORD's work.
Mic 6:11 — deceitful weights are condemned.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	59x	covenant, memorial, temple, or legal settings
עֵץ (ets)	H6086	40x	"wood and stone" material pair
בַּיִת (bayith)	H1004	30x	house/temple construction
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Israel)	H3478	29x	communal memorial/legal use
נָתַן (nathan)	H5414	27x	stones set, given, laid, or placed
זָהָב (zahab)	H2091	26x	precious stones with gold
שְׁנַיִם (shenayim)	H8147	25x	two tablets/stones
לָקַח (laqach)	H3947	24x	taking stones

Word Family / Cognates¶

H69 אֶבֶן (ʼeben) — Aramaic cognate, "stone."
H72 אֶבֶן הָעֵזֶר (Eben-haezer) — proper place name built from "stone of help."

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
סֶלַע (sela)	H5553	rock/stone	larger rock/crag; H68 is the general stone noun
רָגַם (ragam)	H7275	stone	verb "to stone"; H68 is the stone used
סָקַל (saqal)	H5619	stone	verb "to stone"; overlaps in legal execution contexts
λίθος (lithos)	G3037	stone	Greek LXX/NT equivalent

Semantic Domains¶

[001002010016] Stone — stone/material domain.
[001002008001009] Gemstones — precious-stone usage.
[001002009] Constructions — building-stone usage.
[001002010011] Rain — hailstone contexts.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
λίθος (lithos) G3037	195	6.35	Primary stone equivalent
λίθινος (lithinos) G3035	17	6.22	made of stone
λιθοβολέω (lithoboleo) G3036	17	5.93	stone / throw stones
τίμιος (timios) G5093	15	5.41	precious/costly, especially gem contexts
πλάξ (plax) G4109	11	5.59	tablet/plate contexts