אִנּוּן (in.nun)
in.nun
they; they(fem.)
A:DemPQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:DemP
Word Overview
The word in.nun is a third-person plural pronoun in Biblical Aramaic, functioning as the equivalent of the Hebrew hem.mah ("they"). It serves to identify a group previously mentioned or clearly understood from context, translating simply as "they" or "those." Because it appears exclusively in the Aramaic sections of Scripture, specifically within Daniel and Ezra, it anchors the reader in the linguistic reality of the exiled community.
Its usage is sparse but significant, occurring only three times in the canonical text. In Daniel 7:17, for instance, it refers to the four great beasts that rose from the sea, linking the pronoun directly to powerful, symbolic entities in apocalyptic vision. This limited appearance highlights its role as a straightforward grammatical connector rather than a term with deep theological nuance.
Understanding this word requires recognizing the bilingual nature of later biblical books. While Hebrew dominates most of the Old Testament, Aramaic was the international language of diplomacy and daily life during the Persian period. The presence of in.nun reminds readers that the biblical narrative spans multiple languages and cultures, preserving the voices of Jews living under foreign empires without altering their core message.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word in.nun is a simple third-person plural pronoun found in Biblical Aramaic. It functions just like the Hebrew 'they,' pointing back to a group previously mentioned or clearly understood from the context. Because it appears exclusively in the Aramaic sections of Scripture, specifically within Daniel and Ezra, it anchors the reader in the linguistic reality of the exiled community.
This limited appearance highlights its role as a straightforward grammatical connector rather than a term with deep theological nuance. Understanding this word requires recognizing the bilingual nature of later biblical books. While Hebrew dominates most of the Old Testament, Aramaic was the international language of diplomacy and daily life during the Persian period.
The presence of in.nun reminds readers that the biblical narrative spans multiple languages and cultures, preserving the voices of Jews living under foreign empires without altering their core message. It serves as a gentle reminder that God’s word reached people in their own tongues, bridging gaps between nations and eras.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- those1×
- they1×
- [are] they1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- אִנּוּן֙1×
- אִנִּ֖ין1×
- אִנּ֗וּן1×
Key Verses
-
Daniel 7:17
‘These great animals, which are four, are four kings, who will arise out of the earth.
The pronoun refers directly to the four great beasts rising from the sea, linking the grammatical subject to powerful symbolic entities in apocalyptic vision.
-
Ezra 5:4
They also asked for the names of the men who were making this building.
It identifies the officials who asked for the names of the builders, showing how the term functions as a basic connector in historical narrative.
-
Daniel 2:44
“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, nor will its sovereignty be left to another people; but it will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever.
This verse is included in the candidate list but does not contain the word in.nun; therefore, it is excluded from key verses to maintain accuracy.