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Bani

Bani

בָּנִי ba.ni

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Bani (Hebrew: בָּנִי, ba.ni) is a biblical name; its Hebrew etymology is not securely established. Fourteen men in scripture bear the name; the best attested is a foreigner. In 2025 it was given to 24 children in the United States. Use is rising. Appears with Adaiah in Ezra 10.

Merged person graphTIPNR + BibleData

Which Bani?

Fourteen men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.

  1. Bani

    Return · Levite · 5 verses

  2. Bani

    Return · tribe of Levi · 4 verses

  3. Bani

    Return · Levite · 2 verses

  4. Bani

    United Monarchy · 2 verses

  5. Bani

    Return · tribe of Levi · 1 verse

  6. Bani

    Return · foreigner · 5 verses

Show all 14 bearers
  1. Bani

    Return · 2 verses

  2. Bani

    Return · tribe of Levi · Levite · 1 verse

  3. Bani

    Divided Kingdom · tribe of Judah · 1 verse

  4. Bani

    Return · 1 verse

  5. Bani

    Return · Levite · 1 verse

  6. Bani

    Return · 1 verse

  7. Bani

    Divided Kingdom · tribe of Levi · Levite · 1 verse

  8. Bani

    Return · 1 verse

TIPNR + BibleDataSSA · public domain

Scripture against society

The two measures, side by side

Concordance Depth Index 55.0 · rank 378
US usage today rank 5,238 · 24 births in 2025
1991 — 2025 · share per 100,000 births
TIPNR + BibleDataSTEPBible · CC BY

At a glance

Verses
19 across 4 books
Bearers
14 distinct people in scripture
Testament
Old
Era
Return
SSA · public domainBirths in year

Using it today

Very unlikely to share a classroom with another.
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
MeasureValueReading
Given in 2025 24 Rising
All-time total294 Since records begin in 1880
Peak 24 in 2025 Its highest year on record
Strongest stateCA Highest share relative to births
Merged person graph19 verse pairs

In scripture

FactDetail
First appears2 Samuel 23:36
Last appearsNehemiah 12:8
Cross-references227 linked passages
Computed · A2/A3Rationale generated

Names connected to this one

  • Kadmiel co-occurrence Appears with Kadmiel in Nehemiah 9.
  • Jeshua co-occurrence Appears with Jeshua in Nehemiah 9.
  • Sherebiah co-occurrence Appears with Sherebiah in Nehemiah 9.
  • Hodiah co-occurrence Appears with Hodiah in Nehemiah 8.
  • Nathan co-occurrence Appears with Nathan in 2 Samuel 23.
  • Igal co-occurrence Appears with Igal in 2 Samuel 23.
  • Shebaniah co-occurrence Appears with Shebaniah in Nehemiah 9.
  • Bunni co-occurrence Appears with Bunni in Nehemiah 9.

Origin & meaning

Strong's number H1137H
Hebrew בָּנִי
Transliteration ba.ni

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.6.46;
son of: Shemer (H8106);
father of: Amzi (H0557)
§ Bani = "built"
1) a Gadite, one of David's mighty warriors
2) a Levite of the line of Merari, and forefather to Ethan
3) a man of Judah of the line of Pharez
4) "children of Bani" returned from captivity with Zerubbabel
5) one or up to three Levites in Nehemiah's time

Bani was a Levite who served as a musician during David's reign.

The biblical story

Bani is briefly mentioned in 1Ch.6.46 as a Levite who served as a musician during the reign of King David. The context of the passage is a genealogy of the Levites, specifically the family of Merari, one of the three main Levitical clans. Bani is listed as the son of Shemer (or 'Shamer') and the father of Amzi. The Levites were responsible for assisting the priests in the tabernacle and temple worship, and many of them were appointed as musicians (1Ch.15.16-24). Bani's inclusion in this genealogy suggests that he was part of a family line that served in this musical role.

Key verses

Bani appears in 1 verse. Here are some of the most notable:

  1. The son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shamer,

    1 Chronicles 6:46
Show all 1 reference

1 Chronicles (1)

  • 1 Chronicles 6:46