Bnei

Bnei (Hebrew: בְּנֵי) is a Hebrew term meaning “children of,” “sons of,” or “descendants of.” It functions as a grammatical construct that links a noun or proper name to indicate lineage, affiliation, or collective identity. The word appears frequently in biblical texts, where it is used to denote the offspring of a patriarch (for example, “Bnei‑Yehudah” for the descendants of Judah) and in later rabbinic literature with similar genealogical or communal connotations.

In modern Hebrew, Bnei is employed as a productive prefix in the names of cities, institutions, sports clubs, and social organizations, where it signals a shared heritage or dedication to a particular figure or concept. Notable examples include Bnei Brak, a densely populated city near Tel Aviv founded in the early 20th century by religious Jewish immigrants; Bnei Sakhnin, a football club representing the Arab‑Israeli town of Sakhnin; and Bnei Akiva, the largest religious Zionist youth movement, whose name translates to “Children of Akiva.” The construct also appears in political and cultural contexts, such as Bnei Mizrachi, a former religious Zionist party, and Bnei Yehuda, a neighborhood in Jerusalem.

The usage of Bnei reflects both a linguistic tradition rooted in biblical genealogy and a contemporary means of expressing communal bonds. While its primary meaning remains “children of,” the term has evolved into a versatile element of Israeli place‑naming and organizational nomenclature, illustrating the continuity of Hebrew language patterns across centuries.