“Sons of …” in the Old and New Testament

The phrase “sons of …” appears many times, describing family lineage, tribal association, moral character, or spiritual identity.

Below are the main recurring “Sons of …” expressions, with their appearances counted separately for the Old and New Testament. Some of the larger counts are rounded.

Old Testament

1. Sons of Israel (בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, benei Yisrael)
   • Meaning: Israelites
   • Appearances: about 600 times
2. Sons of God (בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים, benei ha-Elohim)
   • Meaning: Divine beings or righteous men (context-dependent)
   • Appearances: 5 times (Genesis 6:2, 6:4; Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7)
3. Sons of Aaron (בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן, benei Aharon)
   • Meaning: Priestly descendants of Aaron
   • Appearances: about 100 times
4. Sons of Levi (בְּנֵי לֵוִי, benei Levi)
   • Meaning: Levites
   • Appearances: about 25 times
5. Sons of Korah (בְּנֵי קֹרַח, benei Korach)
   • Meaning: Descendants of Korah, often linked with Psalms
   • Appearances: about 10 times
6. Sons of Belial (בְּנֵי בְלִיַּעַל, benei Belial)
   • Meaning: Worthless men, evil persons
   • Appearances: about 15 times
7. Sons of Ammon (בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן, benei Ammon)
   • Meaning: Ammonites
   • Appearances: about 30 times
8. Sons of Moab (בְּנֵי מוֹאָב, benei Moav)
   • Meaning: Moabites
   • Appearances: about 15 times
9. Sons of the Prophets (בְּנֵי הַנְּבִיאִים, benei ha-nevi’im)
   • Meaning: Disciples of the prophets
   • Appearances: about 10 times

New Testament

1. Sons of God (υἱοὶ θεοῦ, huioi theou)
   • Meaning: Believers adopted by God
   • Appearances: about 6 times
2. Sons of the Kingdom (υἱοὶ τῆς βασιλείας, huioi tēs basileias)
   • Meaning: Those belonging to God’s Kingdom
   • Appearances: 2 times (Matthew 8:12, Matthew 13:38)
3. Sons of Light (υἱοὶ φωτός, huioi phōtos)
   • Meaning: Followers of truth and righteousness
   • Appearances: 3 times
4. Sons of Thunder (υἱοὶ βροντῆς, huioi brontēs)
   • Meaning: Nickname given by Jesus to James and John
   • Appearances: 1 time (Mark 3:17)
5. Sons of the Evil One (υἱοὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ, huioi tou ponērou)
   • Meaning: Those aligned with evil
   • Appearances: 1 time (Matthew 13:38)
6. Sons of this Age (υἱοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, huioi tou aiōnos toutou)
   • Meaning: People of the current world
   • Appearances: 2 times

Elohim
   ├── Yahweh
   │      ├── Shepherd: Abraham
   │      │      └── Flock: Hebrews
   │      │      └── Son of God (Typological, father of Israel)
   │      ├── Shepherd: Moses
   │      │      └── Flock: Israelites (Exodus)
   │      │      └── Son of Amram (Exodus 6:20)
   │      ├── Shepherd: David
   │      │      └── Flock: United Kingdom of Israel
   │      │      └── Son of Jesse & Son of God (Psalm 2:7)
   │      ├── Shepherd: Elijah
   │      │      └── Flock: Israelites (Northern Kingdom)
   │      │      └── Son of None
   │      ├── Shepherd: Isaiah
   │      │      └── Flock: Judah
   │      │      └── Son of Amram (Isaiah 1:1)
   │      ├── Son: Adam
   │      │      └── Son of God (Luke 3:38)
   │      └── Son: Israel (Nation)
   │             └── Son of God (Exodus 4:22)
   ├── Abba
   │      └── Son: Jesus Christ
   │             ├── Shepherd: Jesus (Good Shepherd)
   │             │      └── Flock: Disciples/Church (John 10:11)
   │             │      └── Son of God (John 3:16)
   │             ├── Shepherd: Peter
   │             │      └── Flock: Early Church (Jerusalem)
   │             │      └── Son of Jonah (Matthew 16:17)
   │             └── Shepherd: Paul
   │                    └── Flock: Gentile Churches
   │                    └── Son of None
   ├── Baal
   │      └── Wicked Flock: Wayward Israelites (1 Kings 18:18) & Canaanites
   │             └── Practices: Idolatry, child sacrifice (Jeremiah 19:5)
   ├── Asherah
   │      └── Wicked Flock: Israelites (2 Kings 23:4) & Canaanites
   │             └── Practices: Idol worship, sacred poles (Deuteronomy 16:21)
   ├── Molech
   │      └── Wicked Flock: Ammonites & Wayward Israelites (Leviticus 18:21)
   │             └── Practices: Child sacrifice (2 Kings 23:10)
   ├── Chemosh
   │      └── Wicked Flock: Moabites (Numbers 21:29)
   │             └── Practices: Human sacrifice (2 Kings 3:27)
   ├── Dagon
   │      └── Wicked Flock: Philistines (1 Samuel 5:2)
   │             └── Practices: Idolatry (Judges 16:23)
   └── Idols/Unnamed Gods
          └── Wicked Flock: Various Nations & Straying Israelites (Isaiah 44:9-20)
                 └── Practices: Worthless idolatry, delusion (Jeremiah 2:5)