Ἰαρέδ

Jared

Definition

Ἰαρέδ (Jared) is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name יֶרֶד (Yered), meaning 'descent' or 'to go down'. In the New Testament, it refers exclusively to the patriarch Jared from the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Luke 3:37. He is the son of Mahalalel and the father of Enoch, a lineage that connects Adam to Noah and ultimately to Jesus. This name and figure are directly drawn from the Old Testament genealogy in Genesis 5:15-20, where he is noted for living 962 years.

Biblical Usage

This word is used only once in the New Testament, in Luke 3:37, within the genealogy of Jesus. It serves a purely genealogical function, listing the ancestors from Adam to Jesus. The usage follows the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) spelling and form, directly importing the Hebrew patriarch's name into the Greek text to establish Christ's lineage from Adam.

Etymology

Ἰαρέδ is a direct Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name יֶרֶד (Yered). The Hebrew root ירד (y-r-d) means 'to descend' or 'to go down'. The Greek form does not carry independent semantic meaning but phonetically represents the Hebrew name, as was common for proper names in the Septuagint and New Testament.

Semantic Range

While the name Jared itself is not theologically loaded, its inclusion in Luke's genealogy (Luke 3:23-38) is highly significant. It places Jesus within the full historical lineage from Adam, the first man, emphasizing Jesus's role as the Savior for all humanity. Understanding that this is a direct link to the Genesis 5 genealogy reinforces the continuity of God's plan from creation to redemption and affirms Jesus's authentic humanity and messianic heritage.

In the 1st-century Jewish and Greco-Roman world, genealogies were crucial for establishing identity, heritage, and legitimacy. For Jewish readers, a name like Jared immediately recalled the primordial history of Genesis and the covenant lineage. Luke's use of this Septuagint form of the name would signal to his audience, both Jewish and Gentile, that Jesus's roots were deeply embedded in the ancient, authoritative biblical narrative.

There are no direct synonyms for this proper name. Other names in the same genealogical list serve a similar function but refer to distinct individuals, such as Ἀδάμ (Adam, G76) or Ἑνώχ (Enoch, G1802).

Word Details

Scripture References