עִירִי
Iri, an Israelite
Definition
The Hebrew word עִירִי (ʻÎyrîy) is a proper noun referring to an individual named Iri, who appears in the genealogical records of the tribe of Benjamin. He is listed as a son of Bela and a grandson of Benjamin, making him a direct descendant of the patriarch Jacob (1 Chronicles 7:7). As a proper name, it identifies a specific person within Israel's tribal history and has no other semantic range or alternate meanings in the biblical text. The name itself is derived from a common Hebrew root meaning 'city' or 'wakeful,' but its application here is solely as a personal identifier.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exactly once in the Old Testament, in 1 Chronicles 7:7, within a genealogical list. Its usage is purely onomastic (name-related) and serves to document the lineage of the tribe of Benjamin. There are no narrative contexts or patterns of usage beyond this single, factual recording in a chronicle.
Etymology
The name עִירִי (ʻÎyrîy) is a gentilic or patronymic form derived from the root עִיר (ʻîyr, H5892), which primarily means 'city' or 'town.' It can also be related to the root עוּר (ʻûr, H5782), meaning 'to awake' or 'to stir up.' As a personal name, it likely carries the sense of 'citizen' or 'townsman' (i.e., 'urbane'), or perhaps 'watchful.' It follows a common Hebrew pattern for forming personal names, indicating association or descent.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names often held meaning and reflected characteristics, hopes, or circumstances. A name derived from 'city' might suggest a connection to urban life or civic identity, distinguishing an individual within a largely tribal and agrarian society. Recording such names in genealogies was culturally vital for establishing lineage, inheritance rights, and tribal affiliation within the covenant community.
Bela (בֶּלַע, H1106) — Iri's father, another personal name in the same genealogy. Benjamin (בִּנְיָמִין, H1144) — Iri's grandfather and the patriarch of the tribe.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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