כְּלוּב
Kelub, the name of two Israelites
Definition
Kelub (כְּלוּב) is a proper noun referring to two distinct individuals in the Old Testament. The first is Kelub, a man of Judah mentioned as the brother of Shuhah and the father of Mehir in the genealogical records of 1 Chronicles 4:11. The second is Kelub, an official who served under King David, specifically appointed as overseer of the royal fields and vineyards in 1 Chronicles 27:26. The name itself is identical to the common noun for a 'birdcage' or 'basket' (H3619), but in these contexts, it functions solely as a personal name.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively as a proper name for two different Israelite men within the genealogical and administrative records of 1 Chronicles. It appears only twice in the Old Testament. In 1 Chronicles 4:11, it is used in a tribal genealogy of Judah. In 1 Chronicles 27:26, it identifies an official in David's kingdom bureaucracy, responsible for agricultural production. There is no narrative or descriptive usage beyond these simple identifications.
Etymology
The name Kelub (כְּלוּב) is derived from the identical common noun (H3619, kᵉlûb) meaning 'birdcage,' 'basket,' or 'container.' It is likely that the personal name was adopted from this object, perhaps symbolizing protection or enclosure. The root is uncertain but may be related to the idea of something that confines or holds.
Semantic Range
As a personal name, Kelub reflects the common Israelite practice of using words for everyday objects as names. The name's connection to a 'cage' or 'basket' might have carried a symbolic meaning of safety or provision for the family, though this is speculative. The mention in 1 Chronicles 27:26 highlights the organized, agrarian-based administration of David's kingdom, where officials were tasked with managing specific royal assets.
There are no direct synonyms for this proper name. As a common noun, its base word is כְּלוּב (kᵉlûb, H3619) — meaning 'birdcage' or 'basket.'
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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