Bible Word Study
אֲבִי־עַלְבוֹן
ʼĂbîy-ʻalbôwn · Abialbon, an Israelite
אֲבִי־עַלְבוֹן
Abialbon, an Israelite
Definition
Abialbon is a proper name of a single individual in the Old Testament, appearing only in 2 Samuel 23:31. He is listed as one of King David's mighty men, known as the 'Thirty,' a group of elite warriors. The name itself is a compound, likely meaning 'father of strength' or 'my father is strength,' suggesting a personal or familial association with might and valor. As a proper name, it has no other semantic senses or applications beyond identifying this specific historical figure.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively as a personal name in 2 Samuel 23:31, within the list of David's mighty men. It functions solely to identify an individual within a military and historical context, with no other usage patterns in the Hebrew Bible.
Etymology
The name אֲבִי־עַלְבוֹן (ʼĂbîy-ʻalbôwn) is a compound. The first element is from אָב (ʼāv, H1), meaning 'father.' The second element, עַלְבוֹן (ʻalbôwn), is of uncertain derivation, possibly from an unused root. Traditional analysis suggests it relates to strength or might, rendering the probable meaning as 'father of strength' or 'my father is strength.'
Semantic Range
As a personal name, Abialbon reflects the common Hebrew naming convention of incorporating the divine name or attributes of God (e.g., 'father' as a metaphor for source or protector) or desirable human qualities like strength. Being listed among David's mighty men places him within the cultural and military elite of ancient Israel, a group celebrated for their loyalty and martial prowess in establishing and defending the Davidic kingdom. אֲבִינֵר (ʼĂvînêr, H74) — Another compound name ('father of light' or 'my father is a lamp') belonging to Saul's military commander. Both names use 'father' as the first element but differ in the attributed quality. אֲבִישַׁי (ʼĂvîyshay, H52) — Another of David's mighty men with a name beginning with 'father of,' meaning 'father of a gift' or 'my father is a gift.'
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]