Bible Word Study
אֲחִישָׁר
ʼĂchîyshâr · Achishar, an Israelite
אֲחִישָׁר
Achishar, an Israelite
Definition
Achishar is a proper name of an Israelite official mentioned in the Old Testament. He served as the steward or manager of King Solomon's palace, as recorded in 1 Kings 4:6. The name itself means 'brother of (the) singer' or 'my brother is a singer.' His role was administrative, overseeing the royal household, which was a position of significant trust and responsibility in the ancient Israelite monarchy. This single biblical reference provides the entirety of our knowledge about this individual.
Biblical Usage
The name Achishar appears only once in the entire Old Testament, in 1 Kings 4:6. It is used in a list of Solomon's high officials, specifically identifying Achishar as the one 'over the household' or palace administrator. This context places him among the top-tier royal appointees responsible for the day-to-day operations of the king's domestic affairs.
Etymology
The name Achishar (אֲחִישָׁר) is a compound Hebrew name derived from two elements: 'ach' (H251, אָח), meaning 'brother,' and 'shir' (H7891, שִׁיר), meaning 'song' or 'singer.' Thus, the name translates literally as 'brother of a singer' or 'my brother is a singer.' It follows a common pattern for Hebrew personal names that describe a relationship or attribute.
Semantic Range
As the palace administrator ('al-hab-bayith'), Achishar held a prominent governmental position in Solomon's kingdom, similar to a chief of staff or majordomo. This role involved managing the king's estate, servants, and provisions, a position of great authority and intimacy with the monarch. It reflects the administrative structure and delegation of authority within the united monarchy of Israel. No direct synonyms as a proper name. Related official titles include: Saris (H5631) — a high official or eunuch; Nagid (H5057) — a leader, ruler, or prince.
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]