Bible Word Study
עָנֵר
ʻÂnêr · Aner, a Amorite, also a place in Palestine
עָנֵר
Aner, a Amorite, also a place in Palestine
Definition
Aner (עָנֵר) is a proper noun referring to both a person and a place in the Old Testament. Primarily, it identifies Aner, one of the three Amorite allies of the patriarch Abraham who joined him in the pursuit of the kings who had captured his nephew Lot (Genesis 14:13, 24). Secondly, it designates a Levitical city within the territory of the tribe of Manasseh, given to the Kohathite clan (1 Chronicles 6:70). The connection between the person and the place is not explicitly detailed in scripture.
Biblical Usage
The word is used only three times in the Old Testament. In Genesis 14, it refers to the person Aner, an Amorite chieftain who was in covenant with Abraham. The two occurrences there establish his role as a military ally. In 1 Chronicles 6:70, it is used as a geographical name for a city allotted to the Levites from the half-tribe of Manasseh, showing its later significance as a settlement.
Etymology
The etymology of עָנֵר (ʻÂnêr) is uncertain. Some lexicons suggest it may be a variant or derived from H5288 (נַעַר, naʿar), meaning 'boy' or 'youth,' though this connection is not definitive. It is a Canaanite/Amorite name, and its precise meaning in that language is lost.
Semantic Range
Aner's brief appearance is theologically significant as it illustrates God's providence in providing Abraham with allies, even from among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. This cooperation highlights that God's blessing on Abraham did not operate in complete isolation from the surrounding peoples. The later designation as a Levitical city shows how locations associated with patriarchal history were integrated into Israel's religious and tribal structures, reflecting God's long-term ordering of the land for worship. As an Amorite name, Aner reflects the pre-Israelite population of Canaan. His covenant alliance with Abraham (Genesis 14:13) demonstrates the complex political and social relationships that existed between semi-nomadic clan leaders in the ancient Near East, where treaties for mutual defense were common. The city's allocation to the Levites centuries later shows the transformation of Canaanite holdings into Israelite religious centers. Eshcol (אֶשְׁכֹּל, H812) — Another Amorite ally of Abraham from the same narrative (Genesis 14:13, 24). Mamre (מַמְרֵא, H4471) — The third Amorite ally and the namesake of the area where Abraham dwelt.
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]