Bible Word Study
עָנוּב
ʻÂnûwb · Anub, an Israelite
עָנוּב
Anub, an Israelite
Definition
עָנוּב (Anub) is a proper noun referring to an Israelite man mentioned only once in the Old Testament. He is listed as a son of Koz, from the tribe of Judah, in the genealogical records found in 1 Chronicles 4:8. The name itself is derived from a root meaning 'to bear fruit' or 'to be borne,' suggesting a connection to fruitfulness or being a product of a lineage. As a proper name, it carries no other semantic senses or meanings in the biblical text beyond this single identification.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively in 1 Chronicles 4:8 within a genealogical list detailing the descendants of Judah. Its usage is purely nominal, serving to identify an individual within a family lineage. There are no patterns of broader usage, as it appears only this one time in the entire Hebrew Bible.
Etymology
The name עָנוּב (ʻÂnûwb) is a passive participle derived from the same root as H6025 (עֵנָב, ʻênâb), meaning 'grape' or 'cluster of grapes.' The root conveys the idea of bearing or producing fruit. Thus, the name likely means 'borne' or 'produced,' possibly implying 'fruitful' or 'one who is borne (as fruit of the family).' It shares a conceptual connection with fertility and lineage.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried significant meaning, reflecting circumstances of birth, parental hopes, or character traits. A name derived from a word for fruit or bearing likely conveyed a positive association with fertility, blessing, and continuity of the family line. This aligns with the importance of genealogy and progeny in maintaining tribal identity and inheritance within the covenant community. עֵנָב (ʻênâb, H6025) — The root noun meaning 'grape,' from which the name is derived, focusing on the fruit itself rather than the act of bearing.
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]