Bible Word Study
עָקָן
ʻÂqân · Akan, an Idummaean
עָקָן
Akan, an Idummaean
Definition
עָקָן (Akan) is a proper name referring to an individual listed in the genealogy of the Edomites, the descendants of Esau. The name appears only in Genesis 36:27, where Akan is identified as a son of Ezer and a grandson of Seir the Horite, making him part of the pre-Israelite inhabitants of the land of Edom. As an 'Idummaean' (Edomite), his inclusion in this genealogical record establishes the tribal and clan structures of the peoples who inhabited the region southeast of Judah. The name serves primarily to document the lineage and social organization of the Horite clans who were later subsumed by the Edomites.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Genesis 36:27, within a genealogical list. Its usage is strictly onomastic (name-bearing) and contextualized within the extended genealogy of Esau (Edom) provided in Genesis 36. The pattern is consistent with other names in the chapter, which catalog the chiefs and clans of Edom and the Horites. There are no other contextual uses or variations in meaning.
Etymology
The name עָקָן (ʻÂqân) is derived from an unused Hebrew root meaning 'to twist,' hence carrying a sense of 'tortuous' or 'twisted.' It is linguistically connected to the name יַעֲקָן (Yaʻăqân, H3292), mentioned in 1 Chronicles 1:42, which may be a variant or a related name from the same root. This etymological background suggests the name might have originally described a personal characteristic or the nature of a location.
Semantic Range
In its original cultural setting, this name functions as a genealogical marker within the Horite and Edomite tribal records. The Horites were likely the original inhabitants of the mountainous region of Seir, later dominated by Esau's descendants (Genesis 36:20-30). Recording such names affirmed land claims, social relationships, and ethnic history. For the Israelite audience, these lists validated Edom as a distinct, organized nation with a history parallel to their own, fulfilling the prophecy that Esau would be a nation (Genesis 25:23). יַעֲקָן (Yaʻăqân, H3292) — A variant or related Edomite name listed in a parallel genealogy in 1 Chronicles 1:42.
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]