Bible Word Study
אֶצְבּוֹן
ʼEtsbôwn · Etsbon, the name of two Israelites
אֶצְבּוֹן
Etsbon, the name of two Israelites
Definition
Etsbon (אֶצְבּוֹן) is a proper name given to two individuals in the Old Testament. In Genesis 46:16, Etsbon is listed as a son of Gad, making him one of the original descendants of Israel who went down to Egypt. In 1 Chronicles 7:7, a different Etsbon is recorded as a son of Bela and a grandson of Benjamin, showing the name's use across two Israelite tribes. The name appears only in these genealogical contexts, with no additional narrative or actions attributed to either figure.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively in two Old Testament genealogical lists. It appears in Genesis 46:16 within the list of Jacob's family members who descended into Egypt, specifically as a son of Gad. It also appears in 1 Chronicles 7:7 within the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin, as a son of Bela. There are no narrative uses or patterns beyond these two name listings.
Etymology
The etymology of אֶצְבּוֹן (Etsbon) is uncertain. Some scholars have tentatively connected it to a root meaning 'to be bright' or 'shining,' but this is speculative. The variant spelling אֶצְבֹּן (Etsbon) also appears. Its derivation remains unclear, and it is not demonstrably related to common Hebrew nouns.
Semantic Range
As a personal name borne by two different individuals in tribal genealogies, Etsbon reflects the common Israelite practice of using meaningful (though often now obscure) names for children. Its presence in the records of both the tribes of Gad and Benjamin highlights the importance of genealogical identity and tribal lineage in ancient Israelite society.
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]