Bible Word Study
עֶזְרָה
ʻEzrâh · Ezrah, an Israelite
עֶזְרָה
Ezrah, an Israelite
Definition
עֶזְרָה (Ezrah) is a proper noun referring to an individual in the genealogy of Judah. The name appears only once in the Old Testament, identifying Ezrah as a son of Caleb and father of Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon (1 Chronicles 4:17). As a proper name, it carries no additional semantic range or differing meanings across biblical passages. It functions solely to identify this specific ancestral figure within the tribal lineage.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively in 1 Chronicles 4:17 within a genealogical list. The context is the chronicling of the descendants of Judah, specifically the lineage stemming from Caleb. There are no patterns of usage elsewhere in the Old Testament, as it occurs only this single time to name an individual in a family record.
Etymology
The name עֶזְרָה (Ezrah) is identical to the Hebrew feminine noun עֶזְרָה (H5833), which means 'help,' 'aid,' or 'assistance.' It derives from the root ע־ז־ר (ʿ-z-r), meaning 'to help' or 'to succor.' As a personal name, 'Ezrah' likely carried the sense of 'help' or '[one who is] helped,' a common thematic element in Hebrew naming conventions, reflecting dependence on or acknowledgment of divine aid.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names were often significant and descriptive. Bearing a name like Ezrah ('help') may have reflected the parents' gratitude for divine assistance surrounding the child's birth or their hope for God's ongoing help in the child's life. As a figure listed only in a genealogy, Ezrah represents the importance of preserving family lineage and tribal identity within the community of Israel. עֶזְרָה (ʿezerah, H5833) — The common noun meaning 'help' or 'assistance,' from which the proper name is derived. עֵזֶר (ʿezer, H5828) — Another noun meaning 'help,' often used in the context of divine aid (e.g., Psalm 121:1-2).
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]