Bible Word Study
אִמְרִי
ʼImrîy · Imri, the name of two Israelites
אִמְרִי
Imri, the name of two Israelites
Definition
Imri is a personal name borne by two individuals in the Old Testament. The first is an ancestor of Uthai, a Judahite who returned from the Babylonian exile (1 Chronicles 9:4). The second is the father of Zaccur, who helped rebuild the wall of Jerusalem under Nehemiah's leadership (Nehemiah 3:2). In both instances, the name identifies a specific person within genealogical or historical lists, with no narrative details provided about their lives or actions.
Biblical Usage
The name Imri is used exclusively in post-exilic historical and genealogical contexts. It appears only twice: once in a chronicle of returning exiles (1 Chronicles 9:4) and once in a list of builders for Jerusalem's wall (Nehemiah 3:2). This pattern shows its function as a personal identifier within community records, linking individuals to the restored community of Judah.
Etymology
Imri (אִמְרִי) is a patronymic name derived from the root אָמַר (ʼāmar, H559), meaning 'to say' or 'to speak.' It is formed from the noun אִמֵּר (ʼImmēr, H564), which can mean 'a lamb' or 'a word,' though the precise connection here is uncertain. The name likely means 'my lamb' or 'Yahweh has said,' reflecting a common Hebrew naming convention.
Semantic Range
As a personal name, Imri reflects common Israelite naming practices, where names often carried meanings related to God's character, hopes, or circumstances. Its appearance in post-exilic lists highlights the importance of lineage and recorded ancestry for establishing identity, inheritance rights, and continuity within the restored community after the Babylonian exile. Amram (עַמְרָם, H6019) — Another personal name, possibly sharing a similar root but borne by Moses's father. Zaccur (זַכּוּר, H2139) — The name of Imri's son, meaning 'remembered,' showing a different thematic element in Hebrew names.
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]