Bible Word Study
עִיר
ʻÎyr · Ir, an Israelite
עִיר
Ir, an Israelite
Definition
The Hebrew word עִיר (ʻÎyr) is a proper noun referring to an individual named Ir, an Israelite mentioned in the Old Testament. It appears only once in the biblical text, specifically in 1 Chronicles 7:12, where Ir is listed as a son of Bela, a descendant of Benjamin. This name is identical in form to the common Hebrew noun עִיר (ʻîr, H5892), which means 'city' or 'town,' but in this specific context, it functions solely as a personal name. No other major senses or meanings are attested for this particular proper noun in Scripture.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively as a proper name for a person in a genealogical list. It occurs only in 1 Chronicles 7:12 within the context of the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin. There are no patterns of usage across different books or contexts, as it is a single, unique reference to an individual within a family lineage.
Etymology
The name Ir (עִיר) is derived from the identical Hebrew common noun עִיר (ʻîr, H5892), meaning 'city' or 'town.' As a personal name, it likely carried a symbolic or descriptive meaning, perhaps relating to concepts of community, protection, or establishment, similar to the noun. It is a primary noun with no further known derivation from a verbal root.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, personal names were often significant and descriptive. Naming a child Ir ('city') may have reflected parental hopes (e.g., for the child to be a strong, established part of the community) or commemorated an event. Its use in a genealogy highlights the importance of familial and tribal identity in Israel's history. As a proper noun, it has no direct synonyms. The related common noun is עִיר (ʻîr, H5892) — the word for 'city' from which this name is derived.
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]