Bible Word Study
נַעֲרָן
Naʻărân · Naaran, a place in Palestine
נַעֲרָן
Naaran, a place in Palestine
Definition
Naaran is a proper noun referring to a specific location in ancient Palestine. It is mentioned only once in the Old Testament as a town within the territory of Ephraim (1 Chronicles 7:28). The name itself means 'juvenile' or 'youthful,' likely derived from the Hebrew root for 'boy' or 'young man.' While its precise geographical location is uncertain, it is listed among other towns in the tribal allotment, indicating it was a settled community. No other biblical narratives or events are directly associated with this place.
Biblical Usage
The word Naaran is used exclusively as a proper noun for a place name in 1 Chronicles 7:28. It appears in a genealogical and territorial list detailing the descendants and settlements of the tribe of Ephraim. There are no patterns of usage or variations in meaning, as it occurs only this single time in the biblical text.
Etymology
Naaran (נַעֲרָן) is derived from the Hebrew root נַעַר (na'ar, H5288), meaning 'boy,' 'youth,' or 'young man.' The '-ān' suffix often indicates a place, so the name likely means 'place of youth' or 'youthful place.' This follows a common pattern in Hebrew where place names are formed from personal characteristics or natural features.
Semantic Range
As a place name, Naaran reflects the Israelite practice of naming locations based on perceived qualities, family associations, or local history. Its inclusion in a tribal boundary list (1 Chronicles 7:28) shows it was part of the organized settlement and identity of the tribe of Ephraim in the Promised Land. Its exact location is lost to history, which is common for many minor biblical sites. No direct synonyms as a proper place name. For the root concept: נַעַר (na'ar, H5288) — the common noun for 'boy,' 'youth,' or 'servant,' from which the place 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]