Bible Word Study
נַעֲרַי
Naʻăray · Naarai, an Israelite
נַעֲרַי
Naarai, an Israelite
Definition
Naarai is a proper name meaning 'youthful' or 'my youth,' derived from the Hebrew root for 'young man.' It appears only once in the Old Testament as the name of a valiant warrior listed among King David's mighty men (1 Chronicles 11:37). As a personal name, it signifies an individual's identity, likely reflecting a characteristic (like youthfulness) or a parent's hope. In the biblical context, such names often carried descriptive or aspirational meaning for the bearer.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively as a proper noun in 1 Chronicles 11:37, identifying 'Naarai son of Ezbai' as one of David's thirty-seven elite warriors. It appears in a military roster within a historical narrative, highlighting the diversity and valor of the men who supported David's kingdom. No other usage patterns exist, as it is a single-occurrence personal name.
Etymology
The name Naarai (נַעֲרַי) is directly derived from the common Hebrew noun naʻar (נַעַר, H5288), meaning 'boy,' 'youth,' or 'young man.' The '-ai' ending can be a first-person possessive suffix ('my youth') or a diminutive/adjectival form, emphasizing the quality of youthfulness. It is a typical Hebrew personal name formation based on a characteristic.
Semantic Range
While the name itself is not theologically loaded, its placement is significant. Naarai is listed among David's mighty men (1 Chronicles 11), a group that exemplifies loyalty, courage, and divine empowerment in establishing God's kingdom through David. Understanding that his name means 'youthful' may subtly contrast with the mighty deeds performed, highlighting that God uses individuals not for their perceived maturity or status but for their faithful service. In ancient Israelite culture, personal names were often meaningful and descriptive, not merely labels. A name like Naarai ('my youth' or 'youthful') could commemorate the circumstances of a child's birth, express a parent's sentiment, or denote a characteristic of the person. It reflects a society where identity was deeply connected to language and God's action in one's life story. naʻar (נַעַר, H5288) — the common noun for 'boy,' 'youth,' or 'servant,' from which the proper name Naarai 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]