Bible Word Study
יְרִיאֵל
Yᵉrîyʼêl · Jeriel, an Israelite
יְרִיאֵל
Jeriel, an Israelite
Definition
Yᵉrîyʼêl (Jeriel) is a proper name meaning 'thrown of God' or 'cast by God.' It is the name of a single individual mentioned in the Old Testament, an Israelite from the tribe of Issachar (1 Chronicles 7:2). As a compound name, it combines divine action (from God) with the divine name (El), signifying God's sovereign agency. No other meanings or biblical senses are attested for this specific name.
Biblical Usage
This name appears only once in the entire Hebrew Bible, in a genealogical list within 1 Chronicles 7:2. The context is purely genealogical, listing the sons of Tola as warriors and heads of their families during the time of King David. There are no patterns of usage beyond this single, historical record.
Etymology
The name derives from the Hebrew root יָרָה (yârâ, H3384), meaning 'to throw, shoot, cast,' and אֵל (ʼêl, H410), the common noun for 'God.' It is a theophoric name (containing God's name) that poetically describes one who is established or directed by God's action. It is compared to the similar name Yᵉrûwʼêl (H3385), meaning 'founded by God.'
Semantic Range
While the name itself is not central to major doctrines, it exemplifies a common biblical pattern of theophoric names that acknowledge God's sovereignty and active role in human lives. Understanding its etymology ('thrown of God') can enrich a reader's appreciation for how ancient Israelites embedded their theology and experience of divine providence into personal identity, even in genealogical records. In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried significant meaning, describing character, destiny, or divine action. A name like Jeriel, borne by a clan head and warrior, may have been intended to signify that the individual or family line was established and directed by God's power, a concept of importance in tribal and military contexts. Yᵉrûwʼêl (H3385) — A similar proper name meaning 'founded by God,' also used for an individual in 1 Chronicles.
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]