Bible Word Study
יְרֹחָם
Yᵉrôchâm · Jerocham, the name of seven or eight Israelites
יְרֹחָם
Jerocham, the name of seven or eight Israelites
Definition
Yᵉrôchâm (Jerocham) is a proper name meaning 'He will be compassionate' or 'May he show mercy.' It is borne by seven or eight distinct individuals in the Old Testament, primarily appearing in genealogical and historical lists. The most notable is the father of Elkanah and grandfather of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1). Other individuals include Levites (1 Chronicles 6:27, 34), a Benjaminite (1 Chronicles 8:27), and inhabitants of Jerusalem after the exile (1 Chronicles 9:8, 12). The name's consistent meaning underscores a personal or familial hope for divine compassion.
Biblical Usage
The name is used exclusively for male Israelites across historical and genealogical contexts in 1 Samuel and 1 Chronicles. It appears ten times, with a concentration in the tribal and priestly genealogies of 1 Chronicles (e.g., 1 Chronicles 6:27, 8:27, 9:8). Its usage is formulaic, typically identifying a person's lineage (e.g., 'Jeroham the father of Elkanah' in 1 Samuel 1:1) rather than narrating specific events about the individuals themselves.
Etymology
Derived from the Hebrew root רָחַם (rāḥam, H7355), meaning 'to love,' 'to have compassion,' or 'to show mercy.' The name is in the imperfect (future) form, signifying 'He (God) will be compassionate' or a jussive sense, 'May He show mercy.' It is a theophoric name, implicitly invoking God's character of mercy.
Semantic Range
As a theophoric name meaning 'He will be compassionate,' it serves as a personal testament to the Israelite hope in God's merciful character. This is poignantly illustrated in the family of Samuel, where the name Jeroham precedes the birth of a pivotal prophet, hinting at God's compassionate answer to Hannah's prayer (1 Samuel 1). Understanding the name enriches reading by highlighting how personal identity in biblical times was often intertwined with declarations of faith in God's attributes. In ancient Israel, names were often meaningful statements about God's character or the circumstances of a child's birth. 'Jeroham' reflects a common practice of giving children names that express a hope or belief in God's action, in this case, His compassion. This differs from modern naming conventions, which often prioritize sound or family tradition over specific semantic meaning. רָחַם (rāḥam, H7355) — The root verb meaning 'to have compassion, love, or mercy,' from which the name is directly derived. חָנַן (ḥānan, H2603) — A synonym for showing grace or mercy, but with a stronger connotation of gracious favor or unmerited kindness.
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]