The meaning of the name is 'father is high/exalted' . Compare with the name 'yoram'/ 'Yehoram" where YHWH is high exalted.
The name is part of series of Semitic names which refer to the gods as relatives - father, brother or uncle. Compare to the Phoenician name Ahiram. This goes back to periods of tribal societies. This type of name is sometimes referred in literature as 'Amorite', after the language in which they were occurred. Uri Hurwitz Dear List-Members: This may have been a subject of past discussion but as I am new to the forum I do seek some help. Hebrew names usually have meanings that can be determined from semantic and phonetic analysis. However, the name Abraham seems to be quite a challenge as the traditional interpretation "Father of a multitude" or "Father of many nations" just does not account for the presence of the consonant *rosh. * * * Can anyone help to a better understanding or suggest an approach that could assist with determining a more appropriate meaning. Thanks, Lascelles James _______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
