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Discover the meanings of thousands of Biblical names in Abarim Publications' Biblical Name Vault: Archite

Archite meaning

ארכי

Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Archite.html

🔼The name Archite: Summary

Meaning
Long
Etymology
From the verb ארך ('arak), to be long.

🔼The name Archite in the Bible

The Archites are mentioned just once in the Bible. They were a Canaanite tribe that lived close to Anathoth, Bethel and Luz, which were assigned to the tribe of Joseph (Joshua 16:2). The name Archite looks strikingly similar to how someone from the city of Erech (ארך) would be described, but Erech was a city in Babylon.

There's one famous Archite in the Bible. His name is Hushai the Archite, and he was a counselor and friend of king David (2 Samuel 15:37, 1 Chronicles 27:33), and he was instrumental in bringing the insurrection of Absalom to a grinding halt (2 Samuel 17:14).

🔼Etymology of the name Archite

A Hebrew audience would undoubtedly link the name Archite to the verb ארך ('arak), meaning to be long:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
ארך

The verb ארך ('arak) means to be long or to prolong. Noun ארך ('orek) means length. Adjectives ארך ('arek) and ארך ('arok) mean long. Noun ארוכה ('aruka) refers to a lengthy period of healing or restoration.

The name Archite looks very much like an ethnonym; a word that describes where someone belongs. But in Hebrew, an ethnonym is an adjective. Hence it's not clear whether Hushai was someone from a place called Arach or Erech, or whether he was so tall that people named him Long Hushai.

🔼Archite meaning

For a meaning of the name Archite, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads The Long. Neither Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names nor BDB Theological Dictionary translates this name.