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

Enam meaning

עינם

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

🔼The name Enam: Summary

Meaning
Two Fountains, Two Eyes
Etymology
From the noun עין ('ayin), which means both eye and fountain.

🔼The name Enam in the Bible

The name Enam occurs only once in the Bible. It belongs to a location that came to be situated in the territory allotted to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:34). Most scholars think that Enam is the same as the place called Enaim, but there is no evidence for that (or the contrary).

🔼Etymology of the name Enam

There is no such word as עינם in Biblical Hebrew but scholars generally assume that עינם is a contracted form of עינים, the proper dual form of the noun עין (ayin), meaning eye or fountain (and which also serves as the name Enaim):

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
עין

The noun עין ('ayin) means both eye and fountain, well or spring. This might be explained by noting that the eye produces water in the form of tears, but perhaps more so in that water and light were considered deeply akin (see our article on the verb נהר, nahar, both meaning to shine and to flow). In that sense, the eye was considered a fountain that watered the outward face with water and the internal mind with light. Verb עין ('in) means to eye or regard. Noun מעין (ma'yan) describes a place with a spring.

🔼Enam meaning

For a meaning of the name Enam, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Two Springs and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has the similar Two Fountains. BDB Theological Dictionary doesn't translate our name but does list it under the noun עין (ayin), meaning fountain or eye.