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Meaning, origin and etymology of the name Ezra, Ezrah


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Ezra Ezra Ezrah Ezrah

Ezra Ezra (Ezra 7:1)   (1 Chr 4:17)
Ezrah spelled with a heh is mentioned in the genealogy of Judah, but it isn't clear how he fits in. Ezra spelled with an aleph is either the name of a priest who came back from exile to Jerusalem in the early Zerubabel wave (see Neh 12:1), or it is the name of the famous late-return leader and reformer who also wrote the Bible book Ezra.

Both forms probably come from the root azar (azar 1598) help, support. Derivation Ezrah (ezra 1598b), help, is identical to the name of Ezrah with the heh. The name Eliezer is also built from this root.

The heh and the aleph are both not very dominant letters and get substituted for one another at the drop of a hat. So both names mean Help, but there's more:

The name Ezra with the aleph may also be seen as a compound of two elements, namely az (az 1596a), strong, and a shortened form of raa (ra'a 2095), see, or raa (ra'eh 2095a), seer, or raa (ro'eh 2095b), prophetic vision.

That way the name Ezra means Help, with the connotation of Strong Vision. And that would suit this amazing visionary and reformer just fine.



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