|
|
|
Etymology •
& Meaning •
Hebrew •
Greek •
Bible •
Names •
|
|
|
Meaning and etymology of the name Mamre
|
|
| | |
Mamre 
Mamre is an oak-owning Amorite and a region associated with him (Genesis 14:13). This region is close to Hebron and Abram lived there for a while (Genesis 13:18).
The word mamre does not occur as such in Hebrew, but two distinct possible root-words catch the eye:
1)  (memer) meaning bitterness, from the root  (marar) meaning to be bitter or, peculiar enough (as suggested by HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament ), being strong. Possibly, a bitter taste was referred to as a strong taste. A consequence is that an event or situation that was considered "bitter" was known as a "strong" event (see the names Mara and Miriam.
2)  (mr'), the root of the word  (meri), meaning fatling (fattened calf or other animal, specifically for offering).
Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names sees the name Mamre as a compilation.
The double m comes from  (min), meaning from, but from a variant of it:  (mm), that none of the sources mention. The latter part of the name Mamre, according to Jones, comes from  (ra'ah), a verb meaning to see. Hence Jones renders From Seeing, which seems a bit contrived.
NOBS Study Bible Name List goes with the verb that means strong, and reads Firmness, probably because the name Mamre brings to mind the oaks of Mamre.
Other names derived from the verb ra'a are
Beer lahai roi,
Ezra,
Haroeh,
Irijah,
Reaiah,
Reuben and perhaps
Sisera.
|
|
|
•Look for baby names
•Augment your Hebrew language study
•Deepen your knowledge of the Bible
•Enrich your cruise to or travel holiday in Israel
|
|
