🔼The name Nahbi: Summary
- Meaning
- Concealed, Hidden
- Etymology
- From the verb חבה (haba), to hide.
🔼The name Nahbi in the Bible
The name Nahbi occurs only once in the Bible. Nahbi, son of Vophsi, is part of the famous contingent of spies that Moses deployed to scout out the Promised Land (Numbers 13:14). That same contingent also contained Hoshea, son of Nun, of Ephraim, who Moses renamed Joshua, and who became his trusted friend and successor (Numbers 13:8, 13:16).
🔼Etymology of the name Nahbi
The name Nahbi appears to be derived of the verb חבה (haba), through a grammatical construction that creates a passive voice by placing the letter נ (nun) in front of the root:
חבא
The verb חבא (haba') means to hide, usually out of fear of death. Nouns מחבא (mahabe') and מחבא (mahabo') mean hiding place.
Verb חבה (haba) is probably a variant spelling of the previous and means the same. Noun חביון (hebyon) means a hiding.
Verb חוב (hub) means to be guilty. Noun חוב (hob) means debt.
🔼Nahbi meaning
For a meaning of the name Nahbi, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Concealed, and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names proposes Hidden. BDB Theological Dictionary doesn't interpret our name but does list it under the root חבה.