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Meaning, origin and etymology of the name Orpah


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Orpah Orpah

Orpah is the sister in law of Ruth.

The name Orpah comes from the verb arap (arap 1700-1701).
The verb arap (arap 1700) means to break the neck of an animal, and identical derivation arap (orap 1700a) means back or neck. If the name Orpah is related to this verb it means Neck, but never without its metaphorical values: a hand in one's neck argues authority over that person, one turns one's neck in shame or derision, and a stubborn person is called stiff-necked.
The verb arap (arap 1701) means to drip or drop. Derivations are arap (arip 1701a) meaning cloud, and arapel (arapel 1701b) meaning darkness, dark cloud, gloom.

Then of course there is a possibility that someone creative enough might hear a compound of the words arar (arar 1705) strip of make bear (usually in order to mourn) plus peh (peh 1738), mouth (which makes no sense), or peh (poh 1739), here, which would render the name Orpah to mean Strip Here, and that would only make sense if she was born in a dressing room.

Then there is the following fabulously interesting group of words: awar (awar 1586), to make blind, which (as a result of a cataract) probably comes from the word awar (or 1589a), skin or hide. The root awar (ur 1587) yields ir (ir 1587a) meaning excitement, and (as if the connection to both skin, excitement and blindness isn't clear enough) an identical root awar (ur 1588), to be exposed, laid bare, yields a number of variously spelled derivations that mean nakedness: maor (maor 1588a), erom (erom 1588b), arom (arom 1588c).



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