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Meaning, origin and etymology of the name Rebekah (Rebecca)


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Rebekah (Rebecca) Rebekah (Rebecca)

Rebekah (in English sometimes spelled as Rebecca) is the wife of Isaac, son of Abraham. She's the sister of Laban and daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, the brother of Abraham.

The name Rebekah comes from the unused root rbq (rbq 2110), meaning to tie firmly (BDB). Its derivative is more common: marbeq (marbeq 2110a), stall.
BDB does not translate Rebekah. Both Jones and the NOBSE render the name: A Rope With A Noose. Jones quotes Gesenius who suggests that this name denotes a woman who ensnares a man with her beauty. But although the Biblical occurrence of this name has to do with a lot, not with the snaring of a man by beauty. The name denotes merely a tying up of cattle, both for their own protection, the establishment of their home and to keep them from wandering off. Within this name lies the notion that individuals are placed together by something higher or smarter than they.

The name Rebekah literally means Tied Up but more specific (and more friendly) is Secured.



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