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Discover the meanings of thousands of Biblical names in Abarim Publications' Biblical Name Vault: Ahiezer

Ahiezer meaning

אחיעזר

Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Ahiezer.html

🔼The name Ahiezer: Summary

Meaning
(My) Brother Is Help, Brother Of Help
Etymology
From (1) the noun אח ('ah), brother, and (2) the verb עזר (azar), to help or support.

🔼The name Ahiezer in the Bible

There are two men named Ahiezer in the Bible:

  • The first Ahiezer we meet is a tribe leader and a son of Ammishaddai of Dan. This Ahiezer helps Moses and Aaron perform the first census of Israel (Numbers 1:12).
  • The second Ahiezer mentioned in the Bible is a son of Shemaah the Gibeathite and the leader of the mighty-men who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chronicles 12:3).

🔼Etymology of the name Ahiezer

The name Ahiezer consists of two elements. The first part is the common Hebrew word אח ('ah), meaning brother:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
אח

The noun אח ('ah) means brother, or more broadly: a fellow member of a social economic node (a "house") within a broader economic whole.

This word's lavish inclusion in names strongly suggests that the deity was reckoned by this word — in modern times we mostly speak of Our Father in Heaven but in antiquity the deity appears to have also been addressed as Our Brother. The New Testament appears to entertain that dynamic in the tenet that the Word is God's Son, and all who have the Word are godly brothers. Also note the similarity with the verb חוה (hawa), to show, tell, make known.

The noun אחוה ('ahawa) means brotherhood and אחות ('ahot) means sister.

The second part of our name Ahiezer comes from the root עזר (azar), meaning to help or support:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
עזר

The verb עזר ('azar), means to help or support, and is often used in military contexts, or to describe God's proverbial help. The nouns עזר ('azar) and עזרה ('ezra) both mean help. A much rarer but identically spelled noun עזרה ('azara) means enclosure and comes probably from an other root.

🔼Ahiezer meaning

For a meaning of the name Ahiezer, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Brother Is Help. Alfred Jones (Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names) interprets as Brother Of Help. BDB Theological Dictionary proposes My Brother Is Help.