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Discover the meanings of thousands of Biblical names in Abarim Publications' Biblical Name Vault: En-tappuah

En-tappuah meaning

עין תפוח

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

🔼The name En-tappuah: Summary

Meaning
Eye-Apple, Fountain Of The Love-Fruit
Etymology
From (1) the noun עין ('ayin), eye or fountain, and (2) the noun תפוח (tappuah), an aphrodisiac fruit, from the verb נפח (napah), to forcefully exhale.

🔼The name En-tappuah in the Bible

The name En-tappuah occurs only once in the Bible. It's a city on the southern border of the territory of Manasseh and the northern border of Ephraim. It was situated in a region called Tappuah and was either also known as Tappuah or was close to a city named such (Joshua 17:7).

🔼Etymology of the name En-tappuah

The name En-tappuah consists of two elements. The first part comes from the noun עין (ayin), meaning either fountain or spring, or eye:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
עין

The noun עין ('ayin) means both eye and fountain, well or spring. This might be explained by noting that the eye produces water in the form of tears, but perhaps more so in that water and light were considered deeply akin (see our article on the verb נהר, nahar, both meaning to shine and to flow). In that sense, the eye was considered a fountain that watered the outward face with water and the internal mind with light. Verb עין ('in) means to eye or regard. Noun מעין (ma'yan) describes a place with a spring.

The second part of our name is the same as the noun תפוח (tappuah), denoting some kind of aphrodisiac fruit:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
נפח

The verb נפח (napah) means to blow or exhale forcefully, either in a very positive (to animate) or a very negative way (to mock). Noun מפח (mappah) means a breathing out. Noun מפח (mappuah) describes a bellows. Noun תפוח (tappuah) denotes a kind of fruit or fruit-tree, which was clearly known for its aphrodisiac qualities.

פוח

The verb פוח (puah) means to blow or exhale to a point of exhaustion or complete deflation. Noun פיח (piah) describes soot, which is what's left when a fuel is completely exhausted.

🔼En-tappuah meaning

For a meaning of the name En-tappuah, both NOBSE Study Bible Name List and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names read Fountain Of The Apple Tree. BDB Theological Dictionary does not translate our name but does confirm the above stated origin of its elements.