Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Uri Hurwitz <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com>]

  The meaning of the name is 'father  is high/exalted' .
 Compare with the name 'yoram'/ 'Yehoram" where YHWH is
 high exalted.

    The name is part of series of Semitic names which
 refer to the gods as relatives - father, brother or uncle.
   
   Compare to the Phoenician name Ahiram.

   This goes back to periods of  tribal societies. This type
 of name is sometimes referred in literature as 'Amorite',
 after the language in which  they were occurred.
  
   Uri Hurwitz

 

   Dear List-Members:

This may have been a subject of past discussion but as I am new to the
forum I do seek some help.

Hebrew names usually have meanings that can be determined from semantic and
phonetic analysis. However, the name Abraham seems to be quite a challenge
as the traditional interpretation "Father of a multitude" or "Father of
many nations" just does not account for the presence of the consonant *rosh.
*
*
*
Can anyone help to a better understanding or suggest an approach that could
assist with determining a more appropriate meaning.

Thanks,

Lascelles James