Though a west Semitic analysis of (NR is hopeless, a Hurrian analysis of (NR is child’s play. If you look at p. 90 of Arnaud Fournet’s Hurrian language website, you will see these two entries:
(1) *[Øíni] [P x-] ‘god, deity’
EL eni <e-ni-> UG [Õ n]
UR <in> Subarean e-ne ‘god’
(2) *[Øinarγa] (Essive) ‘looking or acting like a god’
CA <e-na-ar-xa>.
With the Hurrian consonantal root of “god” or “deity” apparently correlating to the Hebrew letters (N [where the initial Hurrian vowel must be represented], then adding the standard Hurrian comitative suffix -R, the resulting (N-R makes perfect sense as a Hurrian princeling name, meaning “with a god” in Hurrian.
Note also that on this view, (N in Hurrian is not the name of a specific pagan god, so it would not be particularly offensive to the Hebrew author.
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At Genesis 14: 1, we see )MR-PL as an Amorite princeling being paired with the Hurrian princeling Arawa-ka/)RYW-K. So the Amorite M-MR)/Mamre could similarly be paired with a Hurrian “brother”/princeling: (N-R.
If we’re willing to consider that -R may possibly be a non-Semitic suffix, then (N-R makes good sense in a portion of text that not only references the Hurrian princeling Arawa-ka, but also references the Hurrians/H-XR-Y at Genesis 14: 6 as well. For that matter, I see XCC-N at Genesis 14: 7 as being the Hurrian word for Xasi/Hasi, and I myself see all four names of the rebellious princelings at Genesis 14: 2 as being Hurrian common words, each of which effectively means “Hurrian princeling” in Hurrian, which are deftly used as nicknames for the historical league of Hurrian princelings.
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If one is willing to consider the Hurrian aspects of chapter 14 of Genesis, the name (N-R makes perfect sense as a Hurrian name, while making no sense in west Semitic.
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