| Hebrew Name | Meaning or History | Gender |
Addar (Adar)
אַדָּר | A name of a settlement in the land of Judah: "And ascended up on the south side unto Kadesh-barnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar" (Joshua 15, 3). In the modern pronunciation of Hebrew, the name "אַדָּר" sounds like the name of the sixth Jewish month: "אֲדָר". |   |
Afik (Aphik)
אֲפִיק | Aphik was a city in the land of Asher: "Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho nor the inhabitants of Zidon nor of Ahlab nor of Achzib nor of Helbah nor of Aphik nor of Rehob" (Judges 1, 31). "אֲפִיק" is the construct form of the word "אָפִיק" (afik, "riverbed"). In modern pronunciation, the construct form of this word sounds exactly like its absolute form. | |
Arava (Arabah)
עֲרָבָה | Savanna, prairie; desert; willow tree; a geographical region in Israel, near the Jordan river: "The plain (=Arabah) also and Jordan and the coast thereof, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea under Ashdoth pisgah eastward" (Deuteronomy 3, 17). | |
Ariel (Ari’el)
אֲרִיאֵל | The name is composed of the words ארי (ari, “lion”) and אל (el, “God”) | |
Arnon
אַרְנוֹן | Arnon is the name of a river in Jordan. In the Biblical era, the Arnon river was situated at the border between Israel and Moab. | |
Asia (Asya)
אַסְיָה | Asia. | |
Carmel (Karmel)
כַּרְמֶל | A plece of vineyards and orchards; roasted grains. | |
Carmela (Karmela)
כַּרְמֶלָּה | The name Carmela is derived of the name Carmel, which means "a plece of vineyards and orchards"; "roasted grains". | |
Debir (Dvir)
דְּבִיר | Dvir is "the most holy place" - the inner part of the Temple: "And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, into the oracle (דְּבִיר) of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims." 1 Kings 8, 6 | |
Eden
עֵדֶן | Pleasure. | |
Eilat (Elath)
אֵילַת | A city by the Red Sea: "And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Ezion-gaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab" (Deuteronomy 2, 8). | |
Elon (Eylon, Eilon)
אֵילוֹן | Elon was a city in the land of Dan: "And Elon and Thimnathah and Ekron" (Jushua 19, 43). Today, Eilon is the name of a kibbutz in Glilee. | |
Ephrath (Efrat)
אֶפְרָת | Ephrath is the other name of Beth-Lehem: "And Rachel died and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Beth-Lehem." Genesis 35, 19 | |
Eshcol (Eshkol)
אֶשְׁכּוֹל | bunch, cluster (of grapes, etc.). Eshcol is also a name of a brook near Hebron: "And they came unto the brook of Eshcol and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff" (Numbers 13, 23). | |
Galila
גָּלִילָה | the name "Galila" is derived of "גליל" (Galil, Galilee), which is the name of a geographical region in the north of Israel. | |
Geva
גֶּבַע | Hill. Geva (Geba) is the name of two differen cities - one in the land of Benjamin and one in the land of Judah: "And king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah" (1 Kings 15, 22). | |
Gilead (Gilad, Gil'ad)
גִּלְעָד | There are two people in the Bible called Gilead. One of them is the father of Jephthah, one of the judges of Israel. Gilead is also the name of a Geographical region east to the Jordan river and a name of a city in that region. | |
Givon (Giv'on)
גִּבְעוֹן | The name "Givon" is derived of the word "גֶּבַע" (geva) or "גבעה" (giv'a), which means "hill". Givon (Gibeon) is the name of a city in the land of Benjamin. | |
Golan
גּוֹלָן | Golan is the name of a geographical region east of the Galilee. | |
Hanita (Chanita)
חֲנִיתָה | Hanita is the name of an ancient settlement in the land of Asher. Today: the name of a kibbutz in the Galilee. The name is originated from the verb "לחנות" (lahanot, "encamp", "stop for a rest"). | |
Harel (Har'el)
הַרְאֵל | Combined of the words הר (har, "mountain") and אל (el, "God"), the meaning of the name Harel is "the mountain of God". The altar in the Temple is called "harel" or "ariel". | |
Hepher (Hefer, Chefer)
חֵפֶר | Hepher is the name of a city and a region within the land of Manasseh. | |
Israel (Yisrael, Yisra'el)
יִשְׂרָאֵל | According to the Biblical explanation, the first part of the name "Israel" is derived of the verb לִשְׂרות (lisrot, "wrestle"); the second half of the name is אֵל (El, "God"). This name was given to Jacob because he wrestled with God's angel. | |
Jordan (Yarden)
יַרְדֵּן | Jordan is the name of the longest river in Israel. | |
Judah (Yehuda)
יְהוּדָה | According to the Biblical explanation, the name יהודה (Judah) is related to the verb להודות (lehodot, "to thank"). | |
Kineret
כִּנֶּרֶת (כינרת) | The Sea of Galilee. | |
Moria (Moriah, Moriya)
מוֹרִיָּה | "Moriah" is the name of the place where Abraham bound his son Isaac. It is also the name of the mountain in Jerusalem, where the Tample stood: "Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah" (2 Chronicles 3, 1). Hence, "Moriah" is one of the appellations of Jerusalem. | |
Negev
נֶגֶב | South; the Negev is a desert region in the south of Israel. | |
Nevo (Nebo)
נְבוֹ | "Nevo" is the name of a mountain east of the Jordan river. From the top of that mountain, Moses saw Canaan, and there he died without ever crossing the Jordan river into Cannan. | |
Ophir (Ofir)
אוֹפִיר | Ophir was a descendent of Shem. Ophir is also the name of a country which was the place of origion of gold, as attested in the verse: “And they came to Ophir and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.” 1 Kings 9, 28 | |
|