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

Abi meaning

Abi in Biblical Hebrew
אבי
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female names
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Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Abi.html

🔼The name Abi: Summary

Meaning
My Father, Fatherly, Father Of ...
Etymology
From the noun אב ('ab), father.
Related names
• Via אב ('ab): Abba, Abi-albon, Abiasaph, Abiathar, Abida, Abidan, Abiel, Abiezer, Abigail, Abihail, Abihu, Abihud, Abijah, Abijam, Abimael, Abimelech, Abinadab, Abinoam, Abiram, Abishag, Abishai, Abishalom, Abishua, Abishur, Abital, Abitub, Abiud, Abner, Abram, Absalom, Ahab, Atroth-beth-joab, Barabbas, Bebai, Ben-abinadab, Chileab, Eliab, Huram-abi, Jeshebeab, Joab, Job, Moab, Oholiab

🔼The name Abi in the Bible

The name Abi occurs only once in the Bible; she is the daughter of one of the many Zechariah's in the Bible, and the mother of king Hezekiah and wife of king Ahaz of Judah (2 Kings 18:2). In the parallel text of 2 Chronicles 29:1, she is called Abijah.

🔼Etymology of the name Abi

The name Abi consists of a word that is among the most frequently occurring in names: אב ('ab), meaning father:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
אב

The noun אב ('ab) means father, but describes primarily a social relationship rather than a biological one. That social fatherhood was the defining quality of the community's alpha male, the one around whom all economy revolved and from whom emanated all instructions by which the 'sons' (בן, ben) operated. It's unclear where this word אב ('ab) comes from but the verb abu means to decide.

— See the full Dictionary article —

The final yod of the name Abi would normally form either a possessive: my father, or an adjective: fatherly. But in this case it's possibly a remnant of the divine name יהוה, or YHWH.

🔼Abi meaning

The name Abi as it occurs in the Bible is probably a truncated form of Abijah, which means Yahweh Is Father. But this truncated form Abi literally means My Father and Fatherly. Since Abi is a woman, her name is obviously not representative of herself but rather commemorative of God.

For a meaning of the name Abi, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads the rather incomplete Father Of. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names appears to ignore the final yod and reads simply Father. BDB Theological Dictionary equates the name Abi with Abijah and translates it with Yah(u) Is (My) Father.