🔼The name Achzib: Summary
- Meaning
- Lying, A Lie
- Etymology
- From the verb כזב (kazab), to lie.
🔼The name Achzib in the Bible
The name Achzib is ascribed to two different towns in Israel:
- Achzib of Judah, situated on the western border of Judah's territory (Joshua 15:44). Alfred Jones (Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names) states that this Achzib may be the same as the Chezib mentioned in Genesis 38:5 and the Cozeba mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:22
- Achzib of Asher, located at the sea (Joshua 19:29). The book of Judges lists the towns from which the indigenous population was not expelled. Achzib is listed among the towns which the Asherites failed to ethnically purge.
🔼Etymology of the name Achzib
The name Achzib comes from the verb כזב (kazab), meaning to lie. The pre-fixed letter א is prosthetic and doesn't change the meaning of this name:
כזב
The verb כזב (kazab) means to lie or fail. When it's applied to a stream, the stream is dry. Noun כזב (kazab) means a lie or deception. Adjective אכזב ('akzab) means deceptive or disappointing.
The prophet Micah engages in a bit of word-play when he writes, "בתי אכזיב לאבזב" or "The houses of Achzib will become a deception".
🔼Achzib meaning
For a meaning of the name Achzib, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads A Lie and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names proposes Lying. BDB Theological Dictionary lists this name under the root כזב but doesn't translate it.