🔼The name Ashhur: Summary
- Meaning
- Blackness, Eclipse
- Etymology
- From the verb שחר (shahar), to be black or dark.
🔼The name Ashhur in the Bible
There's only one man named Ashhur (which shouldn't be confused with the name Asshur; אשור) in the Bible. He is the "father" (meaning the leader) of the town of Tekoa and a son of Hezron and Abijah of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:24). The two wives of Ashhur are named Helah and Naarah (1 Chronicles 4:5).
🔼Etymology of the name Ashhur
The name Ashhur comes from the verb שחר (shahar), to be black or dark:
שחר
The verb שחר (shahar) means to be black or dark (mostly of skin, hair and horses). The adjective שחר (shahor) means black, and adjective שחרחר (sheharhor) means blackish. Nouns שחור (shehor) and שחרות (shaharut) mean blackness.
The noun שחר (shahar) is generally thought to mean dawn, but here at Abarim Publications we find that unlikely (for our reasoning, follow the link at the foot of this paragraph, to the full Dictionary article). Instead, we propose that this noun describes a solar eclipse, which occurs when an invisible moon moves in front of the sun and blocks out its light. This causes a brief and unexpected moment of nightly darkness, which in turn makes the stars and planets visible.
An observer can see other people, but she cannot see what they see. This means that the sun she sees is hers alone, and equal to her own ratio. A solar eclipse also eclipses one's own solar ratio and reveals the many ratios of other people. This awakens one's stellar consciousness, or Theory of Mind, which counts as being "born from above" (John 3:3). These events are obviously mimicked in the Biblical accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection.
From the noun שחר (shahar), solar eclipse, derives the denominative verb שחר (shahar), meaning to diligent search for God and wisdom; again qualities of a stellar consciousness.
🔼Ashhur meaning
For a meaning of the name Ashhur, both NOBSE Study Bible Name List and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names read Blackness. BDB Theological Dictionary does not translate this name but does list it under שחר (shahar).