🔼The name Chileab: Summary
- Meaning
- Restraint Of Father, Accomplished Of The Father
- Etymology
- From (1) the verb כלא (kala'), to restrict, or כלה (kala), to complete, and (2) the noun אב ('ab), father.
🔼The name Chileab in the Bible
The name Chileab occurs only one time in the Bible. Chileab is one of king David's lesser known sons (2 Samuel 3:3). His mother was Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. For some untold reason, the Chronicler calls Abigail's princely son Daniel (1 Chronicles 3:1).
🔼Etymology of the name Chileab
The name Chileab appears to be a compilation of two parts. The first part most probably is a truncated expression of any of the following verbs:
כלל
The root כלל (kll) deals with limits, and particularly the limit on growth or progression. This limit may be incurred by interment or incarceration, but it may also mark the asymptotic quality of perfection or completion.
Verb כלא (kala') means to shut in or shut up. Nouns כלא (kele'), כלוא (klw') and כליא (keli) mean imprisonment. Noun מכלה (mikla), means enclosure or fold. Verb כול (kul) means to contain or cause to contain.
Verb כלה (kala) denotes the bringing to a completion of some process, and that usually but not always in a negative sense. Noun כלה (kala) mostly describes complete destruction or complete annihilation. Adjective כלה (kaleh) describes a failing with desire and noun כליון (killayon) means either a failing or pining of the eyes or annihilation. Noun מכלה (mikla) means completeness (and is identical to the word meaning enclosure or fold). The noun תכלה (tikla) means perfection. Noun תכלית (taklit) means end or completeness. The very common noun כלי (keli) describes any kind of article that (possibly) took a while to make but is now finished, or a vessel that was designed to hold some finished product; a holding pot.
Verb כלל (kalal) means to complete or make perfect. The very common noun כל (kol) means all or the whole. Adjective כליל (kalil) means entire or whole. Nouns מכלול (miklol) and מכלל (miklal) mean perfection. Noun מכלל (maklul) describes something made perfect.
The noun כלה (kalla) means bride or daughter-in-law, and noun כלולה (kelula) means espousal, which obviously reflects the Bible's expectation that humanity's ultimate perfection makes her a Bride to the Creator.
The second part of our name may be construed to be the noun אב ('ab), broadly meaning father:
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.
🔼Chileab meaning
For a meaning of the name Chileab, NOBSE Study Bible Name List goes with the verb כלא (kala') and reads Restraint Of Father. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names goes with the verb כלה (kala I) and reads Accomplished Of The Father. BDB Theological Dictionary does not interpret our name but lists it under the root כלא (kala'), favoring the interpretation of NOBSE.