🔼The name Ginath: Summary
- Meaning
- Protection, Enclosure
- Etymology
- From the verb גנן (ganan), to surround and protect.
🔼The name Ginath in the Bible
There's only one man named Ginath in the Bible, but he doesn't have an active role. We only know about him because of his famous son, Tibni (1 Kings 16:21).
When Zimri assassinated and succeeded king Elah of Israel, the army didn't like that very much and appointed general Omri to be the next king. His first act was to besiege Tirzah, where Zimri held seat, and Zimri met his untimely demise in an inferno that he himself had lit.
But the rest of Israel was divided; half followed Omri and the other half followed Tibni, son of Ginath. But Tibni too died (in an untold way), and Omri reigned for the next twelve years and ruined Israel even further.
🔼Etymology of the name Ginath
The name Ginath comes from the root גנן (ganan), meaning to surround or defend, and is either an otherwise unused noun meaning defense, or else an old-fashion spelling of the noun גנה (ganna), meaning garden:
גנן
The verb גנן (ganan) means to surround, cover or defend. Nouns גן (gan) and גנה (ganna) mean garden. Noun מגן (magen) means shield and verb מגן (magan) means to shield or deliver.
🔼Ginath meaning
For a meaning of the name Ginath, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Protection. BDB Theological Dictionary doesn't translate our name but does list it under the root גנה (ganna).
Alfred Jones (Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names) appears to lose focus somewhat and reads Similitude, quoting his source which reads similitudo for Ginah, and stating that this name comes "from the same root as Guni," which is גנה (ganna). Our name certainly doesn't have anything to do with similitude.