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

Hanniel meaning

חניאל

Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Hanniel.html

🔼The name Hanniel: Summary

Meaning
God Has Been Gracious
Etymology
From (1) the verb חנן (hanan), to be gracious, and (2) the word אל ('el), God.

🔼The name Hanniel in the Bible

There are two men named Hanniel in the Bible, but neither plays much of a role:

  • A son of Ephod, the leader of the half-tribe of Manasseh of Joseph, who was among the men assigned to divide the conquered land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel (Numbers 34:23).
  • A son of Ulla of Asher, the eighth son of Jacob and second one of Zillah (1 Chronicles 7:89).

🔼Etymology of the name Hanniel

The name Hanniel consists of two (or rather three) elements, the final one being אל (El), either the prominent Canaanite deity whose name became applied to the God of Israel, or the common abbreviation of Elohim, the genus God:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
אל  אלה

In names אל ('el) usually refers to אלהים ('elohim), that is Elohim, or God, also known as אלה ('eloah). In English, the words 'God' and 'god' exclusively refer to the deity but in Hebrew the words אל ('l) and אלה ('lh) are far more common and may express approach and negation, acts of wailing and pointing, and may even mean oak or terebinth.

The first part of our name comes from the verb חנן (hanan), meaning to be gracious:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
חנן

The verb חנן (hanan) means to be gracious or to favor. Nouns חן (hen), חנינה (hanina), תחנה (tehinna) and תחנון (tahanun) mean favor or grace. Adverb חנם (hinnam) means freely or gratis, and adjective חנון (hannun) means gracious.

The letter י (yod) in the middle of our name makes a possessive form out of the word חן (hen), meaning favor or grace.

🔼Hanniel meaning

For a meaning of the name Hanniel, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads God Has Been Gracious. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names proposes Favor Of God. And BDB Theological Dictionary has the similar Favor Of El.