🔼The name Harhur: Summary
- Meaning
- Central Hub Of Heat, Noble Man
- Etymology
- From the root חרר (harar), to be a central hub of heat.
🔼The name Harhur in the Bible
There's only one Harhur in the Bible. He is the head of a family of Nethinim (temple-servants) that returned from the exile in Babylon along with Zerubbabel. Both Ezra and Nehemiah make mention of this man (Ezra 2:51 Nehemiah 7:53).
🔼Etymology of the name Harhur
The name Harhur appears to be drawn from the verb חרר (harar):
חרר
The root חרר (harar) describes a society's central and enclosed source of heat. It thus may express a geographical depression, but more so a being hot and ultimately a being a ruler (whether by might, political clout or wisdom).
Verb חרר (harar I) means to be hot, burned or charred. Noun חרר (harer) denotes a parched place and noun חרחר (harhur) describes a violent heat or fever. The unused verb חרר (harar II) means to be free in cognate languages, which is the opposite of being a slave. Noun חר (hor) means noble or nobleman. The unused verb חרר (harar III) appears to refer to the enclosure of kilns and ovens, as the first ones were most likely built in natural hollows. The nouns חר (hor) and חור (hor) mean hole or cavern, but obviously relate to the previous word in that freemen surround themselves with walls and armies.
Verb חרה (hara) means to burn or ignite (in the Bible solely in an emotional way: to get angry). Noun חרון (haron) describes the burning of anger. Noun חרי (hori) refers to a general burning.
Verb חור (hawar) means to be or grow white (like ash or baked bricks). Nouns חור (hur) and חורי (huray) refer to any white stuff, including garments and linen, and noun חרי (hori) describes white bread or cake.
Verb נחר (nahar) looks very much like a passive or reflexive version of חרר (harar) or its participle. This verb isn't used in the Bible but nouns נחר (nahar) and נחרה (naharah) describe the vigorous snorting of a horse, and noun נחיר (nahir) means nostril (which in turn reminds of a cavern).
🔼Harhur meaning
For a meaning of the name Harhur, NOBSE Study Bible Name List appears to go with the verb חרר I (harar I) meaning to be hot, and reads Fever. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names equates our name with the noun חרחר (harhur), meaning violent heat or fever (Deuteronomy 28:22 only), and reads Extreme Burning. BDB Theological Dictionary, timid as always, suggests: "meaning as above [which would be חרחר (harhur)]? or from חרר II." The latter suggestion would render our name the meaning of Very Noble.