🔼The name Hazelelponi: Summary
- Meaning
- The Shadow Facing Me, The Ringing To Which I Turn
- Etymology
- From (1) the verb צלל (salal), to ring or be dark, and (2) the verb פנה (pana), to turn or face.
🔼The name Hazelelponi in the Bible
The delightful name Hazelelponi (or Hazzelelponi) occurs just once in the Bible. She's mentioned as the sister of Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash, the sons (?) of Etam (1 Chronicles 4:3). This Etam is a bit mysterious because there doesn't seem to be a person named Etam. There are only cities of that name, and it's possible that the three mentioned men are chiefs of some sort, but it seems a bit strange to mention that they have a sister.
🔼Etymology of the name Hazelelponi
The name Hazelelponi starts with the letter ה (he), and that seems to indicate the grammatical form which indicates an active causative form of what follows. And what follows is comprised is composed of two elements. The first of these comes from the root group צלל (salal):
צלל
There appear to be at least two verbs צלל (salal): one means to ring like a bell, and the other means to be or become dark. How or whether these two relate isn't clear and ultimately up to anyone's poetic palate.
Noun צלצל (silsal) means a whirring or buzzing. The exact same noun צלצל (silsal) describes a fish-spear or harpoon and the highly similar noun צלצל (selasal) denotes a whirring locust. Plural nouns צלצלים (selselim) and מצלתים (mesiltayim) denote musical percussion instruments such as cymbals. Noun מצלה (mesilla) means bell.
Frequently used noun צל (sel) means shade or shadow and is often employed to describe the transitoriness of life (a mere shadow). Noun צלמות (salmawet) literally means the shadow of death and denotes a distressful and deep darkness.
A possible third identical verb צלל (salal) means to sink or submerge, although it may very well derive from the previous.
The second part of the name comes from the verb פנה (pana), meaning to turn:
פנה
The verb פנה (pana) means to turn toward. Adverb פנימה (penima) means toward the inside. Adjective פנימי (penimi) means inner.
This verb's primary derivation is the plural noun פנים (panim), literally turnings or inclinations. It's the common Biblical word for face and may also be used to mean scope, sight, surface, and so on.
The noun פנה (pinna) means corner, and is commonly used to describe where a wall makes a turn. This noun is thought to have derived from a by-form or parental form of the verb פנה (pana), namely פנן (panan), of similar meaning.
A second derivation of this form is the plural noun פנינים (peninim), which describes a red coral, probably with swirling branches or otherwise corrugated structure.
🔼Hazelelponi meaning
For a meaning of this beautiful name, BDB Theological Dictionary reads Give Shade, Thou That Turnest To Me! NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads a similar Give Shade, Thou Who Turnest Toward Me. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names disregards the grammar of the primary he, goes with the derivative of the verb pana that means face, and reads The Shadow Looking At Me.