🔼The name Jacan: Summary
- Meaning
- Unclear but perhaps He Will Act Like A Serpent
- Etymology
- From the noun עכנא ('achana), serpent.
🔼The name Jacan in the Bible
The name Jacan occurs only once in the Bible. He's mentioned as a family leader of the tribe of Gad (1 Chronicles 5:13).
🔼Etymology of the name Jacan
The name Jacan is part of a small group of names that have no clear origin. Besides יעכן (Jacan) there is a man named עכן (Achan) in Joshua 7 and a town called עכו (Acco) in Judges 1:31.
None of the sources dare to conjecture on the origin and meaning of these names, except the valiant Alfred Jones (Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names). In his treatment of the name Achan he refers to a Chaldean noun עכנא ('achana), meaning serpent and interprets this name as such: Serpent. But in his treatment of the name Jacan (which is the name Achan made active: he will achan), he (erroneously) lunges for a name that Achan is associated to but which is not linguistically related, namely Achar. That name comes from the verb עכר (akar), meaning to stir up, disturb, make trouble.
Hence, for a meaning of the name Jacan, Jones reads He Will Stir Up, but this is incorrect. NOBSE Study Bible Name List seems to make the same hasty conclusion and reads Troubled.
🔼Jacan meaning
Following Alfred Jones' own suggestion towards the Chaldean verb עכנא, the name Jacan would mean something like He Will Act Like A Serpent.