🔼The name Jearim: Summary
- Meaning
- Forests, Honeycombs
- Etymology
- From the noun יער (ya'ar), forest or honeycomb.
🔼The name Jearim in the Bible
The name Jearim occurs only once in the Bible (that is: by itself; it also occurs in various compounds). Jearim is the name of a mountain (also known as Chesalon) that helped mark the western border of the territory of the tribe of Judah. It was situated close to Mount Seir (Joshua 15:10).
🔼Etymology of the name Jearim
The name Jearim is the regular plural form of the noun יער (ya'ar), meaning forest or honeycomb, from the unused root יער:
יער
The verb יער (ya'ar) isn't used in the Bible and it's a complete mystery what it might have meant. Noun יער (ya'ar) is the common word for forest or thicket, and the identical noun יער (ya'ar) means honeycomb. It is, of course, perfectly possibly that these two nouns are not two but one, describing something general like a thing that consists of many elements, which contain energetic nutrients (either fruits or honey), and which are patrolled by ferocious animals. The latter noun also occurs as the variant יערה (ya'ra), honeycomb.
🔼Jearim meaning
For a meaning of the name Jearim, both NOBSE Study Bible Name List and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names read Forests. BDB Theological Dictionary does not interpret the name Jearim.