🔼The name Neah: Summary
- Meaning
- Wandering, Staggering
- Etymology
- From the verb נוע (nua'), to shake or stagger.
🔼The name Neah in the Bible
The name Neah occurs only once in the Bible, but note that it is spelled the same as (and, according to the Masoretes, pronounced slightly different than) the feminine (not the masculine) name Noah.
Neah is generally understood to be one of the cities that marked the north-eastern border of the territory allotted to the tribe of Zebulun (Joshua 19:13). However, the text reads רמון המתאר הנעה (rimmon-hamethoar-haneah), which has the appearance of being one big name. See our article on the name Rimmon-methoar for a closer look at this.
🔼Etymology of the name Neah
The name Neah comes from the verb נוע (nua'), meaning to shake or stagger:
נוע
The verb נוע (nua') means to shake, sway or stagger. Noun מנענע (mena'anea') describes a kind of rattle.
🔼Neah meaning
For a meaning of the name Neah, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads The Settlement, which is very difficult to defend. It certainly doesn't mean that to a Hebrew audience. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names proposes Wandering. BDB Theological Dictionary doesn't offer an interpretation of the name Neah but does list it under the verb נוע (nua'), meaning to shake or stagger.