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Discover the meanings of thousands of Biblical names in Abarim Publications' Biblical Name Vault: Ur

Ur meaning

Ur in Biblical Hebrew
אור
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Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Ur.html

🔼The name Ur: Summary

Meaning
Flame, Light
Etymology
From the verb אור ('or), to be or give light; to shine.
Related names
• Via אור ('or): Aaron, Havvoth-jair, Jair, Jairus, Nile, Shedeur, Uri, Uriah, Uriel, Urim

🔼The name Ur in the Bible

The name Ur occurs twice in the Bible:

  • Most famously is Ur, the city in Babel from whence Abraham's family came (Genesis 11:31).
  • Another Ur is the father of Eliphal, one of king David's mighty-men (1 Chronicles 11:35).

🔼Etymology of the name Ur

The name Ur is identical to the common Hebrew verb אור ('or) meaning to be light or to shine:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
אור

The verb אור ('or) means to be light or to give light; to shine. This verb's primary derivative is the expectable noun אור ('or), meaning light. The 'metaphor' that relates light to wisdom may not be a metaphor, or at least not to the ancients. In our article on the verb נהר (nahar), meaning both to flow and to shine, we show that the ancients had a surprisingly solid grasp of Relativity Theory.

— See the full Dictionary article —

🔼Ur meaning

For a meaning of the name Ur, both NOBSE Study Bible Name List and BDB Theological Dictionary propose Flame. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads Light or Fire.