Hebrew word · H208

אוֹנָם

'onam

Onam

A personal name, probably built on 'on ('strength, vigor, wealth'), giving a meaning like 'vigorous' or 'strong'.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.36.23;

son of: Shobal (H7732);

brother of: Alvan (H5935), Manahath (H4506B), Ebal (H5858B) and Shepho (H8195)

§ Onam = "vigorous"

1) a Horite chief, grandson of Seir

2) son Jerahmeel, a chief of Judah

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Chronicles 2:28

Range of meaning

A personal name, probably built on 'on ('strength, vigor, wealth'), giving a meaning like 'vigorous' or 'strong'.

Against the English

English Bibles transliterate it, which is accurate. The point to know is that the name also appears outside Judah.

Used elsewhere in the period

Gen 36:23 and 1 Chr 1:40 list an Onam son of Shobal among the Horites of Seir, the region that became Edom. In 1 Chr 2:26 Onam is the son of Jerahmeel's 'other wife' Atarah, who is given her own mention.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 36:23 וְאוֹנָֽם׃ and Onam

    These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

1 Chronicles · 3

  1. 1 Chronicles 1:40 וְאוֹנָ֑ם ס and Onam

    The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah.

  2. 1 Chronicles 2:26 אוֹנָֽם׃ ס Onam

    Jerahmeel had another wife named Atarah, who was the mother of Onam.

  3. 1 Chronicles 2:28 אוֹנָ֖ם Onam

    The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur.

    Here: Son of Jerahmeel by his second wife Atarah (v. 26). The name probably comes from a word for vigor or wealth ('vigorous'). A Horite chief in Edom has the same name (Gen 36:23).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.