Hebrew word · H299

אֲחִירַע

'achira'

Ahira

A personal name found only for this man (Num 1:15; 2:29; 7:78, 83; 10:27). The second part, -raʿ, is unclear.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated October 21, 2026

What it means

A man living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Num.1.15;

son of: Enan (H5881)

§ Ahira = "my brother is evil"

a chief of Naphtali

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

Range of meaning: A personal name found only for this man (Num 1:15; 2:29; 7:78, 83; 10:27). The first part, ʾaḥi-, "my brother," is a very common element in ancient Semitic names, where "brother" often stands for the god or a divine kinsman (compare Ahijah, "my brother is Yah"; Ahiezer, "my brother is help," the leader of Dan in Num 1:12). The second part, -raʿ, is unclear. Proposals include: (1) from raʿ, "evil, bad," giving "my brother is evil" or "brother of evil," which is odd for a given name; (2) from reaʿ, "friend, companion," giving "my brother is a friend"; (3) a divine name, sometimes linked with the Egyptian sun god Ra, which is speculative.
Against the English: English simply transliterates it as "Ahira." No translation renders the meaning, and since the meaning is uncertain, that is the honest choice.
Used elsewhere in the period: LXX Αχιρε (Achire); Vulgate Ahira. Names built on ʾaḥi- are common in Amorite and other second-millennium BC West Semitic name lists (Noth, Die israelitischen Personennamen), and in Israelite names of later periods.

Range of meaning: A personal name made of achi, "my brother," and ra. In Hebrew names "brother" often refers to God as divine kinsman, as in Ahijah, "my brother is YHWH." The second part is uncertain. Proposals include "evil" (ra), "friend" (rea, "companion"), or a divine name.
Against the English: English versions transliterate it as "Ahira" and give no meaning, which is the safe choice. Popular "Bible name meaning" lists often give "my brother is evil" as if it were certain. It is not.
Used elsewhere in the period: Numbers 1:15; 2:29; 7:78, 83; 10:27, always as "Ahira son of Enan." Studies of Israelite names (Noth, Die israelitischen Personennamen) treat names with achi- as a common West Semitic type with many parallels across the ancient Near East.

Numbers · 5

Numbers 1:15 אֲחִירַ֖ע Ahira

and from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”

Here: The man's personal name. He is the chosen leader (nasi) of Naphtali who will stand with Moses and Aaron for the census. The name begins with ʾaḥi, "my brother," and the second part is debated (see the studies).
Numbers 2:29 אֲחִירַ֖ע [was] Ahira

Next will be the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the Naphtalites is Ahira son of Enan,

Here: The leader's personal name. It is made of "my brother" (achi) plus ra, an element whose meaning is debated (see debates). Hebrew has no verb "to be" here; the name follows directly, so English adds "is" or "shall be."
Numbers 7:78 אֲחִירַ֖ע Ahira

On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the Naphtalites, drew near.
Numbers 7:83 אֲחִירַ֖ע Ahira

and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.
Numbers 10:27 אֲחִירַ֖ע Ahira

and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali.

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