Hebrew word · H5992

עַמִּינָדָב

'aminadav

Amminadab

Amminadab: ʿammî ('my kinsman/clan', often a way of referring to God) + nādav ('is generous, willing, noble'). Nahshon: probably from nāḥāsh 'serpent', with a diminutive ending, so 'little snake'. Animal names were common (compare Deborah 'bee', Rachel 'ewe').

Appears 13 times in 12 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Exo.6.23;

son of: Ram (H7410);

father of: Elisheba (H0472) and Nahshon (H5177)

Also named: Aminadab (Ἀμιναδάβ "Amminadab" G0284)

§ Amminadab = "my kinsman is noble"

1) son of Ram or Aram and father of Nahshon or Naasson and an ancestor of Jesus; father-in-law of Aaron

2) a Kohathite Levite and chief of the sons of Uzziel

3) a Levite, son of Kohath; also 'Izhar'

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 Exodus 6:23

Range of meaning

Amminadab: ʿammî ('my kinsman/clan', often a way of referring to God) + nādav ('is generous, willing, noble'). Nahshon: probably from nāḥāsh 'serpent', with a diminutive ending, so 'little snake'. Animal names were common (compare Deborah 'bee', Rachel 'ewe').

Against the English

English readers usually pass over these as just names. To an Israelite listener they were famous ones: the leading house of Judah.

Used elsewhere in the period

Num 1:7; 2:3; 7:12–17; 10:14 make Nahshon son of Amminadab the chief of Judah, first in the camp and first to bring the dedication offering. Ruth 4:19–22 and 1 Chr 2:10–15 place both men in David's ancestry. Matt 1:4 and Luke 3:32–33 carry the line into Jesus' genealogy.

Where it appears

Exodus · 1

  1. Exodus 6:23 עַמִּינָדָ֛ב Amminadab

    And Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

    Here: A man of Judah, in the line Perez–Hezron–Ram–Amminadab (Ruth 4:19; 1 Chr 2:10). The name means roughly 'My (divine) Kinsman is generous/noble'. He sits in the direct ancestry of David.

Numbers · 5

  1. Numbers 1:7 עַמִּינָדָֽב׃ Amminadab

    from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;

  2. Numbers 2:3 עַמִּינָדָֽב׃ Amminadab

    On the east side, toward the sunrise, the divisions of Judah are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Judahites is Nahshon son of Amminadab,

    Here: Nahshon's father. The name probably means 'my kinsman is generous/noble', where 'kinsman' was often a way of referring to God.

  3. Numbers 7:12 עַמִּינָדָ֖ב Amminadab

    On the first day Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah drew near with his offering.

  4. Numbers 7:17 עַמִּינָדָֽב׃ פ Amminadab

    and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

  5. Numbers 10:14 עַמִּינָדָֽב׃ Amminadab

    First, the divisions of the camp of Judah set out under their standard, with Nahshon son of Amminadab in command.

Ruth · 2

  1. Ruth 4:19 עַמִּֽינָדָֽב׃ Amminadab

    Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab,

  2. Ruth 4:20 וְעַמִּֽינָדָב֙ and Amminadab

    Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, Nahshon was the father of Salmon,

1 Chronicles · 5

  1. 1 Chronicles 2:10 עַמִּינָדָ֑ב וְעַמִּינָדָב֙ Amminadab, and Amminadab

    Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, a leader of the descendants of Judah.

  2. 1 Chronicles 6:22 עַמִּינָדָ֣ב Amminadab

    The descendants of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,

  3. 1 Chronicles 15:10 עַמִּינָדָ֣ב Amminadab

    and from the Uzzielites, Amminadab the chief and 112 of his relatives.

  4. 1 Chronicles 15:11 וְעַמִּינָדָֽב׃ and Amminadab

    David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

    Here: Name meaning roughly 'my Kinsman (God) is generous/noble'. He is head of the Uzziel family (v. 10), also Kohathite. This closes the list of six Levitical chiefs.

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