Hebrew word · H6281

עֶ֫תֶר

va'eter

Ether

A proper name found only here and in Josh 19:7. The root ʿ-t-r is best known in the verb "to plead, pray." A related noun, ʿateret, means "abundance" (Jer 33:6). Neither link to the name is certain.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Ether = "abundant"

a town in the lowlands of Judah allotted to Simeon

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 Joshua 15:42

Range of meaning

A proper name found only here and in Josh 19:7. The root ʿ-t-r is best known in the verb "to plead, pray." A related noun, ʿateret, means "abundance" (Jer 33:6). Neither link to the name is certain.

Against the English

All versions render it "Ether." English readers should not connect it with the English word "ether." The two are unrelated.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Josh 19:7, Ether and Ashan stand side by side in Simeon's list as well. In the parallel list in 1 Chr 4:32 the name Tochen appears in roughly the same place, so some scholars think the two names refer to the same town. A ruin called Khirbet el-ʿAter (Tel ʿEter), near Beit Guvrin, is often suggested as the site, and its modern Arabic name may preserve the ancient one. The identification is probable, not certain.

Where it appears

Joshua · 2

  1. Joshua 15:42 וָעֶ֖תֶר and Ether

    Libnah, Ether, Ashan,

    Here: A small town of the lowlands, mentioned again only in Simeon's town list (Josh 19:7). The prefix "and" simply links the items of the list. What the name means is uncertain. It may come from a root meaning "to be plentiful."

  2. Joshua 19:7 וָעֶ֣תֶר and Ether

    Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four cities, along with their villages,

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