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אֻכָל

𐤀𐤊𐤋

Ukhal

H401 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אכל to eat, consume, devour

Definition

Personal name: Ucal. Occurs only in Proverbs 30:1, where it appears as the name of an individual addressed by the sage Agur. The meaning of the name is uncertain, but it may be linked to the Hebrew root indicating 'consumed' or 'devoured.'

Semantic Range

personal name, possibly 'devoured,' 'consumed'; literary or constructed name; phrase reinterpreted in some textual traditions

Root / Etymology

Formed from the root אָכַל (to eat, consume), possibly a passive or participial form meaning 'eaten,' 'consumed,' or 'devoured.' Alternatively, it may be a personal name with uncertain derivation, constructed for literary effect or as a theophoric name with the God-element omitted or implied. Some suggest a play on words rather than conventional naming practice.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term אֻכָל appears exclusively in Proverbs 30:1, identified as a person addressed by Agur alongside 'Ithiel.' The Masoretic tradition preserves it as a proper name. There is considerable debate among traditional and modern interpreters as to whether these are actual proper names or intentionally constructed puns, ‘literary names,’ or even textual variants. It is not used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, nor does it appear in extant extrabiblical sources. Some translation traditions and commentators, taking the term as a verb or phrase rather than a personal name, have rendered it as a verbal clause (e.g., 'I am exhausted, O God'). However, its presentation in the Masoretic text as a name is generally followed by modern scholarly analysis. Whether 'Ucal' refers to an actual historical individual or serves a literary function within the wisdom context remains unresolved. Later translations, including the Septuagint, sometimes treat the word non-literally, reflecting this ambiguity.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or אֻכָּל; apparently from אָכַל; devoured; Ucal, a fancy name; Ucal.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אכל (ʾ-k-l) — eat, consume, devour

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H396 אֲכִילָה the edible provision
H3978 מַאֲכָל for food
H3979 מַאֲכֶלֶת the slaughter-knife
H398 אָכַל to eat
H3980 מַאֲכֹלֶת like an eating-implement of

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H401-01 וְ/אֻכָֽל veukhal HC/Np and Ucal and Devoured One 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H401-01 Proverbs 30:1 וְ/אֻכָֽל veukhal HC/Np and Ucal and Devoured One
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