אֲבִינֹעַם
𐤀𐤁𐤉𐤍𐤏𐤌
Avinoam
H42 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name meaning 'my father is delight/pleasantness.' Used as a proper name in the Hebrew Bible, primarily referring to the father of Barak. The construction implies a theophoric or honorific element, common in ancient Israelite names, signifying either familial affection or linking the bearer’s family line to the attribute of 'pleasantness.'
Semantic Range
personal name, 'my father is delight/pleasantness,' used exclusively as a proper noun
Root / Etymology
From the root אָב (av, 'father') and the noun נֹעַם (noam, 'pleasantness, kindness, delight'). The name is a compound, typical of Hebrew personal names, expressing a relational or attributive connection: 'my father is delight' or 'my father is pleasantness.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
Used exclusively as a personal name, most notably as the father of Barak in Judges 4–5. The name demonstrates the typical Israelite naming pattern of combining family terms with positive attributes, paralleling names like Avishai ('my father is a gift') or Avner ('my father is lamp/light'). There is no evidence that אֲבִינֹעַם was ever used as a title or designation outside personal naming. English translations frequently retain the transliterated form 'Abinoam.' The element 'father' in such names need not express biological paternal relationship but may invoke an idealized or spiritualized identification. The later English rendering 'Abinoam' is a direct transliteration, and there is no significant interpretive or theological overlay in its translation tradition.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from אָב and נֹעַם; father of pleasantness (i.e. gracious); Abinoam, an Israelite; Abinoam.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אב,נעם (ʾ-b; n-ʿ-m) — father, pleasantness, delight, kindness
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H42-01 |
אֲבִינֹ֔עַם | avinoam | HNp |
Abinoam | My-Father-is-Delight | 4 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H42-01 |
Judges 4:6 | אֲבִינֹ֔עַם | avinoam | HNp |
Abinoam | My-Father-is-Delight |
H42-01 |
Judges 4:12 | אֲבִינֹ֖עַם | avinoam | HNp |
of Abinoam | My-Father-is-Delight |
H42-01 |
Judges 5:1 | אֲבִינֹ֑עַם | avinoam | HNp |
of Abinoam | My-Father-is-Delight |
H42-01 |
Judges 5:12 | אֲבִינֹֽעַם | avinoam | HNp |
Abinoam | My-Father-is-Delight |