אֲבִישׁוּר
𐤀𐤁𐤉𐤔𐤅𐤓
Avishur
H51 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Abishur — a personal name meaning 'my father is a watchman' or 'father of surveillance/watchfulness.' The name is used for a male individual within the genealogies of the Israelite tribe of Judah in the Hebrew Bible. The term functions as a theophoric or compound personal name, not as a common noun. The semantic range is limited to its use as a proper name, and it does not indicate occupation or function apart from this context.
Semantic Range
personal name, 'my father is watchful,' 'father of watching,' used exclusively as a proper name in biblical literature; no evidence of use as a common noun or appellative
Root / Etymology
Formed from two elements: אָב (ʼāv, 'father') and either שׁוּר (shur, 'to look, watch') or possibly a noun form meaning 'wall' or 'surveillance.' Thus, the name likely means either 'my father is watchful/surveillance' or 'father of watching.' The root אָב is 'to be a father' and שׁוּר is 'to look, observe, watch.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
Abishur appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the genealogies of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:28-29). The name reflects typical Israelite personal naming practices of the monarchic period, combining familial and possibly descriptive or theological connotations. Though Strong's connects שׁוּר with 'wall,' modern scholarship generally connects the root more directly to the sense 'to watch, observe.' There is no evidence that the name referred to an occupation such as 'mason.' English Bibles transliterate the name as 'Abishur,' and variants of the name do not appear to have developed added theological or social meanings in later tradition. The use of compound names with אב ('father') is common throughout Israelite genealogies and reflects broader Northwest Semitic naming patterns. Comparison with similar names (e.g., Avishai, Abner) indicates a preference for expressing virtue, divine attribute, or familial relationship rather than specific professions.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from אָב and שׁוּר; father of (the) wall (i.e. perhaps mason); Abishur, an Israelite; Abishur.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אב + שור (ʾ-b + sh-w-r) — fatherhood, watching, observing, surveillance
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H51-02 |
וַ/אֲבִישֽׁוּר | vaavishur | HC/Np |
and Abishur | And My-Father-Is-Watchful | 1 |
H51-01 |
אֲבִישׁ֖וּר | avishur | HNp |
of Abishur | My-Father-Is-Watchful | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H51-02 |
1 Chronicles 2:28 | וַ/אֲבִישֽׁוּר | vaavishur | HC/Np |
and Abishur | And My-Father-Is-Watchful |
H51-01 |
1 Chronicles 2:29 | אֲבִישׁ֖וּר | avishur | HNp |
of Abishur | My-Father-Is-Watchful |