נֵר
𐤍𐤓
Ner
H5369 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper name: Ner — An Israelite man of the tribe of Benjamin, best known as the father of Abner, a military leader under King Saul. Also occurs as an ancestor within Saul’s genealogy. The primary lexical meaning is as a personal name rather than a common noun. When the word occurs as a common noun (with the same or similar spelling), it denotes 'lamp' or 'light' in other contexts, but as a proper name it refers to individuals named Ner.
Semantic Range
proper name (Ner, an Israelite), ancestor of Abner, possibly derived from 'lamp' or 'light' in other lexical contexts; elsewhere (as noun) means 'lamp, light' but not in the proper name usage
Root / Etymology
From the Hebrew root ניר, which can mean 'to break up, till (the soil), make glisten,' or possibly related to נֵר (ner) meaning 'lamp' or 'light.' The derivational process for 'Ner' as a personal name is not fully certain, but it may be linked to the idea of light or shining, making the name potentially mean 'lamp' or 'light.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical narrative, Ner appears exclusively as a personal name, primarily in genealogies relating to Saul and Abner (e.g., 1 Samuel 14:50–51; 1 Chronicles 8:33). The association with 'lamp' as a common noun is not present in the personal-name usages, though the root or homonymy suggests a possible semantic connection to 'light' or 'shining.' It is important to distinguish between נֵר as a common noun ('lamp') and נֵר as a personal name. The English translation as 'Ner' for the person is accurate and should be maintained; rendering the name according to its common meaning ('lamp') is not supported in narrative contexts. In later rabbinic and translation traditions, the word for 'lamp' was rarely confused with this personal name. There is no evidence for a shift in meaning or expanded use of the proper name outside lists and genealogical contexts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
the same as נִיר; lamp; Ner, an Israelite; Ner.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ניר (n-y-r) — to glisten, to shine, to break up soil
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4500 | מָנוֹר | like a plow-yoke beam |
| H5214 | נִיר | Plow up! |
| H5215 | נִיר | freshly plowed ground |
| H5374 | נֵרִיָּה | Yahweh is my lamp |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5369-01 |
נֵ֖ר | ner | HNp |
Ner | Ner | 12 |
H5369-02 |
וְ/נֵ֥ר | vener | HC/Np |
and Ner | Ner | 4 |
Occurrences in Scripture
16 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5369-01 |
1 Samuel 14:50 | נֵ֖ר | ner | HNp |
Ner | Ner |
H5369-02 |
1 Samuel 14:51 | וְ/נֵ֥ר | vener | HC/Np |
and Ner | Ner |
H5369-01 |
1 Samuel 26:5 | נֵ֖ר | ner | HNp |
Ner | Ner |
H5369-01 |
1 Samuel 26:14 | נֵר֙ | ner | HNp |
Ner | Ner |
H5369-01 |
2 Samuel 2:8 | נֵ֔ר | ner | HNp |
of Ner | Ner |
H5369-01 |
2 Samuel 2:12 | נֵ֔ר | ner | HNp |
Ner | Ner |
H5369-01 |
2 Samuel 3:23 | נֵר֙ | ner | HNp |
of Ner | Ner |
H5369-01 |
2 Samuel 3:25 | נֵ֔ר | ner | HNp |
Ner | Ner |
H5369-01 |
2 Samuel 3:28 | נֵֽר | ner | HNp |
of Ner | Ner |
H5369-01 |
2 Samuel 3:37 | נֵֽר | ner | HNp |
of Ner | Ner |