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עַיִן

𐤏𐤉𐤍

Ayin

H5871 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עין eye, spring, well up

Definition

Proper place name derived from the word עַיִן ('ayin), meaning 'spring' or 'fountain'; refers to a specific locality named for its association with a water source—most likely a perennial spring. In the Hebrew Bible, ʻAyin designates two distinct sites situated in the southern region, one in the territory allocated to the tribe of Judah, and another in the territory of Simeon.

Semantic Range

eye (literal organ); spring (of water); source; place name designating a site at or near a spring or fountain; figuratively, source or point of origin; proper name for localities marked by a spring

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root ע-י-ן (עַיִן), which means 'eye', with the further development of meaning to 'spring' (of water), stemming from the resemblance of a spring bubbling from the earth to an 'eye' in the landscape. The place name עַיִן thus denotes a settlement or geographical feature characterized by the presence of a spring.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term עַיִן is a common noun meaning 'spring' or 'fountain', frequently used in place names throughout the southern Levant due to the vital importance of springs in arid regions. As a toponym, ʻAyin refers specifically to two towns assigned in the tribal inheritances of Judah (Joshua 15:32) and Simeon (Joshua 19:7; 1 Chronicles 4:32); these may represent the same or neighboring locations. In later periods, and in translation traditions, the name is sometimes rendered 'Ain'. English translations often obscure the precise resonance of the name, as the general term for 'spring' becomes a specific locality. The geographical sites have not been conclusively identified; later identification with particular locations in Roman and Byzantine sources remains tentative. The semantic connection between 'eye' and 'spring' is reflected widely in Semitic languages (cf. Arabic ‘ayn).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as עַיִן; fountain; Ajin, the name (thus simply) of two places in Palestine; Ain.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אין (ʾ-y-n) — absence, non-existence, lack, voidness

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1156 בְּעָא and there is not
H369 אַיִן there is not
H370 אַיִן from where?
H371 אִין and is it not?
H575 אָן where?

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5871-01 עַ֥יִן ayin HNp Ain there is not 2
H5871-03 וָ/עַ֔יִן vaayin HC/Np and Ain and there is no 1
H5871-04 וְ/עַ֣יִן veayin HC/Np Ain and Spring-town 1
H5871-02 לָ/עָ֑יִן laayin HR/Np Ain to Spring-town 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5871-02 Numbers 34:11 לָ/עָ֑יִן laayin HR/Np Ain to Spring-town
H5871-04 Joshua 15:32 וְ/עַ֣יִן veayin HC/Np Ain and Spring-town
H5871-01 Joshua 19:7 עַ֥יִן ayin HNp Ain there is not
H5871-01 Joshua 21:16 עַ֣יִן ayin HNp Ain there is not
H5871-03 1 Chronicles 4:32 וָ/עַ֔יִן vaayin HC/Np and Ain and there is no
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