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עֵינָן

𐤏𐤉𐤍𐤍

Eynan

H5881 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עין eye, spring, well, to see

Definition

Proper noun: Enan—a personal name meaning likely 'having eyes,' 'spring of the eye,' or possibly 'source (spring)' in toponymic usage. Most frequently found as part of a place name, Chazar Enan (Hazar Enan), indicating a settlement or location associated with a spring or well ('ayin' = spring/eye) or possibly a person named Enan during the wilderness period. The precise meaning may combine both literal and metaphorical senses depending on context.

Semantic Range

personal name Enan, geographical marker (e.g., 'spring' or 'eye'), component of Hazar Enan ('settlement of Enan' or 'village of the spring/eye')

Root / Etymology

From the root ע-י-ן (ayin), meaning 'eye,' and by extension in Hebrew, commonly also 'spring' or 'fountain' (from the resemblance between an 'eye' and a spring bubbling up). The formation likely indicates either one who has eyes, one associated with a spring, or alternatively a toponymic usage referring to a place with a notable water source. The morphological form of עֵינָן could suggest 'having eyes' or 'place of the eye/spring,' but as a personal name or toponym its precise nuance is uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

עֵינָן (Enan) appears primarily in the context of Numbers 34:9-10 and Ezekiel 47:17; 48:1 as a personal or place name marking a northern border site for the Israelite (Israelite) tribal allotments. The term links closely to עַיִן (ayin, 'eye' or 'spring'), a common root in Hebrew for both anatomical and hydrological features. The full phrase חֲצַר עֵינָן (Hazar Enan), meaning 'settlement of Enan' or 'village of the spring,' occurs in boundary descriptions. It is unclear whether עֵינָן here functions as a personal name, a descriptor of the location, or a lost specific geographic designation. English translations typically transliterate the name, but sometimes mislead when rendering it simply as a personal name disconnected from its likely geographic/hydrological associations. The term does not appear elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, and its usage is limited to territorial boundaries post-exodus. Later Jewish and Christian traditions identify it with border locations on historical maps, but these identifications are speculative.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עַיִן; having eyes; Enan, an Israelite; Enan. Compare חֲצַר עֵינָן.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עין (ʿ-y-n) — eye, spring, well, seeing

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2704 חֲצַר עֵינָן Spring-Eyed One
H3282 יַעַן because
H4599 מַעְיָן the springs
H5770 עָוַן the hostile-watching one
H5869 עַיִן eyes

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5881-01 עֵינָֽן eynan HNp Enan Eye-Spring One 5

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5881-01 Numbers 1:15 עֵינָֽן eynan HNp Enan Eye-Spring One
H5881-01 Numbers 2:29 עֵינָֽן eynan HNp Enan Eye-Spring One
H5881-01 Numbers 7:78 עֵינָֽן eynan HNp Enan Eye-Spring One
H5881-01 Numbers 7:83 עֵינָֽן eynan HNp Enan Eye-Spring One
H5881-01 Numbers 10:27 עֵינָֽן eynan HNp Enan Eye-Spring One
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