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עַתְלַי

𐤏𐤕𐤋𐤉

Atelay

H6270 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain; speculative: to compress, to restrain (not attested)

Definition

Personal name: ʻAthlai. Appears as the name of an individual of Israelite descent. The meaning of the name is uncertain; it is possibly related to a root meaning 'to compress' or 'restrain,' but this is not lexically attested in Biblical Hebrew. Used exclusively as a proper noun for a specific Israelite individual in genealogical lists.

Semantic Range

personal name; refers exclusively to an Israelite individual in post-exilic genealogy

Root / Etymology

Root uncertain. Traditional speculation (as reflected in Strong's) connects the name to a hypothetical root meaning 'to compress' or 'to restrain,' but such a root is not attested elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. The name exhibits the typical theophoric or descriptive construction of Israelite personal names but its precise derivation is unclear.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The name עַתְלַי (ʻAthlai) appears only in the post-exilic genealogical lists of 1 Chronicles 9:4, where he is identified as an Israelite restored to Jerusalem after the Babylonian Exile. There is no broader usage of the name or putative root in Biblical Hebrew. The meaning of the name is unclear and not recoverable with confidence from surviving sources. English translations typically transliterate the name rather than translate. The speculation in Strong's Concordance about the meaning 'to compress' reflects a conjectural, not a lexical, root.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning to compress; constringent; Athlai, an Israelite; Athlai.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

לא ידוע (unknown) — uncertain; possibly compress, restrain (speculative and unattested)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H175 אַהֲרוֹן and to Aharon
H176 אוֹ or
H1834 דַּמֶּשֶׂק Damascus
H2051 וְדָן Vedan
H2261 חֲבַצֶּלֶת splendid wildflower

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6270-01 עַתְלָֽי atelay HNp Athlai Athlai 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6270-01 Ezra 10:28 עַתְלָֽי atelay HNp Athlai Athlai
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