Biblical Figures in the Talmud: Counts, Contexts, and Index
I recently compiled a “Concordance of Biblical Figures in the Talmud”. I write there in the Abstract:
This concordance programmatically indexes biblical figures as they appear in the Babylonian Talmud, enabling both close reading and quantitative analysis of biblical name usage in the Talmudic corpus.1
[…]
See also my related concordances, which use a similar methodology:
And compare also my “Concordance of Talmudic Anecdotes”
This is part of my general project of preparing labels for the Talmud.2
I thought it would be interesting to sort it by count (i.e. number of times the figure appears in the Talmud).
All figures who appear 20+ times, are listed below, highest to lowest.
I also added pieces of mine that focus on that figure.3
Outline
Intro
The full list
Notes re eponymous ancestors, epithets, and etymologies
Excerpt of the List (figures who appear 20+ times in the Talmud; a list of ~50 figures), With Index
Additional Selected entries (figures who <20 times in the Talmud; a list of ~20 figures), With Index
The full list
The full list and count can be found here (366 entries):
Google sheet: bible_names_in_talmud_counts
Excel:
Notes re eponymous ancestors, epithets, and etymologies
Some names are in fact territories or tribes. This is especially the case for names of Jacobs’ sons, which are also the names of their eponymous tribes, and thus also their territories. For example: Judah, Benjamin, etc. The same is true as well for many other eponymous names, where the name is used far more for the place or the nation than for the ancestor. For example: Ammon, Moab, etc.4
Relatedly, certain names were left out of the gazetteer, where there were too many false positives with unrelated terms, such as Talmudic names and toponyms. For example: “Eliezer”, “Hananiah”, “Amram”, “Baruch”, “Shechem”.5
The Talmud adds the epithet “the wicked” (הרשע) on a number of Biblical figures. I mark these as separate entries. For example: “Balaam the wicked”, “the wicked Nebuchadnezzar”, etc.6
Other common epithets used by the Talmud: “the prophet” (הנביא), “our forefather/patriarch” (אבינו), “the righteous” (הצדיק).7
Interestingly, the title “the king” (המלך) is generally only used in the Talmud for righteous kings, such as “King Hezekiah”, “King Hezekiah”, and “King Solomon”.8 This title is typically left out for other kings, even where it appears in the Bible. Instead, the Talmud will use just the name, or sometimes the name + "king [of place X]” (פלוני מלך מקום). For example: “Eglon, king of Moab”, “Ḥiram, king of Tyre”, “Mesha, king of Moab”, “Sennacherib, king of Assyria”, and “Shishak, king of Egypt”.9
Figures are often referred to in the Talmud with a toponymic surname.10
A significant number of statements that mention biblical figures, relate to providing (folk) etymology.11
Excerpt of the List (figures who appear 20+ times in the Talmud; a list of ~50 figures), With Index
Each item has the name, then the count (number of times appears in the Talmud, not in verses).
The sub-items are links to my pieces analyzing Talmudic sugyot that focus on that figure. The sub-items are mostly sorted in traditional tractate order.
Moses12— 561
“Talmudic Theodicy: Moses’ Requests, Divine Responses, and the Mystery of Divine Justice (Berakhot 7a-b)”, final part: Pt2
The Symbolism and Miracles in Pharaoh’s Daughter Rescuing Moses in Exodus 2:3-5 (Sotah 12a-b)
Pharaoh’s Daughter Rescuing Moses in Exodus 2:6-9 (Sotah 12b)
“The Death and Burial of Moses in Deuteronomy 31-34 (Sotah 13b-14a)”, final part: Pt2
Moses, R’ Yehuda HaNasi, and Rav Ashi: The Pinnacles of Torah and Secular Authority (Gittin 59a)
Moses’ Wilderness Lotteries and the Prophecy of Eldad and Medad in Numbers 3 and 11 (Sanhedrin 17a)
David— 321
The Wicked Doeg and His Relationship With David in 1 Samuel 21-22 and in Psalms (Sanhedrin 106b)
“David and the Sin of Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11-12 and in Psalms (Sanhedrin 107a)”, final part: Pt2
[Appendix - Juxtaposition as Justification: David’s Flight from Absalom and Saul (Berakhot 10a)]
“King David, the Altar Drainpipes, and the Tehom: The Dramatic Tale of How He Nearly Unleashed a Global Flood but Successfully Averted It (Sukkah 49a; 53a-b)”, final part: Pt2
“Pt2 ‘Whoever says that [X] sinned is mistaken’: Reinterpretations of Sins In Defense of the Biblical Righteous (Shabbat 55b-56a)“, section “Part 4: David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12)“
“Counting Jews and Evaluating Kings: Saul, David, and Leadership in the Book of Samuel (Yoma 22b)”, final part: Pt2
Abraham13— 184
Aaron— 140
Solomon— 131
Solomon, Ashmedai, and the Shamir: Demonology, Temple-Building, and the Reversal of Royal Power (Gittin 68a-b), final part: Pt3
Jacob14— 117
“Jacob in Genesis 28-32: Talmudic Homiletics on the Biblical Stories of Jacob’s Ladder and Jacob’s Struggle With an Angel (Chullin 91a-b)”, final part: Pt3
Joshua15— 114
The Miraculous Crossing of the Jordan River in Joshua 3-4 (Sotah 33b-34a)
“The Confession, Punishment, and Atonement of Achan in Joshua 7 (Sanhedrin 43b-44b)”, final part: Pt3
Joseph— 66
“The Temptation and Trial of Joseph in Genesis 39: From Potiphar’s House to the High Priest’s Ephod (Sotah 36a-b)”, final part: Pt3
Ezra—65
Isaac— 65
Saul— 64
See earlier: “Counting Jews and Evaluating Kings: Saul, David, and Leadership in the Book of Samuel (Yoma 22b)”
Job— 60
When and Who Was Job? Talmudic Views on His Time Period and Identity (Bava Batra 15a-b)
Book of Job in Talmudic Interpretation: Job’s Contested Righteousness and Satan’s Character (Bava Batra 15b-16b), final part: Pt3
‘Iyov’ (“Job”) or ‘Oyev’ (“Enemy”)? God’s Precise Control of Nature and the Rhetorical Rebuttal of Job’s Accusation in Job 38-39 (Bava Batra 16a-b)
Ezekiel16— 58
Divine Symbols and Historical Shifts: The Significance of the ‘Tav’ Mark in Ezekiel and the Precise Moment of the Patriarchs’ Merit’s End (Shabbat 55a)
““Ma’aseh Merkava”: The Nature of God, Angels, and Heaven in Ezekiel 1 (Chagigah 13a-14a)”, final part: Pt3
Actual Resurrection or Allegory? The Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37 in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 92b)
Elisha— 50
“Elisha Narratives in II Kings 2-8, From Failure to Accompany to Failure to Reprove Gently: Jericho’s Youths, Bethel’s Bears, Gehazi, and the Principle of Measured Rejection (Sotah 46b-47a)”, final part: Pt2
Hezekiah17— 48
Samuel18— 48
Daniel— 47
Judah— 46
Benjamin19— 43
Haman— 41
“The Humiliation of Haman: The Dramatic Talmudic Elaboration of the Biblical Verse of Haman Carrying out King Ahasuerus’s Orders to Honor Mordecai (Esther 6:11-12; Megillah 16a)”, final part: Pt2
See also (in next entry): “Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther”
Esther20— 40
“Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther”, final part: Esther 5:6-6:10 (Megillah 15b-16a)
See also earlier: “Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther”
Miriam — 40
Manasseh— 38
“Wicked Kings of Judah: Talmudic Insights into Idolatry and Atrocities by Ahaz, Manasseh, Amon, and Jehoiakim (Sanhedrin 103b)”, final part: Pt2
Sarah— 38
Zedekiah— 36
Ahab— 34
Adam21 — 31
“The First Man: Talmudic Reflections on Adam’s Creation (Sanhedrin 38a-39b)”, final part: Pt2
Kalenda, Saturnalia, and the First Winter: Pagan Festivals, Adam’s Cosmic Anxiety, and Rome’s Rise (Avodah Zarah 8a-b)
Samson22— 31
“Stories of Samson in Judges 13-16: Strength, Sin, and Symbolism (Sotah 9b-10a)”, final part: Pt2
Nebuchadnezzar23— 30
Chronology, Calculations, and Royal Reigns: The 70 Years of Babylonian Exile Between the First and Second Temples (Esther 1:2, Jeremiah 29:10, Daniel 9:2; Megillah 11b-12a), especially section “Nebuchadnezzar’s reign breakdown; Exile timeline“
Gabriel— 29
See also earlier: “[Gabriel Saving Biblical Figures from Furnaces: Abraham from Nimrod’s Furnace, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from Nebuchadnezzar’s Furnace (Pesachim 118a-b)]”
Heavenly Politics: Gabriel, Dubiel, and the Persian Tax Regime (Yoma 77a)
[Appendix 3 - Gabriel in Talmudic literature as the Jewish people’s guardian archangel]
Pinehas — 29
Isaiah— 27
Ahasuerus— 26
Ahasuerus and the Kingship of the World (Esther 1:1; Megillah 11a-b)
See also earlier: “Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther”
Jeremiah— 26
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah — 26
“Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and the Fiery Furnace in the Talmud: Aggadic Expansion of Daniel 3 (Sanhedrin 92b-93a)”, final part: Pt2
See also earlier: “[Gabriel Saving Biblical Figures from Furnaces: Abraham from Nimrod’s Furnace, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from Nebuchadnezzar’s Furnace (Pesachim 118a-b)]”
Reuben— 26
“Pt1 ‘Whoever says that [X] sinned is mistaken’: Reinterpretations of Sins In Defense of the Biblical Righteous (Shabbat 55b-56a)“, section “Part 1: Reuben and Bilhah (Genesis 35, 49)“
Korah24— 25
“Wealth, Wives, and Punishment: The Story of Korah’s Rebellion Against Moses in Numbers 16 (Sanhedrin 109b-110a)”, final part: Pt2
Mordecai— 24
See earlier: “Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther”
Jedaiah — 23
Jehoiakim— 23
See earlier: “Wicked Kings of Judah: Talmudic Insights into Idolatry and Atrocities by Ahaz, Manasseh, Amon, and Jehoiakim (Sanhedrin 103b)”
Shem— 23
Balaam— 22
“The Prophet, the Prostitutes, and the Curses Reversed: The Biblical Story of Balaam in Numbers 23-25 (Sanhedrin 105b-106b)”, final part: Pt2
Caleb25 — 22
See earlier: “From Azubah to Zohar: Reading Miriam and Caleb in the Genealogies of the Book of Chronicles (Sotah 12a)”
Esau— 22
Ishmael — 22
Tamar26— 22
Ahithophel— 21
Doeg27— 21
Sennacherib— 21
Leah— 20
Additional Selected entries (figures who <20 times in the Talmud; a list of ~20 figures), With Index
Noah28 — 18
“The Biblical Flood in Genesis 6-7: The Generation’s Sins, Noah’s Role, the Ark’s Construction, and the Survival of Animals (Sanhedrin 108a-b)”, final part: Pt3
Absalom— 17
Gehazi— 16
See earlier: “Elisha Narratives in II Kings 2-8, From Failure to Accompany to Failure to Reprove Gently: Jericho’s Youths, Bethel’s Bears, Gehazi, and the Principle of Measured Rejection (Sotah 46b-47a)“
Jeroboam29 — 16
Josiah— 16
See earlier: “[Appendix - Solomon and Josiah Didn’t Sin (Shabbat 56b)]“
Pharaoh— 15
“Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:8-2:9”, final part: “Pharaoh’s Daughter Rescuing Moses in Exodus 2:6-9 (Sotah 12b)”
the Patriarchs30 — 14
See earlier: “Divine Symbols and Historical Shifts: The Significance of the ‘Tav’ Mark in Ezekiel and the Precise Moment of the Patriarchs’ Merit’s End (Shabbat 55a)“
[Appendix 2 - ‘Yeshiva’ (formal Torah study) always existed - A List of 6 major periods and personalities from the Pentateuch (Yoma 28b): the Biblical Patriarchs, and in Egypt and in the Wilderness]
Zimri31 — 14
Ruth32— 13
Boaz— 13
Achan33— 10
See earlier: ““The Confession, Punishment, and Atonement of Achan in Joshua 7 (Sanhedrin 43b-44b)“
the generation of the dispersion— 9
Gog and Magog— 9
Yitro— 9
Bathsheba— 8
See earlier: “David and the Sin of Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11-12 and in Psalms (Sanhedrin 107a)“
Palti34 — 8
Shallum35— 8
Cyrus36 — 7
Nebuzaradan— 7
Pharaoh’s daughter37— 7
See earlier: “The Symbolism and Miracles in Pharaoh’s Daughter Rescuing Moses in Exodus 2:3-5 (Sotah 12a-b)”
See earlier: “Pharaoh’s Daughter Rescuing Moses in Exodus 2:6-9 (Sotah 12b)“
Darius— 6
Nimrod38— 6
See earlier: “[Gabriel Saving Biblical Figures from Furnaces: Abraham from Nimrod’s Furnace, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from Nebuchadnezzar’s Furnace (Pesachim 118a-b)]”.
Iscah39— 5
Malachi40— 5
Mefivoshet41— 5
Nebat42 — 5
Og — 5
Delilah43— 4
Goliath44— 4
Hadassah45 — 4
Arad46 — 3
Mered48— 3
Eldad and Medad— 3
See earlier: “Moses’ Wilderness Lotteries and the Prophecy of Eldad and Medad in Numbers 3 and 11 (Sanhedrin 17a)“
Kilav49 — 3
Orpah50— 3
Othniel51 — 3
Potiphar52— 3
Shobach53— 3
Johanan54— 2
Joshua the High Priest— 2
See earlier: “Roasted in Nebuchadnezzar’s Furnace: The Fall of Two Minor False Prophets and Joshua the High Priest, based on Jeremiah 29 and Zechariah 3 (Sanhedrin 93a)“
Ahiman55 — 2
Amraphel — 2
Azubah56 — 2
Jerubaal57 — 2
Bedan58— 2
Deborah59— 2
Ishbibenob62— 2
See earlier: ““One day David went falcon-hunting”: The Demilitarized, Rabbinized, and Enchanted Story of Avishai Saving David From Yishbi-benov (II Samuel 21:15-17; Sanhedrin 95a)“
Mahlon63— 2
Memucan64 — 2
Meshullam65— 2
Beor66 — 3
Anammelech68 — 1
Ashhur69 — 1
Bela70 — 1
Dathan71— 1
Zereth72 — 1
Helah73 — 1
Ibzan74 — 1
Jemimah75— 1
Jair76 — 1
Jered77 — 1
Jesher79 — 1
Jokim80 — 1
Meriv-Baal81— 1
Nahbi82 — 1
Shealtiel83 — 1
Shiphrah84 — 1
I continue to write there in the Abstract:
It uses the following inputs:
ed. Steinsaltz translation of the Talmud (pre-processed with all explicit biblical quotations removed - identified and excised via quotation marks) .
Manually curated bible_names_gazetteer (467 entries)
Each entry records the total number of occurrences of a given name and provides up to five representative contexts, preserving original punctuation and markup.
Contexts are extracted using a fixed window of ten words preceding and twenty words following each occurrence.
To prevent double-counting, the method employs greedy longest-to-shortest matching with token-level de-duplication, ensuring that shorter names embedded within longer expressions are not counted separately.
Results are presented in alphabetical order.
The general code that I used for this can be found in this Github gist. The general prompt to ChatGPT can be found there as well.
See my most recent previous discussion here: “Finding Rare Voices in the Talmud: A Quantitative Analysis and Concordance“ (Nov 27, 2025), especially re gazetteers and other technical aspects.
[Update 22-Dec-25: I recently uploaded the following additional concordance: “A Concordance of Nations, Ethnonyms, and Demonyms in the Talmud“, based on this updated gazetteer: “Nations and demonyms”.
Note that some Talmudic ethnonyms function as generic terms rather than as strict ethnic labels. For example:
“Canaanite” often simply means a non-Jew, in the halakhic context of slavery (eved kenaʿani).
“Chaldean” commonly refers to an astrologer, not an ethnic Chaldean.
A similar phenomenon, though to a lesser-extent, appears with certain ethnonyms, which function often (and for some: primarily) as theoretical halakhic categories rather than as references to contemporary social groups. Examples include Gibeonite, Edomite, Ammonite, Moabite, Israelite, and Samaritan.]
It thus acts as a kind of index of my pieces by Biblical figure. I hope to keep this index updated accordingly, as I publish additional relevant pieces.
Compare also my intro to Talmud, section “Creatively re-reading and expanding upon the narratives and characters of the Bible”.
[Update on 31-Jan-2026: I extensive updated this post. Especially, adding in footnotes dozens of Talmudic etymologies of names, and identifications with other personalities. Based on this, I also created a table, uploaded to my Academia page: “Table of Talmudic name-etymologies and identifications". I also plan on posting an extensive analysis of these Talmudic etymologies of names, and identifications with other personalities.]
Also note that certain instances of names are actually group names, such “b’nei [=sons of/descendants of] Aaron” (often a general term for priests; also “zera [=the seed of] Aaron”), “b’nei Noah” (term for non-Jews, in the context of commandments they’re required to keep), “b’nei Yisrael/Jacob” (term for Jews).
However, I don’t believe this has significant impact. This is especially true since ed. Steinsaltz very helpfully uses the traditional (archaic) transliteration for Biblical names, while using the modern transliteration for Talmudic names. This differentiates, for example between Samuel (major Biblical figure) and Shmuel (major Talmudic figure), or Isaac vs. Yitzhak, Jacob vs. Ya’akov, etc.
But note, for example, the false positives in the concordance and count with these names: Elisha, Asher, Avshalom.
Compare my note discussing this in the context of Tamudic names in “From Abba to Zebedee: A Comprehensive Survey of Naming Conventions in the Mishnah, Talmud, and Late Antique Midrash”, section “Personality”, p. 67 f. 533.
Compare my note ibid., f. 531.
Compare my note ibid., section “Title”, p. 63 f. 509.
Note that due to technical constraints, the counting file doesn’t include any entries that contain commas, such as “Eglon, king of Moab”. The full list of entries can be found at Github, in the link above.
Typically with the biblical format of “the [place X]-ite”. For example, ‘ha-Ramati’ (הרמתי). Compare my note ibid., section “Toponymic Surnames”, p. 42 and on, especially sub-section “ha-X-i“, p. 43.
Compare my note ibid., section “Aptronyms”, pp. 7-8, and section “Etymological Explanation of Given Name Provided by the Talmud”, pp. 8-9, esp. f. 12. And see also my anthology of these passages: “ “Why Was He Called Thus?”: An Anthology of Talmudic Passages Relating to Explanations of Biblical Names, Unification of Ostensibly Separate Biblical Personalities, and Etymologies of Biblical Words”.
Referred to a few times informally (in dialogues in narratives) as “son of Amram (ben Amram)”.
Also sometimes referred to in the Talmud as: “our patriarch/forefather Abraham” (אברהם אבינו).
Also often referred to in the Talmud as: “our patriarch/forefather Jacob” (יעקב אבינו).
Often referred to with his patronym: “Joshua, son of Nun”. This is presumably because “Joshua” (Yehoshua) was a common name in Talmudic times. The same is true for the biblical “Joshua the High Priest”, typically referred to with the epithet. And compare also the full “Eliezer, servant of Abraham”; likely for the same reason, that “Eliezer” was a common name in Talmudic times.
Sometimes referred to with his patronym: “Ezekiel, son of Buzi”. This is presumably because “Ezekiel” (Yehezkel) was a somewhat common name in Talmudic times.
Note that “Ezekiel” in the Talmud sometimes refers to the book, and not the person.
Sometimes referred to with his epithet: “Hezekiah, king of Judea”. This is presumably because there was a major figure in Talmudic times named “Hezekiah”.
Also often referred to in the Talmud with the toponymic surname: “Samuel of Ramah” (שמואל הרמתי).
Also sometimes referred to in the Talmud as: “Benjamin the righteous” (בנימין הצדיק), see the note in my intro.
Note that “Esther” in the Talmud sometimes refers to the book, and not the person. For example, in Shmuel’s statements in Megillah.7a.7-8:
אמר רב יהודה, אמר שמואל:
אסתר אינה מטמאה את הידים
[…]
Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said:
The book of Esther does not render the hands ritually impure.
Although the rabbis issued a decree that sacred scrolls render hands ritually impure, the book of Esther was not accorded the sanctity of sacred scrolls.
[…]
אמר שמואל: אסתר ברוח הקודש נאמרה
Shmuel said: the book of Esther was stated with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
Typically referred to in the Talmud as: “Adam, the first” (אדם הראשון), since ‘adam’ literally means “human”, so ‘adam ha-rishon’ literally means “the first human”.
On his name, see Sotah.10a.8:
ואמר רבי יוחנן:
שמשון על שמו של הקדוש ברוך הוא נקרא,
שנאמר: ״כי שמש ומגן ה׳ אלהים וגו׳״
And R’ Yoḥanan says:
Samson [Shimshon] is called by the name of God
as it is stated: “For YHWH God is a sun [shemesh] and a shield” (Psalms 84:12).
Also often referred to in the Talmud as: “the wicked Nebuchadnezzar”, see the note in my intro.
On his name, see Sanhedrin.109b.13:
״ויקח [קרח]״ –
אמר ריש לקיש: שלקח מקח רע לעצמו.
״קרח״ –
שנעשה קרחה בישראל.
״בן יצהר״ –
בן שהרתיח עליו את כל העולם כצהרים.
״בן קהת״ –
בן שהקהה שיני מולידיו.
״בן לוי״ –
בן שנעשה לויה בגיהנם.
Apropos Korah, the Talmud proceeds to interpret the verses written concerning him.
“And Korah, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, took [va-yikkaḥ]” (Numbers 16:1),
Reish Lakish says: He purchased [lakaḥ] a bad acquisition for himself,
as through his actions he drove himself from the world.
“Korah”
alludes to the fact that because of him a void [korḥa] was created in the children of Israel.
“Son of Izhar,”
is referring to a son who incited the wrath of the entire world upon him like the heat of the afternoon [tzohorayim].
“Son of Kohath,”
is referring to a son who blunted [hik’ha] the teeth of his parents,
i.e., he shamed them with his conduct.
“Son of Levi,”
is referring to a son who became an escort [levaya] in Gehenna.
On his father’s name, see Temurah.16a.12:
וכלב —
בן קנז הוא?
והלא ״כלב בן יפונה״ הוא!
מאי ״יפונה״?
שפנה מעצת מרגלים.
The Talmud asks: And Caleb,
was he the son of Kenaz?
Wasn’t he Caleb, son of Jephunneh (Joshua 15:
13)?
The Talmud explains that Jephunneh was not the name of his father, but a description of Caleb:
What does the word Jephunneh mean?
It means that he turned [pana] from the advice of the spies
and did not join with them in their negative report about Eretz Yisrael.
Note that there are two major female biblical figures named Tamar:
The Talmud discusses both roughly equally.
Also often referred to in the Talmud as: “Doeg the Edomite” (דואג האדומי).
See my earlier note, that many mentions of Noah are in the context of ben/b’nei [=son(s) of/descendant(s) of] Noah (those terms appear ~70 times in the Talmud). I excluded those from the count here.
Often referred to in the Talmud with his patronym: “Jeroboam, son of Nevat“.
On his name, see Sanhedrin.101b.5:
תנו רבנן:
ירבעם –
שריבע עם
A baraita states:
Jeroboam [Yorovam] —
is an abbreviation for one who debased the Jewish people [riba am].
דבר אחר:
ירבעם –
שעשה מריבה בעם
Alternatively,
Yorovam —
is an abbreviation for one who engendered strife among the people [meriva ba’am],
causing the schism between the kingdoms of Judea and Israel.
דבר אחר:
ירבעם –
שעשה מריבה בין ישראל לאביהם שבשמים
Alternatively,
Yorovam —
is an abbreviation for one who engendered strife between the Jewish people [meriva bein ha’am] and their Heavenly Father,
as he instituted the worship of the golden calves (I Kings 12:28–31).
בן נבט –
בן שניבט
ולא ראה.
He is called son of Nebat —
because he is the son who looked [nibat] in an effort to assess the situation
but did not see the situation accurately.
אבות - literally: “fathers”.
Often (and equivalently) simply as a list: “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”.
Note that there are two major biblical figures with this name:
The Talmud’s mentions are mostly about the former one (the prince - nasi).
On his name and identity, see Sanhedrin.82b.11:
אמר רבי יוחנן:
חמשה שמות יש לו:
זמרי,
ובן סלוא,
ושאול,
ובן הכנענית,
ושלומיאל בן צורי שדי
R’ Yoḥanan says:
Zimri has 5 names:
Zimri;
and son of Salu;
and Saul;
and son of the Canaanite woman;
and Shelumiel, son of Zuri Shaddai.
זמרי –
על שנעשה כביצה המוזרת,
בן סלוא –
על שהסליא עונות של משפחתו,
שאול –
על שהשאיל עצמו לדבר עבירה,
בן הכנענית –
על שעשה מעשה כנען,
ומה שמו?
שלומיאל בן צורי שדי שמו.
He was called Zimri
because of the fact that he became like an addled [ha-muzeret] egg
as a result of engaging in multiple acts of sex.
He was called son of Salu
because of the fact that he evoked [hisli] the sins of his family.
He was called Saul [Shaul]
because of the fact that he lent [hish’il] himself to sinful matters.
He was called son of the Canaanite woman
because of the fact that he performed an act of Canaan,
as the Canaanites are renowned for their licentiousness.
And what is his given name?
Shelumiel, son of Zuri Shaddai, is his name,
the leader of the tribe of Simeon (Numbers 1:6).
Also often referred to in the Talmud as: “Ruth the Moabite” (רות המואביה).
On her name, see Berakhot.7b.9:
רות,
מאי ״רות״?
אמר רבי יוחנן:
שזכתה ויצא ממנה דוד
שריוהו להקדוש ברוך הוא בשירות ותשבחות
Continuing on the topic of names, the Talmud asks: What is the meaning of the name Ruth?
R’ Yoḥanan said:
That she had the privilege that David would descend from her,
who inundated God with songs and praises,
The name Ruth [Rut] is etymologically similar in Hebrew to the word inundate [riva].
On his name and identity, see Sanhedrin.44b.9:
כתיב ״זמרי״,
וכתיב ״עכן״.
רב ושמואל:
In one place, among the 5 sons of Zerah, it is written:
“Zimri,” without any mention of Achan (I Chronicles 2:6),
and in another place it is written:
“And Joshua took Achan, son of Zerah” (Joshua 7:24).
Rav and Shmuel both say that Zimri and Achan are one and the same, but they disagree about his real name:
חד אמר:
עכן שמו,
ולמה נקרא שמו זמרי?
שעשה מעשה זמרי
One of them says:
His real name was Achan.
Why then was he called Zimri?
He was called Zimri because he acted like Zimri,
i.e., just as Zimri had sex with a Midianite woman, Achan had sex with a betrothed young woman.
וחד אמר:
זמרי שמו,
ולמה נקרא שמו עכן?
שעיכן עונותיהן של ישראל.
And the other one says:
His real name was Zimri.
Why then was he called Achan?
He was called Achan because he acted like a snake [iken] and caused the punishment of the sins of the Jewish people.
Typically referred to in the Talmud with his patronym: “Palti, son of Laish“.
On his name and identity, see Sanhedrin.19b.19:
כתיב
״פלטי״
וכתיב
״פלטיאל״
The Talmud cites a tradition with regard to Palti, son of Laish:
It is written in one place
“Palti” (I Samuel 25:44),
and it is written in another place
“Paltiel” (II Samuel 3:15).
אמר רבי יוחנן:
פלטי שמו,
ולמה נקרא שמו פלטיאל?
שפלטו אל מן העבירה.
R’ Yoḥanan says:
Palti was his real name,
and why was his name called Paltiel?
To teach that God [El ] saved [pelato] him from the sin,
by giving him the insight that he may not touch Michal, understanding that she was still David’s wife and therefore forbidden to him.
On his identity, see Horayot.11b.15:
[…]
כתיב:
״ובני יאשיהו:
הבכור יוחנן
השני יהויקים
השלישי צדקיהו
הרביעי שלום״,
ואמר רבי יוחנן:
הוא שלום
הוא צדקיהו
[…]
it’s written:
“And the sons of Josiah:
The firstborn Johanan,
the 2nd Jehoiakim,
the 3rd Zedekiah,
the 4th Shallum” (I Chronicles 3:15),
and R’ Yoḥanan says:
He is Shallum,
he is Zedekiah;
these are two names for one person.
On his name and identity, see Rosh%20Hashanah.3b.10:
תנא:
הוא כורש,
הוא דריוש,
הוא ארתחשסתא
the Sages taught in a baraita:
All 3 names are referring to the same person:
He is Cyrus;
he is Darius;
and he is also Artaxerxes.
כורש —
שמלך כשר היה,
ארתחשסתא —
על שם מלכותו,
ומה שמו?
דריוש שמו
He was called Cyrus [Koresh]
because he was a virtuous [kasher] king;
he was called Artaxerxes
after his kingdom, i.e., this was his royal title;
and what was his real name?
Darius was his name.
Note that there are two biblical figures referred to this way:
The Talmud discusses both roughly equally.
On his name and identity, see Eruvin.53a.7:
״ויהי בימי אמרפל״,
רב ושמואל
They disagreed about this verse as well: “And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel” (Genesis 14:1).
Rav and Shmuel both identified Amraphel with Nimrod.
חד אמר:
נמרוד שמו.
ולמה נקרא שמו אמרפל?
שאמר והפיל לאברהם אבינו בתוך כבשן האש
However, one said:
Nimrod was his name.
And why was his name called Amraphel?
It is a contraction of two Hebrew words: As he said [amar] the command and cast [hippil] our father Abraham into the fiery furnace,
when Abraham rebelled against and challenged his proclaimed divinity.
וחד אמר:
אמרפל שמו,
ולמה נקרא שמו נמרוד?
שהמריד את כל העולם כולו עליו
And one said:
Amraphel was his name.
And why was his name called Nimrod?
Because he caused the entire world to rebel [himrid] against God during his reign.
On her name and identity, see Megillah.14a.13:
ואמר רבי יצחק:
״יסכה״
זו שרה,
ולמה נקרא שמה יסכה?
שסכתה ברוח הקדש,
שנאמר:
״כל אשר תאמר אליך שרה —
שמע בקולה״
And R’ Yitzḥak said:
Iscah —
is in fact Sarah.
And why was she called Iscah?
For she saw [sakhta] by means of Holy Spirit,
as it is stated:
“In all that Sarah has said to you —
hearken to her voice” (Genesis 21:12).
דבר אחר:
״יסכה״ —
שהכל סוכין ביופיה.
Alternatively,
Sarah was also called Iscah —
for all gazed [sokhin] upon her beauty.
On his name and identity, see Megillah.15a.4-5:
אמר רב נחמן:
מלאכי —
זה מרדכי,
ולמה נקרא שמו מלאכי?
שהיה משנה למלך
[…]
Rav Naḥman said:
Malachi the prophet —
is in fact Mordecai,
and why was he called Malachi?
To indicate that he was second to the king [melekh],
as Mordecai was appointed such, as is recorded at the end of the Megilla.
[…]
תניא,
אמר רבי יהושע בן קרחה:
מלאכי —
זה עזרא
It is taught in a baraita:
R’ Yehoshua ben Korḥa said:
Malachi —
is in fact Ezra.
וחכמים אומרים:
מלאכי שמו
And the Rabbis say otherwise:
Malachi was his real name,
and it was not merely another name for Ezra or another prophet.
On his name and identity, see Berakhot.4a.11:
תנא:
לא ״מפיבשת״ שמו,
אלא ״איש בשת״ שמו,
ולמה נקרא שמו מפיבשת?
שהיה מבייש פני דוד בהלכה
It was taught in a Tosefta from a tannaitic tradition:
His name was not Mefivoshet,
but rather Ish Boshet was his name.
Why was Ish Boshet referred to as Mefivoshet?
Because he would embarrass [mevayesh] David in matters of halakha.
According to this approach, Mefivoshet is an abbreviation of boshet panim, embarrassment.
On his name and identity, see Sanhedrin.101b.6:
תנא:
הוא נבט,
הוא מיכה,
הוא שבע בן בכרי
It is taught in a baraita:
Based on a homiletic interpretation of their names, these 3 biblical figures are deemed to be the same person:
He is called Nebat,
he is called Micah,
and he is called Sheba, son of Bichri.
נבט –
שניבט ולא ראה.
מיכה –
שנתמכמך בבנין.
ומה שמו?
שבע בן בכרי שמו.
Nebat,
who looked [nibat] but did not see,
i.e. he believed that he was destined for greatness, and that was achieved only by his son.
Micah,
who was crushed [nitmakhmekh] in the building
i.e. of the storage cities of Pithom and Raamses, and was miraculously saved.
And what is his actual name?
His name is Sheba, son of Bichri.
On her name, see Sotah.9b.15:
״ויהי אחרי כן
ויאהב אשה בנחל שרק
ושמה דלילה״.
תניא,
רבי אומר:
אילמלא לא נקרא שמה ״דלילה״ —
ראויה היתה שתקרא דלילה:
דילדלה את כחו,
דילדלה את לבו,
דילדלה את מעשיו.
The Talmud continues its discussion of Samson.
The verse states:
“And it came to pass afterward,
that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek,
whose name was Delilah” (Judges 16:4).
It is taught in a baraita that
R’ Yehuda HaNasi says:
Even if she had not been called by the name Delilah —
it would have been fitting that she be called Delilah,
for
she weakened [dildela] his strength,
she weakened his heart,
and she weakened his deeds,
thereby decreasing his merits.
On his name, see Sotah.42b.2:
גלית —
אמר רבי יוחנן:
שעמד בגילוי פנים לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא
What is implied by the name Goliath?
R’ Yoḥanan says:
The verse indicates that he stood before God with brazenness [gilui panim]
And see ibid., a few sections later, Sotah.42b.8 (see my note later re Harafa = Orpah):
״ואת ארבעת אלה ילדו להרפה בגת ויפלו ביד דוד וביד עבדיו״.
מאי נינהו?
אמר רב חסדא:
סף
ומדון
גלית
וישבי בנוב.
The Talmud continues its discussion of the battle of David and Goliath.
“These 4 were born to Harafa in Gath;
and they fell by the hand of David,
and by the hand of his servants” (II Samuel 21:22).
The Talmud asks: What are the names of the 4 siblings mentioned here?
Rav Ḥisda said:
They are Saph,
and Madon,
Goliath,
and Ishbi in Nob (see II Samuel 21:16–20).
On this name, see Megillah.13a.10:
״ויהי אומן את הדסה״,
קרי לה ״הדסה״
וקרי לה ״אסתר״?
The verse states: “And he had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther” (Esther 2:7).
She is referred to as “Hadassah”
and she is referred to as “Esther.”
What was her real name?
Many opinions are subsequently cited; see my piece on this.
On his name and identity, see Rosh%20Hashanah.3a.3:
תנא:
הוא סיחון,
הוא ערד,
הוא כנען
A Sage taught in a baraita:
All 3 names are referring to the same person:
He is Sihon,
and he is Arad,
and he is also Canaan.
סיחון —
שדומה לסייח במדבר,
כנען —
על שם מלכותו,
ומה שמו?
ערד שמו
He was called Sihon
because he was similar in his wildness to a foal [seyyaḥ] in the desert;
and he was called Canaan
after his kingdom, as he ruled over the Canaanite people;
and what was his real name?
Arad was his name.
איכא דאמרי:
ערד —
שדומה לערוד במדבר,
כנען —
על שם מלכותו,
ומה שמו?
סיחון שמו
Some say an alternative explanation:
He was called Arad
because he was similar to a wild ass [arod] in the desert;
and he was called Canaan
after his kingdom;
and what was his real name?
Sihon was his name.
On her name and identity, see Sanhedrin.82b.9:
אמר רב ששת:
לא ״כזבי״ שמה,
אלא ״שוילנאי בת צור״ שמה
Rav Sheshet says:
Cozbi was not her given name;
rather, “Shevilnai, daughter of Zur”, was her real name.
ולמה נקרא שמה ״כזבי״?
שכזבה באביה
And why was she called Cozbi?
Because through her actions, she distorted [kizzeva] the instructions of her father.
He told her to submit only to the greatest of the children of Israel, and she submitted to the leader of a tribe.
דבר אחר:
״כזבי״ –
שאמרה לאביה:
״כוס בי עם זה״.
Alternatively:
She was called Cozbi
because she said to her father:
Slaughter [kos] this people through me [bi],
as I will seduce them to engage in licentiousness.
On his name and identity, see Megillah.13a.8:
״ואלה בני בתיה אשר לקח מרד״,
וכי מרד שמו?
והלא כלב שמו!
אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא:
יבא כלב
שמרד בעצת מרגלים,
וישא את בת פרעה
שמרדה בגלולי בית אביה
The aforementioned verse stated: “And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took.”
The Talmud asks: Was Bithiah’s husband’s name Mered?
Wasn’t his name Caleb?
Rather, the verse alludes to the reason that Caleb married Bithiah.
God said:
Let Caleb,
who rebelled [marad] against the advice of the spies,
come and marry the daughter of Pharaoh,
who rebelled against the idols of her father’s home.
On his name and identity, see Berakhot.4a.12:
ואמר רבי יוחנן:
לא ״כלאב״ שמו
אלא ״דניאל״ שמו
R’ Yoḥanan said:
His name was not Kilav;
rather, his name was Daniel,
as it appears in a different list of David’s descendants.
ולמה נקרא שמו ״כלאב״?
שהיה מכלים פני מפיבשת בהלכה
Why was he called Kilav?
Because he would embarrass [makhlim] Mefivoshet, the teacher or authority figure [av] in matters of halakha.
On her name and identity, see Sotah.42b.7:
כתיב ״הרפה״,
וכתיב ״ערפה״,
רב ושמואל:
It is written that Goliath’s mother was: “Harafa” (II Samuel 21:16),
and in another place it is written: “Orpah” (Ruth 1:4),
and the Talmud will soon explain that this was the same woman.
Rav and Shmuel engaged in a dispute concerning this matter:
חד אמר:
״הרפה״ שמה,
ולמה נקרא שמה ״ערפה״?
שהכל עורפין אותה מאחריה
One of them said:
Her name was Harafa,
and why is she called by the name Orpah?
It is because everyone came at her from behind [orfin] her, i.e., sodomized her.
וחד אמר:
״ערפה״ שמה,
ולמה נקרא שמה ״הרפה״?
שהכל דשין אותה כהריפות
And one of them said:
Her name was Orpah,
and why is she called by the name Harafa?
It is because everyone threshed her like groats [harifot], i.e., had sex with her
On his name and identity, see Temurah.16a.14:
תנא:
הוא עתניאל,
הוא יעבץ,
ומה שמו?
יהודה אחי שמעון שמו
A tanna taught in a baraita:
The same person is known as Othniel
and he is also known as Jabez.
And what is his actual name?
Judah, brother of Simeon, is his name.
״עתניאל״ —
שענאו אל,
״יעבץ״ —
שיעץ וריבץ תורה בישראל.
He was known as Othniel,
as God answered [ana’o El] his prayer.
He was also known as Jabez [yabetz]
because he advised and spread [ya’atz ve-ribetz] Torah among the Jewish people.
On his name, see Sotah.13b.12:
״ויקנהו פוטיפר סריס פרעה״,
אמר רב:
שקנאו לעצמו.
בא (גבריאל) [מיכאל]
וסירסו,
בא גבריאל
ופירעו
מעיקרא כתיב
״פוטיפר״,
ולבסוף
״פוטיפרע״.
The continuation of that verse states: “And Potiphar, an officer [seris] of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there” (Genesis 39:1).
Rav says:
He purchased the handsome Joseph for himself,
for the intended purpose of homosexual sex, but was unable to fulfill his desires, as
the angel Gabriel came
and castrated Potiphar [seireso].
Then Gabriel came again
and further mutilated him [fero] in the same part of his body.
This is alluded to in the verses that write Potiphar’s name differently:
Initially, it is written
“Potiphar” (Genesis 39:1)
and in the end it is written
“Potiphera” (Genesis 41:45).
The change in his name indicates that a part of himself was mutilated.
On his name, see Sotah.42b.11:
״בני עמון באו בנצחונו של שובך כו׳״.
כתיב ״שובך״,
וכתיב ״שופך״
רב ושמואל:
§ According to the Mishnah, the priest would say: The Ammonites came championed by Shobach (see II Samuel, chapter 10).
In one account, his name is written:
“Shobach” (II Samuel 10:18),
and in another place it is written:
“Shophach” (I Chronicles 19:18).
Rav and Shmuel engaged in a dispute concerning this matter:
חד אמר:
״שופך״ שמו,
ולמה נקרא שמו ״שובך״?
שעשוי כשובך
One of them said:
His name was Shophach,
and why is he called by the name Shobach?
It is because he was built like a dovecote [shovakh],
as he was exceptionally tall.
וחד אמר:
שובך שמו,
ולמה נקרא שמו ״שופך״?
שכל הרואה אותו נשפך לפניו כקיתון.
And one of them said:
His name was Shobach,
and why is he called by the name Shophach?
It is because anyone who would see him would become terrified and his courage would be spilled [nishpakh] before him like water from a jug.
On his identity, see Horayot.11b.15 (I cite the rest of this passage in a note on entry “Shallum”, see there):
ואמר רבי יוחנן:
[…]
הוא יוחנן
הוא יהואחז
R' Yoḥanan says:
[…]
he is Johanan,
he is Jehoahaz,
who is mentioned in the book of Kings.
On his name, see Yoma.10a.6:
״ושם
אחימן
ששי
ותלמי
ילידי הענק״
The Talmud continues to discuss the interpretation of names in the Bible.
The Torah says: “And there were
Ahiman,
Sheshai,
and Talmai,
the children of Anak” (Numbers 13:22).
תנא:
אחימן —
מיומן שבאחים,
ששי —
שמשים את הארץ כשחיתות,
תלמי —
שמשים את הארץ תלמים תלמים
It was taught:
Ahiman
was so called because he was the greatest and most skillful [meyuman] of his brothers.
Ahiman is a contraction of brother [aḥ] and right [yamin], which is the skilled hand.
Sheshai
was so called because he renders the ground like pits [sheḥitot] with his strides.
Talmai
was so called because he renders the ground filled with furrows [telamim] with his strides.
On her name, see Sotah.12a.2:
״עזובה״ —
זו מרים,
ולמה נקרא שמה עזובה?
שהכל עזבוה מתחילתה.
The verse states: “And Caleb, the son of Hezron, begot children of Azubah his wife, and of Jerioth, and these were her sons: Jesher, and Shobab, and Ardon” (I Chronicles 2:18).
The Talmud analyzes the verse: The verse refers to the wife of Caleb by the name Azubah.
The Sages teach that this is Miriam.
And why is she called Azubah?
As everyone initially abandoned her [azavuha]
and did not want to marry her because she was sickly and unattractive.
On his name, see Rosh%20Hashanah.25a.16:
ואומר:
״ויאמר שמואל אל העם:
ה׳ אשר עשה את משה ואת אהרן״.
ואומר:
״וישלח ה׳
את ירובעל
ואת בדן
ואת יפתח
ואת שמואל״
And similarly it says:
“And Samuel said to the people:
It is YHWH Who made Moses and Aaron” (I Samuel 12:6).
And it says further:
“And YHWH sent
Jerubaal
and Bedan
and Jephthah
and Samuel” (I Samuel 12:11).
״ירובעל״ —
זה גדעון,
ולמה נקרא שמו ירובעל?
שעשה מריבה עם הבעל.
The Talmud explains:
Jerubaal —
this is Gideon.
And why is he called Jerubaal?
The reason is that he waged a quarrel against Baal.
On his name, see Rosh%20Hashanah.25a.16:
״בדן״ —
זה שמשון,
ולמה נקרא שמו בדן?
דאתי מדן
Bedan —
this is Samson.
And why is he called Bedan?
As he came from the tribe of Dan.
On her name, see Megillah.14b.10:
אמר רב נחמן:
לא יאה יהירותא לנשי.
תרתי נשי יהירן הויין,
וסניין שמייהו:
חדא
שמה זיבורתא,
וחדא
שמה כרכושתא
An additional point is mentioned with regard to the prophetesses.
Rav Naḥman said:
Haughtiness is not befitting a woman.
And a proof to this is that there were two haughty women,
whose names were identical to the names of loathsome creatures:
One,
Deborah, was called a hornet,
as her Hebrew name, Devorah, means hornet;
and one,
Huldah, was called a marten,
as her name is the Hebrew term for that creature.
זיבורתא —
כתיב בה: ״ותשלח ותקרא לברק״,
ואילו איהי לא אזלה לגביה.
From where is it known that they were haughty?
With regard to Deborah, the hornet —
it is written:
“And she sent and called Barak” (Judges 4:6),
but she herself did not go to him.
כרכושתא —
כתיב בה: ״אמרו לאיש״,
ולא אמרה: ״אמרו למלך״.
And with regard to Huldah, the marten —
it is written: “Say to the man that sent you to me” (II Kings 22:15),
but she did not say: “Say to the king”
On her name and identity, see Sanhedrin.21a.14:
אמר רב:
עגלה —
זו מיכל,
ולמה נקרא שמה עגלה?
שחביבה עליו כעגלה.
וכן הוא אומר:
״לולי חרשתם בעגלתי וגו׳״.
Rav said:
Eglah —
is Michal,
and why was she called Eglah in the verse?
It was because she was dear to him (=David) like a calf [egla],
and so the verse states that Samson referred to his wife with the same term:
“If you had not plowed with my calf you would not have found my secret” (Judges 14:18).
On his name and identity, see Megillah.15a.11:
״ותקרא אסתר להתך״,
אמר רב:
התך זה דניאל,
ולמה נקרא שמו התך?
שחתכוהו מגדולתו
The verse states: “Then Esther called for Hathach,
one of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her” (Esther 4:5).
Rav said:
Hathach is in fact the prophet Daniel.
And why was he called Hathach?
Because he was cut down [ḥatakh] from his greatness
during Ahasuerus’s reign, as he was demoted from his high position. Previously he had served as a senior minister, and now he had become Esther’s steward.
ושמואל אמר:
שכל דברי מלכות נחתכין על פיו.
And Shmuel expounded the name Hathach as derived from ḥatakh in the opposite sense, as he said:
Daniel was called Hathach because all the affairs of the kingdom were decided [neḥtakhin] by his word.
On his name, see Sanhedrin.95a.6:
״וישבי בנב
אשר בילידי הרפה
ומשקל קינו שלש מאות משקל נחשת
והוא חגור חדשה
ויאמר להכות את דוד״
§ Apropos the massacre of Nov, the Talmud relates:
“And Ishbibenob,
who was of the sons of the giant,
the weight of whose spear was 300 shekels of brass;
and he was girded with new armor
and planned to slay David” (II Samuel 21:16).
מאי ״וישבי בנוב״?
אמר רב יהודה, אמר רב:
איש שבא על עסקי נוב.
The Talmud asks: What is the meaning of Ishbibenob?
Rav Yehuda says that Rav says:
This is a man [ish] who came to punish David over matters of Nov.
On his name and identity, see Bava_Batra.91b.7-8:
כתיב:
״מחלון וכליון״,
וכתיב:
״יואש ושרף״
רב ושמואל:
The Talmud returns to its discussion of the story of Ruth.
It is written:
“Mahlon and Chilion” (Ruth 1:2),
and it is written elsewhere:
“Joash and Saraph, who had dominion in Moab” (I Chronicles 4:22).
Apparently, both names refer to the same individuals who married Moabite wives.
Rav and Shmuel disagreed with regard to their true names:
חד אמר:
״מחלון״
ו״כליון״
שמן,
ולמה נקרא שמן
״שרף״
ו״יואש״?
״יואש״ –
שנתיאשו מן הגאולה,
״שרף״ –
שנתחייבו שריפה למקום.
One says:
Their given names were
Mahlon
and Chilion,
and why were they called by the names
Saraph
and Joash?
One was called Joash [yoash]
because they despaired [nitya’ashu] of the redemption of Eretz Yisrael, as they established themselves in Moab and lived there for many years.
The other was called Saraph,
because they were liable to receive the punishment of burning [sereifa] for their sins against God, because they left their community.
וחד אמר:
״יואש״
ו״שרף״
שמן,
ולמה נקרא שמן
״מחלון״
ו״כליון״?
״מחלון״ –
שעשו גופן חולין,
ו״כליון״ –
שנתחייבו כליה למקום.
And one of them says:
Their given names were
Joash
and Saraph,
and why were they called by the names
Mahlon
and Chilion?
One was called Mahlon [maḥlon]
because they made their bodies profane [ḥullin],
and the other was called Chilion [khilyon]
because they were liable to receive the punishment of destruction [kelaya] for their sins against God.
On his name and identity, see Megillah.12b.11:
״ויאמר ממוכן״.
תנא:
ממוכן —
זה המן,
ולמה נקרא שמו ממוכן?
שמוכן לפורענות
The verse states: “And Memucan said” (Esther 1:16).
A Sage taught in a baraita:
Memucan —
is Haman.
And why is Haman referred to as Memucan?
Because he was prepared [mukhan] to bring calamity upon the Jewish people.
On his name and identity, see Megillah.23a.9-10:
אמר ליה יעקב מינאה לרב יהודה:
הני ששה דיום הכפורים כנגד מי?
אמר ליה:
כנגד
ששה שעמדו מימינו של עזרא
וששה משמאלו
Ya’akov of Mina (or: “Jacob the heretic”) said to Rav Yehuda:
Corresponding to whom were these 6 readers on Yom Kippur instituted?
Rav Yehuda said to him:
The number 6 corresponds to
the 6 people who stood to Ezra’s right
and the 6 people who stood to his left,
שנאמר:
״ויעמוד עזרא הסופר על מגדל עץ
אשר עשו לדבר
ויעמוד אצלו:
מתתיה
ושמע
ועניה
ואוריה
וחלקיה
ומעשיה
על ימינו
ומשמאלו:
פדיה
ומישאל
ומלכיה
וחשום
וחשבדנה
זכריה
משלם״.
as it is stated:
“And Ezra the Scribe stood upon a platform of wood,
which they had made for the purpose,
and beside him stood:
Mattithiah,
and Shema,
and Anaiah,
and Uriah,
and Hilkiah,
and Maaseiah,
on his right hand,
and on his left hand:
Pedaiah,
and Mishael,
and Malchiah,
and Hashum,
and Hashbadanah,
Zechariah,
Meshullam” (Nehemiah 8:4).
הני שבעה הוו!
היינו ״זכריה״
היינו ״משלם״,
ואמאי קראו ״משלם״?
דמישלם בעובדיה
The Talmud challenges this answer: Those that stood to his left were 7 and not 6.
Zechariah
is the same as Meshullam,
that is to say, they are not two separate people, but rather one person with two names.
And why was he called Meshullam?
Because he was perfect [mishlam] in his actions.
On his name, see Sanhedrin.105a.8:
תנא:
הוא בעור,
הוא כושן רשעתים,
הוא לבן הארמי
It was taught in a baraita:
He is Beor, father of Balaam,
he is Cushan-Rishathaim,
he is Laban the Aramean.
בעור –
שבא על בעיר.
כושן רשעתים –
דעבד שתי רשעיות בישראל:
אחת
בימי יעקב,
ואחת
בימי שפוט השופטים.
ומה שמו?
לבן הארמי שמו
He was called Beor —
because he engaged in bestiality.
He was called Cushan-Rishathaim —
because he performed two evil deeds [rishiyyot] to the Jewish people:
one
during the time of Jacob, when he pursued him intending to kill him,
and one
during the time when the judges judged.
And what was his actual name?
His name was Laban the Aramean.
On her name, see Temurah.16a.9:
ולמה נקרא שמה ״עכסה״?
שכל הרואה אותה כועס על אשתו
The baraita adds: And why is she called “Achsah”?
The reason is that anyone who sees her became angry [ko’es] about his own wife,
who was not as beautiful as Achsah.
On this name of a pagan god, see Sanhedrin.63b.17:
״והספרוים שרפים את בניהם ואת בנותיהם באש ל
אדרמלך
וענמלך
אלהי ספרוים״,
ומאי ניהו?
הפרד
והסוס
אדרמלך –
דאדר ליה למריה בטעינה,
וענמלך –
דעני ליה למריה בקרבא
“And the Sepharvites burned their sons and their daughters in the fire to
Adrammelech
and Anammelech,
the gods of Sepharvaim” (II Kings 17:31);
and what are they?
The mule
and the horse.
And why are they called that?
A mule is called Adrammelech
because it honors [addar] its master with its load, i.e., because it carries the master’s load,
and a horse is called Anammelech
because it responds [anei] to its master, assisting him in battle.
On his name and identity, see Sotah.12a.5:
״ולאשחור אבי תקוע היו שתי נשים:
חלאה
ונערה״.
״אשחור״ —
זה כלב,
ולמה נקרא שמו ״אשחור״?
שהושחרו פניו בתעניות.
The Talmud interprets an additional verse as referring to Caleb.
It is stated: “And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives:
Helah
and Naarah” (I Chronicles 4:5).
Ashhur —
is Caleb.
And why was he called Ashhur?
Because his face became blackened [husheḥaru] from the extensive fasts
that he accepted upon himself so that he would not be entrapped by the counsel of the spies.
On his name, as well as those of all of Benjamin’s ten sons, see Sotah.36b.17-18:
״בלע״ —
שנבלע בין האומות,
״ובכר״ —
בכור לאמו היה,
״ואשבל״ —
ששבאו אל,
״גרא״ —
שגר באכסניות,
״ונעמן״ —
שנעים ביותר,
״אחי וראש״ —
אחי הוא וראשי הוא,
״מפים וחפים״ —
הוא לא ראה בחופתי ואני לא ראיתי בחופתו,
״וארד״ —
שירד לבין אומות העולם.
איכא דאמרי:
״וארד״ —
שפניו דומין לוורד.
The Talmud explains how each name relates to Joseph:
Bela
was named after Joseph, who was swallowed [nivla] among the nations.
And Becher
because Joseph was the firstborn [bekhor] of his mother, Rachel.
And Ashbel
because God sent Joseph into captivity [shevao El] in Egypt.
Gera
was named after Joseph, who dwelled [gar] in a foreign land [akhsaneyut].
And Naaman
because Joseph was extremely pleasing [na’im].
Ehi and Rosh
Benjamin said: Joseph is my brother [aḥi] and my leader [roshi].
Muppim and Huppim,
as Benjamin said: Joseph did not see my wedding canopy [ḥuppa] and I did not see his wedding canopy.
And Ard
was named after Joseph, who descended [yarad] to the lands of the non-Jewish nations.
Some say that
the name Ard
means that Joseph’s face was similar in its beauty to a rose [vered].
On his name, see Sanhedrin.109b.15:
״דתן״ –
שעבר על דת אל,
״אבירם״ –
שאיבר עצמו מעשות תשובה,
״ואון״ –
שישב באנינות,
״פלת״ –
שנעשו לו פלאות,
״בן ראובן״ –
בן שראה והבין.
The Talmud proceeds to interpret the names of Korah’s cohorts: “Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben” (Numbers 16:1).
“Dathan”
is one who violated the precepts [dat] of God.
“Abiram”
is one who braced [iber] himself from repenting.
“And On”
indicates one who sat in acute mourning [aninut] over the sin that he committed, and he repented and was spared.
“Peleth”
is one for whom wonders [pelaot] were performed.
Son of Reuben [Reuven],
is a son who saw and understood [ra’a ve-hevin] the nature of what was transpiring and repented.
On this name, see Sotah.12a.7:
״ובני חלאה:
צרת
וצהר
ואתנן״
״צרת״ —
שנעשית צרה לחברותיה.
״צהר״ —
שהיו פניה דומין כצהרים,
״אתנן״ —
שכל הרואה אותה מוליך אתנן לאשתו.
The Talmud expounds the following verse as referring to Miriam: “And the children of Helah were:
Zereth [Tzeret]
and Zohar
and Ethnan” (I Chronicles 4:7).
She was now called “Tzeret,”
for she became so beautiful that she was like a rival [tzara] to other women, as they were jealous of her beauty.
She is called “Zohar,”
as her face shined like the sun does at noon [tzohorayim].
She is called “Ethnan,”
as any man that saw her would be aroused so much that he would bring a gift [etnan] to his wife to entice her.
On her name and identity, see Sotah.12a.6:
״היו שתי נשים״ —
נעשה מרים כשתי נשים
The phrase in the verse “had two wives”
actually means it is as if Miriam became like two wives,
because she changed over the course of time.
״חלאה ונערה״ —
לא חלאה ונערה הואי,
אלא
בתחילה
חלאה,
ולבסוף
נערה.
And therefore the two names written in the verse: “Helah and Naarah,”
were not two separate women, Helah and Naarah.
Rather,
initially
Miriam was sickly [ḥela] and forlorn,
and ultimately
she was healthy and beautiful like a young woman [na’ara].
On his identity, see Bava%20Batra.91a.10:
אמר רבה בר רב הונא, אמר רב:
אבצן זה בעז
Apropos the story of Ruth the Talmud adds:
Rabba bar Rav Huna says that Rav says:
The judge Ibzan of Bethlehem (see Judges 12:8–10) is Boaz.
On her name, see Bava_Batra.16b.7-8:
[…]
כתיב:
״ויהי לו שבענה בנים ושלוש בנות:
ויקרא שם האחת
ימימה,
ושם השנית
קציעה,
ושם השלישית
קרן הפוך״.
[…]
it is written:
“He had also 7 sons and 3 daughters:
And he called the name of the 1st [daughter]
Jemimah,
and the name of the 2nd
was Keziah,
and the name of the 3rd one
was Keren ha-puch” (Job 42:13–14).
All 3 names relate to the daughters’ beauty:
ימימה –
שהיתה דומה ליום.
קציעה –
שהיה ריחה נודף כקציעה
Jemimah [Yemima];
in her beauty she was similar to the day [yom].
Keziah;
her scent wafted like the cassia [ketzia] tree.
קרן הפוך –
אמרי דבי רבי שילא:
שדומה לקרנא דקרש
Keren-ha-puch —
in the school of Rav Sheila they say:
She was similar to the horn [keren] of a keresh,
an animal whose horns are particularly beautiful.
מחייכו עלה במערבא,
קרנא דקרש לקותא היא!
They laughed at this in the West, Eretz Yisrael,
since it is considered a blemish when a person resembles the horn of a keresh.
אלא
אמר רב חסדא:
ככורכמא דרישקא במיניה –
שנאמר:
״כי תקרעי בפוך״.
Rather,
Rav Ḥisda said:
She was like garden saffron [kurkema de-rishka], which is the best of its kind.
Keren refers to a garden, and pukh means ornament,
as it is stated:
“Though you enlarge your eyes with paint [pukh],
you beautify yourself in vain” (Jeremiah 4:30).
On this name, see Megillah.12b.17:
תנא:
כולן על שמו נקראו:
״בן יאיר״ —
בן שהאיר עיניהם של ישראל בתפלתו.
״בן שמעי״ —
בן ששמע אל תפלתו.
״בן קיש״ —
שהקיש על שערי רחמים ונפתחו לו
A Sage taught the following baraita:
All of them are names by which Mordecai was called:
He was called “the son of Jair”
because he was the son who enlightened [heir] the eyes of all of the Jewish people with his prayers;
“the son of Shimei”
because he was the son whom God heard [shama] his prayers;
“the son of Kish”
because he knocked [hikish] on the gates of mercy and they were opened to him.
On his name and identity, see Megillah.13a.6:
״ירד״ —
זה משה,
ולמה נקרא שמו ״ירד״?
שירד להם לישראל מן בימיו
The Talmud explains how all the names in fact are referring to Moses:
“Jered” —
this is Moses,
and why was he called Jered?
Because manna came down [yarad] for the Jewish people in his days.
״גדור״ —
שגדר פרצותיהן של ישראל.
״חבר״ —
שחיבר את ישראל לאביהן שבשמים.
״סוכו״ —
שנעשה להם לישראל כסוכה.
״יקותיאל״ —
שקוו ישראל לאל בימיו.
״זנוח״ —
שהזניח עונותיהן של ישראל.
He was also called “Gedor”
because he fenced in [gadar] the breaches of the Jewish people.
He was called “Heber”
because he connected [ḥibber] the Jewish people to their Father in Heaven.
He was called “Soco”
because he was for the Jewish people like a shelter [sukka] and shield.
He was called “Jekuthiel”
because the Jewish people trusted in God [kivu la-El] in his days.
Lastly, he was called “Zanoah”
because he caused the iniquities of the Jewish people to be disregarded [hizniaḥ].
On her name and identity, see Sotah.12a.3:
״יריעות״ —
שהיו פניה דומין ליריעות.
The same verse refers to Miriam additionally as Jerioth,
which the Talmud explains was appropriate, for her face was like extremely pallid curtains [yeriot].
On his name and identity, see Sotah.12a.4:
״ישר״ —
שישר את עצמו.
״שובב״ —
ששיבב את יצרו,
״וארדון״ —
שרדה את יצרו,
The 1st appellation for Caleb, “Jesher,”
is referring to his actions, as he set himself straight [yisher] and did not join in the counsel of the spies.
The 2nd appellation, “Shobab,”
is referring to the fact that he broke [sibbev] his evil inclination by rebelling against the other spies.
The 3rd appellation, “and Ardon,”
is referring to the fact that he ruled [rada] over his evil inclination.
On his identity, see Bava%20Batra.91b.9:
[…]
תניא,
מאי דכתיב:
״ויוקים,
ואנשי כזבא,
ויואש,
ושרף – אשר בעלו למואב;
וישבי לחם;
והדברים עתיקים״
[…]
it is taught in a baraita:
What is the meaning of that which is written:
“And Jokim,
and the men of Cozeba,
and Joash,
and Saraph, who had dominion in Moab,
and Jashubi Lehem.
And the matters are ancient” (I Chronicles 4:22)?
״ויוקים״ –
זה יהושע,
שהקים שבועה לאנשי גבעון.
״ואנשי כזבא״ –
אלו אנשי גבעון,
שכזבו ביהושע
“And Jokim,”
this refers to Joshua,
who established [hekim] and kept the oath with people of Gibeon (see Joshua, chapter 9).
“And the men of Cozeba,”
these are the men of Gibeon,
who lied [kizevu] to Joshua by saying that they came from a distant land.
On his name and identity, see Shabbat.56b.2:
היינו דכתיב:
״ובן יהונתן מריב בעל״,
וכי ״מריב בעל״ שמו?
והלא מפיבשת שמו!
אלא מתוך שעשה מריבה עם בעליו.
This is what is written:
“And the son of Jonathan was Meriv-Baal” (I Chronicles 8:34).
The Talmud asks: And was Meriv-Baal his name?
Wasn’t his name Mephibosheth?
Rather, since he entered into a quarrel [meriva] with his Master [ba’al],
i.e., God, and complained about God having saved David
On his name, see Sotah.34b.6:
אמר רבי יוחנן,
אף אנו נאמר: ״נחבי בן ופסי״,
״נחבי״ —
שהחביא דבריו של הקדוש ברוך הוא.
״ופסי״ —
שפיסע על מדותיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא.
R’ Yoḥanan says:
We can also say an interpretation of the name: “Nahbi the son of Vophsi” (Numbers 13:14):
He is called Nahbi,
as he concealed [heḥbi] the statement of God,
that the land is good, by delivering a distorted description of it.
He is called Vophsi,
as he stomped [pisse’a] on the attributes of God,
i.e., he did not believe in His promise to give Eretz Yisrael to the Jewish people.
On his name and identity, see Sanhedrin.37b.14-38a.1:
אסר –
שעיברתו אמו בבית האסורין.
שלתיאל –
ששתלו אל שלא כדרך הנשתלין:
גמירי שאין האשה מתעברת מעומד,
והיא נתעברה מעומד
“Assir,”
literally, “prisoner”, teaches that his mother conceived him in prison.
“Shealtiel,”
literally, “planted by God”, teaches that God planted him in a way atypical of most plants [ha-nishtalin], i.e., people.
It is learned as a tradition that a woman does not conceive when she is standing during sex,
and the mother of Shealtiel conceived while standing.
דבר אחר:
שלתיאל –
שנשאל על אלתו אל.
זרובבל –
שנזרע בבבל.
ומה שמו?
נחמיה בן חכליה שמו.
Alternatively,
“Shealtiel”
is interpreted as meaning that God [El ] requested [nishal ] dissolution of His oath,
as it were, and allowed Jeconiah to father a child.
In the continuation of that passage in Chronicles, where the verse refers to the grandson of Jeconiah, Zerubbabel [Zerubavel ],
the Talmud interprets that his name teaches that he was sown [nizra], i.e., conceived, in Babylonia [Bavel].
And what was his true name?
Nehemiah, son of Hachaliah, was his true name.
On her name and identity, see Sotah.11b.12-13:
[…]
תניא:
שפרה זו יוכבד,
ולמה נקרא שמה שפרה?
שמשפרת את הולד
[…]
it is taught in a baraita:
With regard to Shiphrah, who is referred to in the verse —
this is really a reference to Jochebed.
And why was she called Shiphrah?
Because she would prepare [mishapperet] the newborn.
דבר אחר:
״שפרה״ —
שפרו ורבו ישראל בימיה.
Alternatively,
she is referred to as Shiphrah —
because the Jewish people increased and multiplied [paru ve-rabbu] in her days,
due to her assistance.
״פועה״ —
זו מרים.
ולמה נקרא שמה ״פועה״?
שהיתה פועה ומוציאה את הולד
The baraita continues: With regard to Puah, who is referred to in the verse —
this is really a reference to Miriam.
And why was she called Puah?
Because she would make a comforting sound [po’a] as she would remove the child from the womb of the mother.
דבר אחר:
״פועה״ —
שהיתה פועה ברוח הקודש ואומרת:
עתידה אמי שתלד בן שמושיע את ישראל.
Alternatively,
the word Puah —
is related to one of the verbs that describe speaking, as she would speak [po’a] through Holy Spirit and say:
In the future, my mother will give birth to a son who will save the Jewish people.