🔼The name Besor: Summary
- Meaning
- Place Of Flesh, Place Of Glad Tidings, Cold
- Etymology
- From the verb בשר (basar), to bring glad tidings, or the noun בשר (basar), flesh, or an Arabic adjective for cold.
🔼The name Besor in the Bible
The name Besor belongs to a brook south of Ziklag, which David and his men crossed in pursuit of the Amalekites who had raided their camp and abducted their women (1 Samuel 30:9, 30:10, 30:21).
🔼Etymology of the name Besor
The name Besor has to do with the verb בשר (basar), to bring glad tidings. This verb exists in the entire Semitic language basin, and in Arabic emphases the act of uncovering. In Hebrew this verb became associated with childbirth, and from there with flesh. In Arabic something comparable happened, and this verb began to emphasize exposed flesh, and from there being cold:
בשר
The verb בשר (basar) means to bring glad tidings. It relates to the act of removing covers in order to expose the good stuff within, and became especially associated with the glad tidings of successful childbirth. This forged a direct link between making flesh out of flesh, and bringing tidings of comfort and joy. And this is the reason why this verb's primary derivative, namely the noun בשר (basar), doesn't mean "message", as might be expected, but rather "flesh".
🔼Besor meaning
For a meaning of the name Besor, both NOBSE Study Bible Name List and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names go with the Arabic nuance and read Cold. But Jones also notes the Hebrew meaning, which we here at Abarim Publications tend to prefer, since our name occurs in a Hebrew context and was probably as such interpreted by both the authors and their audience. Hence we prefer Place Of Flesh, Place Of Glad Tidings.
BDB Theological Dictionary lists our name under the Hebrew verb but growls that the connection is dubious. Why that might be, BDB does not explain, which might in itself be classified as dubious.