🔼The name Haroeh: Summary
- Meaning
- The Seeing, Seer, Vision
- Etymology
- From the verb ראה (ra'a), to see or understand.
🔼The name Haroeh in the Bible
There's only one Haroeh in the Bible. He is a son of Shobal, son of Hur, son of Ephrathah of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:52). This same man is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:2 where he is called Reaiah (ראיה). The names Reaiah and Haroeh seem very different in English but in Hebrew it's obvious that both names contain the same verbal element.
🔼Etymology of the name Haroeh
The name Haroeh consists of two elements. The first one is the letter ה, which here appears to serve as the definite article: the. The second element of our name comes from the verb ראה (ra'a), meaning to see, and is equal to the nouns ראה (ro'eh), meaning seer, and ראה (ro'eh), meaning prophetic vision:
ראה
The verb ראה (ra'a) means to see, and by extension to understand. It may mean to become visible (of, say, an angel) or to become understandable (of, say, a theory). Noun ראה (ro'eh) means either seer, or prophetic vision, and noun מראה (mar'a) means either vision as means of revelation, or mirror. Nouns ראית (re'ut) and ראות (re'ut) mean a looking. Nouns ראי (ro'i) and מראה (mar'eh) mean sight or appearance. Adjective ראה (ra'eh) means seeing.
🔼Haroeh meaning
For a meaning of the name Haroeh, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads The Seer. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names curiously lists this name as Haroeh but omits the article, and translates our name with Seeing, Seer, Vision. BDB Theological Dictionary also disregards the definite article but confirms that the core of our name is equal to the two nouns listed above.