🔼The name Ibleam: Summary
- Meaning
- He Destroys The People
- The People Flow Forth
- Etymology
- From (1) the verb בלע (bala'), to swallow, and (2) the noun עם ('am), people or kinsman.
- From (1) the verb יבל (yabal), to flow forth or lead, and (2) the noun עם ('am), people or kinsman.
🔼The name Ibleam in the Bible
Ibleam is a town in Manasseh (Joshua 17:11). In 1 Chronicles 6:70 this town is called Bileam, which in Hebrew is identical to the name Balaam.
🔼Etymology of the name Ibleam
The name Ibleam is the name Balaam treated as a verb and made active: "He Will Balaam". The etymology of Balaam isn't certain but most probably both names consists of two parts. The first part seems to have been derived from the verb בלע (bala'), meaning to swallow:
בלע
The verb בלע (bala') means to swallow with the implication of destruction of what was swallowed. Noun בלע (bela) means either a swallowing and by implication: a destruction, or a thing swallowed or destroyed.
On the other hand, we can't be sure whether Ibleam was formed after Bileam or vice versa. If Ibleam was first, then the first part of both names may have been derived of the verb יבל (yabal), meaning to bring or lead:
בלל
The verb בלל (balal) means to mix something with oil, usually flour products, usually as ritualistic food preparation. The emphasis of this verb lies on saturation and overflowing: to fill something with oil until it can absorb no more and begins to reject an excess of oil. Noun בליל (belil) describes a very rich mix for animals to eat. Noun שבלול (shabbelul) describes a snail, or an animal that looks saturated with oil. Nouns תבל (tebel) describes sexually incompatible partners, and noun תבלל (teballul) tells of insoluble material that obstructs a person's eye.
יבל
The verb יבל (yabal) speaks mostly of a flowing along some course, which of course requires the bottom of the course to be saturated and reject any further absorption. Noun יבל (yabal) means water course or conduit, noun יובל (yubal) means stream and noun אובל ('ubal) means stream or river. Adjective יבל (yabbal) means suppurating (discharging pus from a wound). Noun יבול (yebul) denotes produce from the soil and noun בול (bul) means produce or outgrowth. Noun יובל (yobel) or יבל (yobel) describes "a carrier" or "a producer" or "something that drives a flow" (e.g. a trumpet, or the principle of Jubilee). Noun תבל (tebel) refers to the whole world-economy.
אבל
Verb אבל ('abel) is like the previous ones in that it describes a drive of liquid or semi-liquid elements along some collective course. It's often used to describe a collective mourning, which either happened in a procession or else contagious enough to drag others along. Nouns אבל ('ebel) and אבל ('abel) both mean mourning, but the latter is also the word for actual water stream or brook. In cognate languages this verb is used to describe the driving of camels. There is even a sporadically used adverb אבל ('abal), which in older texts expresses solemn affirmation (verily, truly, yes indeed I'm totally going along with you there) but later texts appear to put somewhat of a breaking force on the momentum ("yes!... but").
The second part of the name Ibleam probably comes from the noun עם ('im), meaning people:
עמם
The verb עמם ('mm) probably expressed to be inclusive or comprehensive. Its rare uses in the Bible relate to making secrets or making info available to an in-crowd. Preposition עם ('im) means 'with', מעם (me'im) means 'from', and עמה ('umma) means 'beside'. Noun עם ('am) means a people, ranging from all of mankind to the in-crowd of a small village. Noun עם ('am) refers to one's (paternal) kinsman.
🔼Ibleam meaning
NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads for Destroyer Of The People for Balaam and He Destroys The People for Ibleam. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads Destruction Of The People for Balaam and Devouring The People for Ibleam.
But, as shown above, the name Ibleam may also be interpreted as The People Flow Forth.