🔼The name Jagur: Summary
- Meaning
- Fearing, Quarreling, Lodging
- Etymology
- From the verb גרר (garar), to drag or drag away.
🔼The name Jagur in the Bible
The name Jagur occurs only once in the Bible. It's the name of a town that was situated at the southern extremity of the territory allotted to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:21).
🔼Etymology of the name Jagur
Scholars seem to think that the name Jagur is an active form of the verb גור (gur), meaning to sojourn, but note that our name is spelled the same as the adverb יגור (yagor), meaning fearing:
גרר
The verb גרר (garar) means to drag or drag away, mostly in a circular or repetitive motion. Noun גרה (gera) means cud, or food that's dragged back up, chewed again and sent back down. The identical noun גרה (gera) denotes a unit of weight that served as currency. Noun גרגר (gargar) means berry and the plural noun גרגרות (gargerot) means neck, probably after their signature wagging motion.
The verb גרה (gara) means to strive or agitate strife, obviously not by means of one singular assault but rather by repeated provocations and withdrawals. Noun תגרה (tigra) means contention or opposition. Noun גרון (garon) is a second word for neck.
Verb גור (gur) means the same as the previous: to quarrel or stir up strife. Nouns גור (gor) and גור (gur) both denote lion cubs. Perhaps young male lions were named after the verb גור (gur) because they are expelled from the pride and are forced to roam adjacent territories.
The verb גור (gur), namely — or a second and identical verb — is also often used to describe to itinerate or temporary abide. Noun גר (ger) describes an itinerant; a stranger or foreigner. Noun גרות (gerut) may describe a lodging place for foreign travelers but may also be part of the name Geruth Chimham. Noun מגור (magor) means dwelling place or itineration. Nouns מגורה (megura) and ממגרות (mammegurot) describes storehouses, or places were goods were temporarily stored on their way to the market.
Perhaps a third identical verb גור (gur) means to dread, but perhaps it describes dread that is built up over time and from many little threats and suspicions. Nouns מגור (magor) and מגורה (megora) mean fear or terror, but note that the former is identical to the word meaning dwelling place, mentioned above. The verb יגר (yagor) appears to be a by-form of this third verb גור (gur), and also means to dread. The adverb יגור (yagor) means fearing.
🔼Jagur meaning
The name Jaguar means Fearing or Quarreling or Lodging, and it's impossible to determine either what it was supposed to mean when this name was first designed, or what it may have reminded a Hebrew audience of when this text was written.
For a meaning of the name Jagur, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Lodging Place and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names proposes Lodging. BDB Theological Dictionary doesn't interpret our name but does list it under the verb גור (gur), meaning to sojourn.