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Zurishaddai meaning

Zurishaddai in Biblical Hebrew
צורישדי
צורי־שדי
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Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Zurishaddai.html

🔼The name Zurishaddai: Summary

Meaning
My Rock Is Shaddai, Rock Of Shaddai
Etymology
From (1) the noun צור (sur), rock, and (2) the name Shaddai, probably from the root שדד (shadad).
Related names
• Via צור (sur): Abel-mizraim, Beth-zur, Elizur, Helkath-hazzurim, Izri, Jezer, Mizraim, Pedahzur, Tyre, Zarethan, Zer, Zererath, Zereth, Zereth-shahar, Zeri, Zeror, Zeruiah, Zur, Zuriel
• Via שדי (shadai): Ammishaddai, Shaddai
• Via שדד (shadad): Chaldeans, Chesed, Shedeur, Siddim, Sodom

🔼The name Zurishaddai in the Bible

There's only one man named Zurishaddai in the Bible. He was the father of Shelumiel, who was the leader of the tribe of Simeon at the time of the first census of Israel (Numbers 1:6).

Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai positioned his tribe on the south side of the tabernacle (Numbers 2:12), he offered on the fifth day of the tabernacle's initiation ceremony (Numbers 7:36), and captained his tribe when Israel was on the move (Numbers 10:19).

Our name is spelled with a maqqep in Numbers 2:12 (צורי־שדי), without one in Numbers 10:19 (צורי שדי), and as one word in Numbers 1:6, 7:36 and 7:41 (צורישדי).

🔼Etymology of the name Zurishaddai

The name Zurishaddai consists of two (or three) elements. The first part of our name is probably the noun צור (sur), meaning rock, from the root צור (swr V):

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
צור
  • Verb צור (sur I) probably means to lean or incline. Noun צואר (sawwa'r) means neck and צורון (sawwaron) means necklace.
  • Verb צור (sur II) means to confine, secure or besiege. Noun מצור (masor) means siege and מצורה (mesura) means stronghold. This verb relates to verb צרר (sarar I).
  • Verb צור (sur III) means to be an adversary. It relates to צרר (sarar II).
  • Verb צור (sur IV) means to form or fashion. Noun צורה (sura) means form and noun ציר (sir) means image. This verb relates to יצר (yasar).
  • Verb צור (sur V) probably relates to verb צרר (sarar III) and probably means to be sharp. The important noun צור (sur) means rock, and is equivalent to the Greek noun πετρα (petra), from which comes the name Peter.
צרר
  • Verb צרר (sarar I) means to bind and relates to צור (sur II). Adjective צר (sar) means narrow. Nouns צר (sar) and צרה (sara) mean distress and yield denominative verb צרה (sara), meaning to suffer distress. Noun צרור (seror) means bundle or parcel. Noun מצר (mesar) means distress.
  • Verb צרר (sarar II) means to show hostility and relates to verb צור (sur III). Noun צר (sar) means adversary. Noun צרה (sara) means vexer or rival-wife. Denominative verb צרר (sarar) means to create a rival wife.
  • Verb צרר (sarar III) probably means to be sharp and relates to צור (sur V). Nouns צר (sar), צר (sor) and צרור (seror) mean flint or pebble.
יצר

Verb יצר (yasar) means to fashion or form and relates to צור (sur IV). Noun יצר (yeser) denotes that what is formed, and noun יצרים (yesurim) means forms or members.

צרה

Verb צרה (srh) probably describes the bleeding of an odoriferous tree. Noun צרי (sari) denotes a kind of costly balsam.

— See the full Dictionary article —

The second part of the name Zurishaddai is the divine name Shaddai. This name is usually translated with Almighty, but that's very difficult to defend. See our article on the name Shaddai for more details.

The letter י (yod), which ties the two other elements of our name together, forms a possessive form from the word צור (sur), and creates a meaning of either my rock, or rock of.

🔼Zurishaddai meaning

For a meaning of the name Zurishaddai, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads The Almighty Is A Rock. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names proposes Rock Of The Almighty. BDB Theological Dictionary has My Rock Is Shaddai.