Wednesday, February 22, 2023

According to the folk etymology given by Noah’s נח (noaḥ) father Lamech in Genesis 5:29, Noah נח (nōaḥ) gets his name because he will bring “relief” נחם (nḥm). The text states, “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed this one shall bring us relief (ינחמנו) from our work and from the toil of our hands.” However, scholars see another possible etymological root in the verb נוח (nwḥ), which means “to rest, settle down, repose.”
Noah נח (noaḥ) is famous for being the hero of the Genesis deluge (Gen. 6-9) and the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Gen. 5:32); however, a less remembered detail is that he was the first to plant a vineyard (Gen. 9:20).