מואב

Hebrew

Etymology

Following the etymology hinted at in Genesis 19:37, a portmanteau of מוֹ (mo), which is a secondary form of מַיִם (máyim, “water”) that can be found in the ketiv of Job 9:30, and אָב (av, “father”), thus literally, “water [seed] of a father”. Alternatively, it is also possible to interpret this noun as originating from the verb יָאַב (ya'áv, “to yearn, desire”) in the pattern מַקְטָל. Those etymological attempts, however, should not be seen as fully credible or conclusive, given that proper nouns of locations and regions tend to very old and be reborrowings from multiple languages, and therefore not understandable to speakers of a later language, who try to explain them by folk etymologies or see native compounds in them which don't actually occur.

Pronunciation

Proper noun

מוֹאָב • (mo'áv)

  1. (biblical) Moab
    • Tanach, Genesis 19:37:
      וַתֵּלֶד הַבְּכִירָה בֵּן וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ מוֹאָב הוּא אֲבִי־מוֹאָב עַד־הַיּוֹם׃
      And the older one bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of Moab until this day.

Derived terms

  • מוֹאָבִי (mo'aví)

References

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