&sq=&lang=&file=File:Isaak_zegent_Jakob_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-110.jpeg) Isaac Blessing Jacob, 1638 Govert Flinck painting. | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒeɪkəb/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Derived from Late Latin Jacobus, from Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iakobos), from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿakov) |
| Meaning | "He may/will/shall follow/heed/seize-by-the-heel/watch/guard/protect", "Supplanter/Assailant", "May God protect" or "May he protect"[1] |
| Region of origin | Israel |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Jakob, Jakeb, Jaycob |
| Short form(s) | Jack, Jake, Jay, Jakey, Coby, Jem |
| Related names | James, Jakob, Jakov, Jakub, Ya'koub, Yakub, Yakup, Ya'qoub, Kafka, Cobie, Tiago, Santiago, Jacobo, Jaime, Jamie, Jim, Jacques |
Jacob is a common masculine given name of Hebrew origin. The English form is derived from the Latin Iacobus, from the Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iakobos), ultimately from the Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿaqōḇ), the name of Jacob, biblical patriarch of the Israelites, and a major figure in the Abrahamic religions. The name comes either from the Hebrew root עקב ʿqb meaning "to follow, to be behind" but also "to supplant, circumvent, assail, overreach", or from the word for "heel", עֲקֵב ʿaqeb. The prefix “ya-” and the internal vowel “-o-” typically indicate a masculine third-person singular imperfective form in Hebrew,[2][3] suggesting meanings like “he will”, “he may”, or “he shall”. It can also be taken to mean "may God protect" or "may he protect" as Hebrew grammar does not specify whether the name bearer ("he") is the subject (the one who acts) or the object (the one who is acted upon), making the interpretation open-ended."[4][5]
In the narrative of Genesis, it refers to the circumstances of Jacob's birth when he held on to the heel of his older twin brother Esau (Genesis 25:26). The name is etymologized (in a direct speech by the character Esau) in Genesis 27:36, adding the significance of Jacob having "supplanted" his elder brother by buying his birthright.[6]
In a Christian context, Jacob – James in English form – is the name for several people in the New Testament: (1) the apostle James, son of Zebedee, (2) another apostle, James, son of Alphaeus, and (3) James the brother of Jesus (James the Just), who led the original Nazarene Community in Jerusalem. There are several Jacobs in the genealogy of Jesus.
- ^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Jacob". Retrieved 13 February 2017.
- ^ https://www.pealim.com/dict/1544-laakov/
- ^ https://www.calvary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/THE-STRUCTURE-OF-THE-HEBREW-LANGUAGE_Chapter-Ten.pdf
- ^ Jonathan Z. Smith, Map is Not Territory: Studies in the History of Religions, University of Chicago Press (1978), p. 33.
- ^ "Meaning, origin, and history of the name Jacob". Behind the Name.
- ^ "And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me (יַּעְקְבֵנִי) these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing" (KJV)