ABINOAM ("Father is Delight" or "Father of Delight"; Ab may be the name of the Deity):
Father of Barak; is mentioned in Judges, iv. 6, 12, v. 1, 12. In all the Greek versions the name is transliterated Abineem, except in the Alexandrine codex (Judges, iv. 12), where it is given as Iabin. This is a name similar in construction to Ahinoam and Elnaam, and may be rendered "My father is delight." The suffix i with "Ab" is not the sign of the ancient construct or genitive, but is the possessive ending of the first person. Cheyne ("Ency. Bibl." p. 19) understands Abi in Abinoam as referring to the Divine Father, and renders the name "The (Divine) Father is pleasantness"; but this is doubtful.
Bibliography:
- Gray, Hebrew Proper Names, pp. 80 et seq., where an excellent discussion of compounds with ab and abi may be found.
