Dictionary:אַב/0

אַב

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אַב

Part of Speech	Noun
Occurrences
Possible Meanings	Biological father Grandfather or ancestor
Related Words	_

Possible Meanings

1. Biological father

• Biblical verses –
• Additional data –

2. Grandfather or ancestor¹

• Bereshit 28:13, 31:42, 32:10 – In all of these verses, Avraham is referred to as Yaakov's אב.
• Shemot 2:18 – "וַתָּבֹאנָה אֶל רְעוּאֵל אֲבִיהֶן וַיֹּאמֶר מַדּוּעַ מִהַרְתֶּן בֹּא הַיּוֹם" – Zipporah and her sisters go to Reuel their אב. See Yitro's Names for the various positions as to whether Reuel is Zipporah's grandfather or father.
• Daniel 5:18 – "‏(אנתה) [אַנְתְּ] מַלְכָּא אֱלָהָא (עליא) [עִלָּאָה] מַלְכוּתָא וּרְבוּתָא וִיקָרָא וְהַדְרָה יְהַב לִנְבֻכַדְנֶצַּר אֲבוּךְ‎" – Belshazzar refers to Nevuchadnezzar as his father even though he is really his grandfather; Belshazzar's real father is Evil Merodach.
• Tanakh does not have a dedicated word for grandfather.
• Similarly, "בֵּן" and "בַּת" sometimes mean grandson and granddaughter.²

3.

• Biblical verses –
• Additional data –

Semantic Evolution

Intra-Biblical

Rabbinic Hebrew

Modern Hebrew

¹ See Ibn Ezra (Shemot Long Commentary 2:16-21) and Ramban (Shemot 2:16).

² See also נכד and נין. While Modern Hebrew defines the former as a grandson and the latter as a great-grandson, their Biblical meaning is unclear.