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bar-jō´na (ΒαÏ-ιωνᾶς, Bar-ioÌ„naÌs): Simon Peter's patronymic (). Bar is Aramaic for “son†(compare Bar-timaeus, Bartholomew, etc.), and corresponds to Hebrew beÌ„nÌŒ. Thus we are to understand that Peter's father's name was Jonah. But in ; -17, according to the best reading, his name is given as John (so the Revised Version (British and American), instead of the King James Version Jona, Jonas). There are two hypotheses to account for this difference: (1) IoÌ„nas (Jonah) in may be simply a contraction of IoÌ„aneÌ„s (John); (2) Peter's father may have been known by two names, Jonah and John.