International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Zimran

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Zimran


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zim´ran (זמרן, zimrān, from זמר, zemer, “wild sheep” or “wild goat,” the ending -ān being gentilic; Skinner, Gen, 350): Son of Abraham and Keturah (; ). The various manuscripts of the Septuagint give the name in different forms, e.g. in Gen A, Ζεβράν, Zebrán; Codex Sinaiticus Ζεμράν, Zemrán; Codex Alexandrinus(1) Ζεμβράμ, Zembrám; Dsil Ζομβράν, Zombrán; and Lucian Ζεμράν, Zemrán; in Chronicles, Codex Vaticanus has Ζεμβράν, Zembrán, Codex Alexandrinus Ζεμράν, Zemrán, Lucian Ζεμράν, Zemrán (compare Brooke and McLean's edition of the Septuagint for Genesis).

Hence, some have connected the name with Zabram of Ptol. vi. 7, 5, West of Mecca; others with the Zamareni of Pliny (Ant. vi. 158) in the interior of Arabia; but according to Skinner and E. Meyer (see Gunkel, Gen3, 261) these would be too far south. Curtis (Chronicles, 72) says the name is probably to be identified with the “Zimri” of . It would then be the name of a clan, with the mountain sheep or goat as its totem. See TOTEMISM.