יַעְכָּן
𐤉𐤏𐤊𐤍
Yaekan
H3275 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name: Yaʻkan. Refers to a male member of the Israelite tribal genealogy, attributed particularly to a clan within the tribe of Simeon. The primary lexical meaning is as a proper noun indicating a specific individual rather than an abstract quality or concept.
Semantic Range
a male Israelite personal name, clan name, possibly connoting 'troublesome' as a play on words but used strictly as a proper noun in the Hebrew Bible
Root / Etymology
From the root עכן (ʿ-k-n), which carries the sense of 'to disturb, trouble, bring turmoil.' The precise link between the root meaning and the name's function as a personal name is uncertain; it is common in biblical onomastics for names to draw on roots with a range of connotations, sometimes neutral or positive despite negative root meanings.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The name יַעְכָּן (Yaʻkan) appears in genealogical lists (such as 1 Chronicles 1:42; Genesis 46:23; Numbers 26:26), designating a clan head or ancestor among the Simeonites in the later formation of tribal groupings. The context is always genealogical, and the text does not associate Yaʻkan with any narrative events that clarify whether the meaning 'troublesome' was intended by the authors or later editors. "Jachan" is a rendering found in some translation traditions but reflects an Anglicized adaptation of the Hebrew name. The association with the root עכן and the meaning 'troublesome' is linguistically plausible but not directly attested in narrative use. There are no significant known shifts in meaning across Israelite history; the term consistently functions as a personal name in genealogical records. The later English translations that use 'Jachan' or 'Jakan' do so for phonetic approximation, without connoting the root's original nuance.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as עָכָן; troublesome; Jakan, an Israelite; Jachan.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
עכן (ʿ-k-n) — to trouble, to disturb, to bring turmoil
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5912 | עָכָן | Achan |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3275-01 |
וְ/יַעְכָּ֛ן | veyaekan | HC/Np |
and Jacan | and Yaʿkan | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3275-01 |
1 Chronicles 5:13 | וְ/יַעְכָּ֛ן | veyaekan | HC/Np |
and Jacan | and Yaʿkan |