Biblical names

×367 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 1:26 count includes other meanings

Formed by God from the dust of the earth and placed in the Garden of Eden with dominion over its creatures, he named the animals and, with Chavah, ate from the tree God had forbidden them, bringing their expulsion from the garden (Genesis 2-3). Genesis 5 records his 930 years and the line of his descendants through Shet. His name is also the Hebrew word for “human,” so the count includes both uses.

×2 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 3:20

The first woman, built by God from Adam's side and named by him Chavah, “the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20). She ate the fruit of the forbidden tree and gave it to Adam as well, and Genesis 4 records her bearing Kayin, Hevel, and Shet.

×16 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 4:1 count includes other meanings

The firstborn son of Adam and Chavah, a tiller of the soil whose offering God did not regard while his brother Hevel's was accepted (Genesis 4). In his anger he killed Hevel, was sentenced to wander the earth, and settled east of Eden, building a city he named after his son Chanoch. This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the occurrence count reflects more than his story alone.

×55 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 4:2 count includes other meanings

Second son of Adam and Chavah, a keeper of flocks whose offering of the choicest firstlings God regarded, unlike his brother Kayin's (Genesis 4). Kayin killed him out of jealousy, the first death recorded in the Torah. His name is also the ordinary Hebrew word for “vapor” or “breath” — as in Kohelet's “hevel havelim” — so the count includes both uses.

×17 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 4:25 count includes other meanings

Third son of Adam and Chavah, born after Hevel's death and said to be in Adam's own image and likeness (Genesis 4:25, 5:3). Genesis 5 traces the line from Shet down through Noach. This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count reflects more than one meaning.

×13 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 4:17

A descendant of Shet, seventh from Adam, who “walked with God” for 365 years. Genesis 5:24 says only that “he was not, for God took him,” without describing a death. He was the father of Metushelach.

×6 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 5:21

Son of Chanoch and grandfather of Noach, recorded in Genesis 5 as living 969 years — the longest lifespan named in the Torah. He is named only in the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 1 Chronicles 1, with no episode of his own recorded.

×10 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 4:18

Father of Noach in the line of Shet (Genesis 5). At Noach's birth he expressed hope that his son would bring relief from the toil of the cursed ground (Genesis 5:28-29).

×41 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 5:29

A righteous man in his generation who walked with God. At His command he built an ark that preserved his family and pairs of every animal through the flood that destroyed the rest of life on earth (Genesis 6-9). Afterward God set the rainbow as a sign of His covenant never again to destroy all flesh by a flood, and Noach became the father of Shem, Cham, and Yefet.

×748 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 2:8 count includes other meanings

Firstborn of Noach's three sons, blessed by his father after covering Noach's nakedness together with Yefet (Genesis 9:23, 26). Genesis 10-11 traces his descendants down to Avraham. His name is also the ordinary Hebrew word for “name” (and, differently vocalized, “there”), so the count spans all these uses.

×20 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 5:32 count includes other meanings

Youngest son of Noach, whose seeing his father's nakedness after the flood brought a curse on his own son Canaan (Genesis 9:20-27). Genesis 10 lists his descendants, including Mitzrayim (Egypt) and Canaan. This spelling is also the ordinary Hebrew word for “hot,” so the count includes both uses.

×12 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 5:32 count includes other meanings

A son of Noach who, with Shem, covered their father's nakedness and received his blessing (Genesis 9). Genesis 10 lists his descendants among the nations. His name is also the Hebrew verb for “to spread” or “be fair,” which the text itself plays on in Noach's own blessing (Genesis 9:27), so the count includes both uses.

×2 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 10:8

A grandson of Cham through Kush, described in Genesis 10:8-9 as “a mighty hunter before the LORD,” whose kingdom began with Bavel, Erech, and other cities in the land of Shinar. 1 Chronicles 1:10 repeats the same description of him as a mighty man.

×50 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 11:26

Avraham's name before God changed it, used through his call to leave Charan for Canaan, his journeys and sojourn in Egypt, and his rescue of Lot from four invading kings (Genesis 12-16). God changed it to Avraham in Genesis 17:5 when establishing the covenant of circumcision.

×139 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 17:5

The first patriarch, called by God to leave his land for Canaan with the promise that he would become a great nation (Genesis 12). His story in Genesis 12-25 includes the covenant of circumcision, the birth of Yitzchak in his old age, and the binding of Yitzchak on a mountain in the land of Moriah (Genesis 22). He died at 175 and was buried by his sons in the Cave of Machpelah, which he had purchased near Chevron (Genesis 23, 25:7-10).

×150 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 11:29 count includes other meanings

Sarah's name before God changed it in Genesis 17:15, used through her journey from Charan, the two episodes in which she was taken into a foreign ruler's household (Genesis 12, 20), and her giving her maid Hagar to Avram. This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count is not of her alone.

×30 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 17:15 count includes other meanings

The first matriarch, Avraham's wife, who remained childless until she bore Yitzchak in her old age as God had promised, having laughed at the news beforehand (Genesis 18, 21). She died at 127 in Chevron and was buried in the Cave of Machpelah, which Avraham purchased for her burial (Genesis 23). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count reflects more than one meaning.

×39 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 16:1 count includes other meanings

Sarah's Egyptian maidservant, given to Avram to bear him a child. She conceived Yishmael, and after Sarah weaned Yitzchak, Hagar and Yishmael were sent away, where an angel found her in the wilderness and preserved them (Genesis 16, 21). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count reflects more than one meaning.

×37 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 16:11

Son of Avraham and Hagar, born when Avraham was eighty-six (Genesis 16). God promised he would father twelve princes and become a great nation, though the covenant continued through Yitzchak (Genesis 17, 21, 25).

×26 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 11:27

Nephew of Avraham who journeyed with him from Charan and settled near Sodom. Rescued by Avraham from four invading kings (Genesis 14), he was later led out of Sodom by angels before its destruction, and his wife became a pillar of salt for looking back (Genesis 19).

×82 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 17:19 count includes other meanings

The second patriarch, son of Avraham and Sarah born in their old age as God had promised — his name reflecting the Hebrew word for “laughter,” both Avraham's and Sarah's own reactions to the news (Genesis 17:17, 18:12) and Sarah's words at his birth, “God has made laughter for me” (Genesis 21:6). He was bound by his father on the altar at Mount Moriah, married Rivkah, fathered Esav and Yaakov, and passed the covenant blessing to Yaakov (Genesis 22, 24-27). The count of this spelling includes both the patriarch and ordinary uses of that verb.

×22 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 22:23

The second matriarch, chosen at the well of Charan for Yitzchak through his servant (Genesis 24). She bore twin sons, Esav and Yaakov, and arranged for Yaakov to receive Yitzchak's blessing in Esav's place (Genesis 25, 27).

×251 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 12:5 count includes other meanings

Elder twin son of Yitzchak and Rivkah, a skilled hunter who sold his birthright to his brother Yaakov for a bowl of stew and was later deprived of their father's blessing as well (Genesis 25, 27). Genesis 36 records him as the ancestor of Edom. This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count reflects more than one meaning.

×270 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 25:26 count includes other meanings

Third patriarch, younger twin of Yitzchak and Rivkah, who obtained the birthright and blessing from his brother Esav and, after wrestling through the night with a man at the Yabok, was renamed Yisrael (Genesis 25-32). He fathered twelve sons who became the tribes of Israel and, reunited with his son Yosef, settled his family in Egypt (Genesis 46-47). His name plays on the Hebrew word for “heel,” which the text itself notes at his birth (Genesis 25:26), so the count includes both uses.

×2,266 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 32:29 count includes other meanings

The name given to Yaakov after he wrestled with a man at the Yabok until daybreak, explained in the text as meaning one who has “striven with God and with men and prevailed” (Genesis 32:25-29). It became the name of his descendants, the twelve tribes. This same spelling is used collectively for that later nation, so the count spans both the man and the people.

×28 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 29:16

Yaakov's first wife, given to him by her father Lavan in place of Rachel through deception on the wedding night (Genesis 29). She bore Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Yissachar, Zevulun, and Dinah, and was buried in the Cave of Machpelah (Genesis 49:31).

×32 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 29:6

Yaakov's beloved wife, whom he served Lavan fourteen years to marry. Long barren, she bore Yosef and died giving birth to Binyamin, and was buried on the road to Efrat/Beit Lechem (Genesis 29-35).

×11 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 29:29 count includes other meanings

Rachel's maidservant, given to Yaakov to bear children in Rachel's place. She was the mother of Dan and Naftali (Genesis 30). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count is not of her alone.

×7 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 29:24

Leah's maidservant, given to Yaakov to bear children in Leah's place. She was the mother of Gad and Asher (Genesis 30).

×75 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 24:29 count includes other meanings

Father of Leah and Rachel and brother of Rivkah, who hosted Yaakov in Charan, gave him his daughters in marriage in exchange for fourteen years of labor, and pursued him when he later fled with his family and flocks (Genesis 24, 29-31). His name is also the ordinary Hebrew word for “white,” so the count includes both uses.

×69 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 29:32

Firstborn son of Yaakov and Leah, whose name the text connects to Leah's words that “the LORD has seen my affliction” (Genesis 29:32). He lost his birthright after lying with his father's concubine Bilhah (Genesis 35, 49), and his descendants became one of the twelve tribes.

×36 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 29:33

Second son of Yaakov and Leah, who with his brother Levi avenged the violation of their sister Dinah by killing the men of Shechem (Genesis 34). His descendants became one of the twelve tribes.

×52 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 29:34 count includes other meanings

Third son of Yaakov and Leah, whose descendants became the tribe set apart for the priesthood and the service of the Mishkan (Exodus, Numbers). With Shimon he avenged the violation of Dinah at Shechem (Genesis 34). His name plays on the Hebrew root for “joining,” used in Leah's own words at his birth (Genesis 29:34), so the count includes both uses.

×684 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 29:35 count includes other meanings

Fourth son of Yaakov and Leah, whose name Leah connected to praising God (Genesis 29:35). He proposed selling Yosef rather than killing him (Genesis 37), and his descendants became the tribe from which the line of kings, including David, descended (Genesis 49:10). This spelling is also an ordinary word built on the Hebrew root for praise or thanksgiving, so the count reflects both uses.

×59 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 14:14 count includes other meanings

Fifth son of Yaakov, born to Bilhah. Rachel named him for God having “judged” her case (Genesis 30:6), and his descendants became one of the twelve tribes. This spelling is also the Hebrew verb “he judged,” which the text plays on at his naming, so the count includes both uses.

×39 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 30:8

Sixth son of Yaakov, born to Bilhah. Rachel named him for having “wrestled” with her sister and prevailed (Genesis 30:8), and his descendants became one of the twelve tribes.

×73 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 30:11 count includes other meanings

Seventh son of Yaakov, born to Zilpah. Leah named him at his birth exclaiming “Fortune!” (Genesis 30:11), and his descendants became one of the twelve tribes, settling east of the Jordan (Numbers 32). His name is also the ordinary Hebrew word for “fortune,” as Leah's own words show, so the count includes both uses.

×4,837 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 1:7 count includes other meanings

Eighth son of Yaakov, born to Zilpah, whom Leah named for her happiness (Genesis 30:13). His descendants became one of the twelve tribes. This spelling is also the Hebrew relative pronoun “which/who,” one of the most common words in the Tanakh, so the great majority of its occurrences are that word, not the tribe.

×32 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 30:18

Ninth son of Yaakov, born to Leah, whose name she connected to God having given her a “reward” for giving her maidservant to Yaakov (Genesis 30:18). His descendants became one of the twelve tribes.

×25 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 46:14

Tenth son of Yaakov, born to Leah, whose name she connected to her hope that Yaakov would now “dwell” with her (Genesis 30:20). His descendants became one of the twelve tribes.

×203 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 30:24 count includes other meanings

Yaakov's eleventh son and firstborn of Rachel, sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers out of jealousy over their father's favor and his dreams (Genesis 37). He rose to become viceroy of Egypt under Pharaoh, preserved his family through famine, and his descendants became the tribes of Efrayim and Menashe (Genesis 39-50). His name plays on the Hebrew verb “to add,” from Rachel's own words at his birth (Genesis 30:24), so the count includes both uses.

×12 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 35:18

Yaakov's twelfth and youngest son, born to Rachel as she died. She named him with her last breath while Yaakov called him Binyamin, “son of the right hand” (Genesis 35:16-18). His descendants became one of the twelve tribes.

×8 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 30:21 count includes other meanings

Daughter of Yaakov and Leah, violated by Shechem son of Chamor, whose city her brothers Shimon and Levi then destroyed in retribution (Genesis 34). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count reflects more than her story alone.

×25 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 14:7 count includes other meanings

Daughter-in-law of Yehudah, widowed in turn by two of his sons. When he withheld his third son from her, she disguised herself and conceived twins, Peretz and Zerach, by Yehudah himself, and he acknowledged that she was more righteous than he (Genesis 38). Her name is also the Hebrew word for a date palm, so the occurrence count reflects far more than her own story alone.

×149 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 41:52

Younger son of Yosef, born in Egypt to Asenath and named, in Yosef's own words, for God having made him fruitful in the land of his affliction (Genesis 41:52). Yaakov blessed him above his older brother Menashe with his right hand (Genesis 48), and his descendants became one of the twelve tribes.

×113 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 41:51

Elder son of Yosef, born in Egypt to Asenath and named for God having made him “forget” his hardship and his father's house (Genesis 41:51). Yaakov adopted him alongside Reuven and Shimon but blessed his younger brother Efrayim above him (Genesis 48), and his descendants became one of the twelve tribes, settled on both sides of the Jordan (Numbers 32).

×729 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 2:10 count includes other meanings

Born to Amram and Yocheved of the tribe of Levi and drawn from the Nile by Pharaoh's daughter, who named him (Exodus 2). Called by God at the burning bush, he led Israel out of Egyptian bondage through the ten plagues and the splitting of the sea, received the Torah at Sinai, and led the people through forty years in the wilderness until his death within sight of the land (Exodus-Deuteronomy). His name plays on the Hebrew verb “to draw out,” which Pharaoh's daughter herself used at his naming (Exodus 2:10), so the count includes both uses.

×263 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 4:14

Moshe's elder brother, of the tribe of Levi, who spoke for him before Pharaoh and was consecrated as the first High Priest (Exodus 4, 28-29). He fashioned the golden calf while Moshe was on Sinai (Exodus 32) and died on Mount Hor (Numbers 20).

×16 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 15:20 count includes other meanings

Sister of Moshe and Aharon, called a prophetess, who watched over the infant Moshe at the Nile and led the women in song after the sea split (Exodus 2, 15). She was struck with tzara'at after speaking against Moshe and died in the wilderness at Kadesh (Numbers 12, 20). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count is not of her alone.

×3 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 2:21

Daughter of Yitro, priest of Midian, who became Moshe's wife and bore him two sons. On the way back to Egypt she circumcised their son to avert a divine threat against Moshe (Exodus 2, 4, 18).

×10 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 3:1 count includes other meanings

Priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moshe — also called Yeter in Exodus 4:18 — who took Moshe in after he fled Egypt and gave him Tzipporah in marriage. He later visited Moshe in the wilderness, rejoiced at what God had done for Israel, and advised him to appoint judges to share the burden of leadership (Exodus 18). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count is not of him alone.

×237 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 12:15 count includes other meanings

The title of Egypt's king throughout the Exodus narrative. The Pharaoh of the oppression enslaved Israel and ordered Hebrew infant boys drowned, and Pharaoh refused to let Israel go through the ten plagues until his army was destroyed at the sea (Exodus 1-14). Because it is a royal title rather than a personal name, this spelling covers every Pharaoh named across the Tanakh, so the count spans many different kings.

×13 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 6:18

Father of Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam, of the tribe of Levi, married to his aunt Yocheved (Exodus 6:20; Numbers 26:59). Numbers 3:19 and 1 Chronicles 6 list him among the Levite clan heads descended from Kehat.

×2 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 6:20

Mother of Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam, of the tribe of Levi, who hid the infant Moshe three months before setting him adrift on the Nile in a basket (Exodus 2, 6:20; Numbers 26:59). Numbers 26:59 names her as a daughter of Levi, born to the tribe in Egypt.

×56 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 6:23

Son of Aharon who succeeded him as High Priest after Aharon's death on Mount Hor, and who, with Moshe and later Yehoshua, oversaw the division of the land among the tribes (Numbers 20, 26-34). He is later listed as the ancestor of Pinchas and the priestly line that continued after him (Numbers 25:7; 1 Chronicles 6).

×13 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 6:23

Youngest son of Aharon, who with his brother Elazar was consecrated a priest. He oversaw the accounting of materials for the Mishkan (Exodus 38:21) after his elder brothers Nadav and Avihu died.

×17 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 6:23 count includes other meanings

Eldest son of Aharon, a priest who, together with his brother Avihu, offered “strange fire” before the LORD that had not been commanded and was consumed by fire from before the LORD (Leviticus 10). His name relates to the Hebrew word for a voluntary offering (nedavah), so the count includes ordinary uses of that word.

×2 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 6:23

Son of Aharon, a priest who died with his brother Nadav for offering unauthorized “strange fire” before the LORD (Leviticus 10). He had earlier ascended Mount Sinai among the seventy elders who saw a vision of God (Exodus 24).

×8 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 31:2

Of the tribe of Yehudah, filled by God with wisdom and skill and appointed chief craftsman of the Mishkan and its vessels, including the Ark (Exodus 31, 35-38). He was assisted in the work by Oholiav, of the tribe of Dan (Exodus 31:6).

×3 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 31:6

Of the tribe of Dan, appointed alongside Betzalel to craft the Mishkan and its furnishings, skilled particularly in weaving and embroidery (Exodus 31, 35-38). Betzalel, of the tribe of Yehudah, led the work with him (Exodus 31:2).

×8 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 6:23

Prince of the tribe of Yehudah in the wilderness, son of Aminadav, who brought his tribe's offering first at the dedication of the altar. His sister Elisheva married Aharon (Exodus 6:23; Numbers 1:7, 2:3, 7:12).

×53 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 36:5 count includes other meanings

A Levite, cousin of Moshe and Aharon, who led a rebellion of 250 men against their leadership, challenging Moshe's authority and the exclusivity of Aharon's priesthood. The earth opened and swallowed him and his household, and the 250 men were consumed by fire (Numbers 16). This spelling is also the Hebrew word for “ice” or “frost,” so the count includes both uses.

×5 in Tanakh First appearance: Numbers 16:24

A Reubenite who joined Korach's rebellion against Moshe and Aharon and was swallowed by the earth along with his household (Numbers 16, 26:9). Numbers 16:1 names him and Aviram as sons of Eliav, of the tribe of Reuven.

×1 in Tanakh First appearance: Psalms 106:17

A Reubenite who joined Korach's rebellion against Moshe and Aharon and was swallowed by the earth along with his household (Numbers 16, 26:9). Numbers 16:1 names him and Datan as sons of Eliav, of the tribe of Reuven.

×77 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 41:50 count includes other meanings

A Reubenite named among the leaders of Korach's rebellion at its outset (Numbers 16:1), though the text does not mention him again once the confrontation with Moshe unfolds. This spelling is shared with the Hebrew word for “vigor” and with the Egyptian city of On (Genesis 41:45), so the count spans several different uses.

×56 in Tanakh First appearance: Numbers 22:5

A gentile prophet from Aram hired by Balak, king of Moav, to curse Israel. God turned his intended curses into blessings, and his donkey once saw an angel blocking their path that Bilam himself could not see (Numbers 22-24). He later counseled Moav and Midian to lure Israel into sin at Baal-Peor and was killed when Israel fought Midian (Numbers 31:8, 16).

×40 in Tanakh First appearance: Numbers 22:2

King of Moav who, fearing Israel, hired Bilam to curse them as they camped on his border, and grew angry when Bilam blessed them instead (Numbers 22-24). He is called the son of Tzippor, and though the text names him a Moabite king, he also consulted with the elders of Midian (Numbers 22:2, 4).

×18 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 6:25

Grandson of Aharon through Elazar, whose zealous act during the plague at Baal-Peor turned back God's wrath and earned his line an eternal covenant of priesthood (Numbers 25). He later led the war against Midian (Numbers 31) and confronted the eastern tribes over an altar they built by the Jordan (Joshua 22).

×38 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 11:7 count includes other meanings

One of the twelve spies sent by Moshe into Canaan, and with Yehoshua the only one who urged the people to trust God and go up to take the land (Numbers 13-14). For this he was promised he would enter the land, and he later received Chevron as his inheritance (Joshua 14). This spelling is also the ordinary Hebrew word for “dog,” so the count includes both uses.

×194 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 17:9

Moshe's attendant and, with Kalev, one of the twelve spies who urged trust in God (Numbers 13-14). Formerly named Hoshea until Moshe renamed him (Numbers 13:16), he succeeded Moshe as leader, led Israel across the Jordan and in the conquest of Canaan, and divided the land among the tribes (Joshua 1-24).

×49 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 26:16 count includes other meanings

A woman of Jericho who hid the two spies Yehoshua sent, secured a promise that she and her family would be spared when the city fell, and marked her house with a scarlet cord as the agreed sign (Joshua 2, 6). Her name is also the Hebrew word for “wide” or “broad,” so the count includes both uses.

×6 in Tanakh First appearance: Joshua 7:1

Of the tribe of Yehudah, who took forbidden plunder from Jericho against the ban and hid it in his tent, bringing Israel's defeat at Ai until his sin was exposed and he and his household were stoned (Joshua 7). Joshua 7:1 traces his lineage back through Carmi and Zavdi to Zerach, of the tribe of Yehudah.

×6 in Tanakh First appearance: Joshua 15:17

Kalev's younger brother, who took Kiryat-Sefer and received Kalev's daughter Achsah in marriage as the prize (Joshua 15; Judges 1). He later became Israel's first judge, delivering them from Cushan-Rishatayim of Aram (Judges 3).

×5 in Tanakh First appearance: Judges 3:15

A left-handed judge of the tribe of Binyamin who killed Eglon, king of Moav, with a concealed dagger and then led Israel to defeat the Moabites, securing eighty years of peace (Judges 3). Judges 3:15 identifies him as a Benjamite, son of Gera.

×2 in Tanakh First appearance: Judges 3:31

A judge said to have delivered Israel by striking down six hundred Philistines with an ox-goad (Judges 3:31; recalled again in 5:6). Judges 3:31 identifies him only as the son of Anat, without further genealogy.

×6 in Tanakh First appearance: Judges 4:5

A prophetess who judged Israel and, with her military commander Barak, defeated the Canaanite army of Yavin and Sisra. She and Barak together sang the victory song of Judges 5.

×19 in Tanakh First appearance: Deuteronomy 32:41 count includes other meanings

Commander summoned by the prophetess Devorah, who led Israel's forces against Sisra's army at her word but asked her to accompany him. After the victory the two of them sang the song of Judges 5. His name is also the ordinary Hebrew word for “lightning,” so the count includes both uses.

×8 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 44:33 count includes other meanings

Wife of Chever the Kenite, who gave the fleeing Canaanite commander Sisra shelter and then killed him by driving a tent peg through his temple as he slept, fulfilling Devorah's word that a woman would receive the honor (Judges 4-5). Her name is also the Hebrew word for a mountain goat, so the count includes both uses.

×17 in Tanakh First appearance: Judges 4:2

Commander of the Canaanite king Yavin's army, defeated by Barak's forces at Devorah's word and killed by Yael as he fled (Judges 4-5). Judges 4:2 names him commander under Yavin, king of Canaan, who reigned in Chatzor.

×33 in Tanakh First appearance: Judges 6:13

A judge from the tribe of Menashe, called by an angel while threshing wheat in hiding from the Midianites. With a force reduced to three hundred men he routed the Midianite camp, and he was later offered and refused kingship over Israel (Judges 6-8).

×53 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 20:2

Son of Gidon by a concubine, who killed seventy of his brothers to make himself king over Shechem. He reigned three years before dying in the siege of Tevetz, struck by a millstone a woman dropped on him (Judges 9).

×41 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 21:33 count includes other meanings

A judge from Gilad, driven out by his brothers and later recalled to lead against the Ammonites. He made a rash vow before battle that cost him his own daughter, and he later fought the Efrayimites at the Jordan, where the word “shibboleth” exposed those who could not pronounce it (Judges 11-12). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word built on a root meaning “to open,” so the count reflects both uses.

×35 in Tanakh First appearance: Judges 13:24

A judge from the tribe of Dan set apart as a Nazirite from birth, whose great strength came from his uncut hair. Betrayed by Delilah into revealing its source, he was blinded and enslaved by the Philistines but pulled down their temple upon himself and them in his final act (Judges 13-16).

×6 in Tanakh First appearance: Judges 16:4

A woman from the valley of Sorek who, bribed by the Philistine lords, coaxed the secret of Shimshon's strength from him and had his hair cut while he slept, delivering him to his enemies (Judges 16). The text does not say whether she was Israelite or Philistine, only that Shimshon loved her (Judges 16:4).

×19 in Tanakh First appearance: Ruth 1:2

Mother-in-law of Rut, who left Beit Lechem for Moav with her husband and two sons during a famine. Widowed and bereft of both sons, she returned to Beit Lechem with Rut and arranged her marriage to Boaz (Book of Ruth).

×10 in Tanakh First appearance: Ruth 1:4

A Moabite widow who clave to her mother-in-law Naomi and returned with her to Beit Lechem, gleaning in the fields of Boaz, whom she married. She became the great-grandmother of David (Book of Ruth, 4:17).

×20 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Kings 7:21 count includes other meanings

A wealthy kinsman of Naomi's late husband in Beit Lechem, who showed kindness to Rut as she gleaned in his fields and, as redeeming kinsman, married her. Their son Oved was David's grandfather (Book of Ruth). This same name is also given to one of the two pillars at the entrance of Shlomo's Temple (1 Kings 7:21), so the count is not of the man alone.

×5 in Tanakh First appearance: Ruth 4:17

Son of Boaz and Rut, grandfather of David (Ruth 4:17, 21-22). Ruth 4:17 records the neighbor women naming him, saying a son had been born to Naomi.

×38 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Samuel 16:1

Father of David, of Beit Lechem, from whom Shmuel selected David to anoint as king after his elder brothers were passed over (1 Samuel 16-17). The prophets later speak of a shoot rising from “the stump of Yishai” (Isaiah 11:1).

×15 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 18:5 count includes other meanings

Long childless wife of Elkanah, who prayed at Shiloh for a son and vowed to dedicate him to God's service. She bore Shmuel and, after weaning him, brought him to serve at Shiloh under Eli (1 Samuel 1-2). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count is not of her alone.

×245 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 20:9 count includes other meanings

Priest and judge at Shiloh, under whom the boy Shmuel was raised and first heard God's call in the night. His own sons' corruption in the priesthood brought a prophecy of judgment on his house, and he died on hearing that the Ark had been captured and his sons killed (1 Samuel 1-4). This spelling is also the Hebrew preposition-and-suffix “upon/to me,” one of the most common combinations in the text, so the count is overwhelmingly that, not his name.

×123 in Tanakh First appearance: Numbers 34:20

Born to Chanah after her prayer at Shiloh and raised there under Eli, he became a prophet and the last judge of Israel. He anointed both Shaul and David as king (1 Samuel 1-16).

×394 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 36:37 count includes other meanings

Of the tribe of Binyamin, anointed by Shmuel as Israel's first king. He won early victories but was rejected by God for disobedience regarding Amalek, grew tormented and jealous of David, and died with his sons on Mount Gilboa in battle with the Philistines (1 Samuel 9-31). This spelling is also the Hebrew word for the netherworld, Sheol, so the count includes both uses.

×32 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Samuel 13:2

Shaul's eldest son, a skilled warrior devoted in friendship to David despite his father's hostility toward him. He warned David of Shaul's intent to kill him and died alongside his father at Gilboa (1 Samuel 13-31).

×15 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Samuel 14:49 count includes other meanings

Daughter of Shaul, given to David in marriage after he paid the bride-price of Philistine foreskins. She helped David escape her father's men, was later given to another man, and was reunited with David as king, though she despised him for dancing before the Ark and remained childless (1 Samuel 18-19, 25; 2 Samuel 3, 6). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count reflects more than her story alone.

×600 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Samuel 10:14 count includes other meanings

Youngest son of Yishai, anointed by Shmuel and celebrated for killing Golyat. He served Shaul, fled his jealousy for years, and became Israel's second king, uniting the tribes, taking Jerusalem, and being promised an everlasting dynasty, though his reign was marked by his sin with Bat Sheva and rebellion within his own family (1-2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1-2). His name is also the ordinary Hebrew word for “beloved,” so the count includes both uses.

×8 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Samuel 17:4 count includes other meanings

The Philistine champion from Gat, a giant in armor who challenged Israel to single combat for forty days until the young David felled him with a sling and stone and beheaded him with his own sword (1 Samuel 17). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count is not of him alone.

×4 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Samuel 25:23

Wife of the wealthy but churlish Naval of Carmel, who wisely averted David's vengeance against her household with gifts and diplomacy. After Naval's death she became David's wife (1 Samuel 25).

×124 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Samuel 26:6 count includes other meanings

David's nephew and commander of his army throughout his reign, responsible for taking Jerusalem and killing rival commanders. He arranged Avshalom's return but later killed him against David's order, and David on his deathbed instructed Shlomo to deal with him for his bloodshed, which Shlomo did (2 Samuel; 1 Kings 1-2). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count is not of him alone.

×50 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Samuel 14:51

Shaul's cousin and army commander, who set up Shaul's son as king over the northern tribes after Shaul's death. He later came to make peace with David but was killed by Yoav in revenge for a kinsman's death (2 Samuel 2-3).

×332 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 9:12 count includes other meanings

A prophet in David's court who told him the parable of the poor man's ewe lamb to confront him over Bat Sheva and Uriah, and who delivered God's promise of an everlasting dynasty to David. He later helped secure Shlomo's succession to the throne (2 Samuel 7, 12; 1 Kings 1). This spelling is also the ordinary Hebrew verb “he gave,” one of the most common words in the Tanakh, so the great majority of the count is that verb, not the prophet.

×74 in Tanakh First appearance: 2 Samuel 3:3

David's son, renowned for his beauty, who avenged his sister Tamar's violation by killing their half-brother Amnon. He later led a rebellion against his father David and was killed by Yoav after his hair caught in a tree's branches as he fled (2 Samuel 13-18).

×253 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 22:8 count includes other meanings

David's son by Bat Sheva, who succeeded him as Israel's third king. Renowned for his God-given wisdom, he built the Temple in Jerusalem, and his reign is described as one of peace and prosperity, though his many foreign wives turned his heart to other gods in his old age (1 Kings 1-11). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word apart from the king's name, so the count reflects more than one meaning.

×46 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Kings 11:43

Son of Shlomo who succeeded him as king. His harsh response to the people's request to ease their labor split the kingdom, as ten tribes broke away under Yerovam, leaving him king only over Yehudah (1 Kings 12).

×89 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Kings 11:28

An official under Shlomo who led the ten northern tribes to break away after Rechavam's harsh answer, becoming the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel. To keep the people from Jerusalem he set up golden calves at Dan and Beit-El, an act the text repeatedly cites as “the sin of Yerovam” (1 Kings 11-14).

×81 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Kings 16:28

King of Israel who married the Phoenician princess Izevel and promoted the worship of Baal, clashing repeatedly with the prophet Eliyahu, including at the contest on Mount Carmel. He was killed in battle against Aram at Ramot-Gilad, as Eliyahu had foretold (1 Kings 16-22).

×19 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Kings 16:31

Phoenician wife of King Achav of Israel, who promoted Baal worship and hunted down the prophets of the LORD, and had Navot the Yizreelite falsely accused and killed to seize his vineyard. She was thrown from a window and died at Yehu's order, as Eliyahu had prophesied (1 Kings 16, 18, 21; 2 Kings 9).

×63 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Kings 17:1 count includes other meanings

A prophet from Gilad who confronted King Achav and the prophets of Baal, calling down fire from heaven at Mount Carmel and ending a drought he had announced. Fed by ravens and later by an angel, he fled Izevel's wrath to Chorev, anointed Elisha as his successor, and was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind by a chariot of fire (1 Kings 17-19; 2 Kings 2). This exact spelling is also the name Elihu — one of Job's companions — so the count is not of Eliyahu alone.

×50 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Kings 19:16

Elijah's attendant and successor, anointed by him and receiving a double portion of his spirit when Eliyahu was taken up. His ministry, recorded through 2 Kings, includes multiplying oil and food, raising a dead child, healing Naaman's leprosy, and directing the anointing of Yehu as king.

×67 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Kings 4:3

King of Yehudah who allied with the northern kingdom against Aram, strengthened the kingdom's fortifications and judicial system, and won a notable victory over a coalition of Moav and Amon through prayer and song rather than battle (1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 17-20). He is also remembered for appointing judges throughout Yehudah and instructing them to judge without partiality (2 Chronicles 19:5-7).

×73 in Tanakh First appearance: 2 Kings 16:20

King of Yehudah who removed idolatrous high places, restored Temple worship, and survived the siege of Sennacherib of Assyria after praying in the Temple, when an angel struck the Assyrian camp. The prophet Yeshayahu ministered during his reign, and he was healed of a fatal illness with fifteen years added to his life (2 Kings 18-20; Isaiah 36-39).

×32 in Tanakh First appearance: 2 Kings 19:2

A prophet in Jerusalem during the reigns of Uziyahu through Chizkiyahu, called in a vision of God's throne (Isaiah 6). His book combines prophecies of judgment against Yehudah and the nations with prophecies of comfort and future redemption, and he ministered to Chizkiyahu during Sennacherib's siege (2 Kings 19-20; Isaiah 1-66).

×121 in Tanakh First appearance: 2 Kings 23:31

A priest's son from Anatot called as a prophet in the days of King Yoshiyahu, who warned of Jerusalem's coming destruction for decades against fierce opposition, was imprisoned and lowered into a pit for his message, and lived to see the Temple burned by the Babylonians. He composed a lament for King Yoshiyahu's death that came to be sung in Israel (2 Chronicles 35:25; Jeremiah 1-52).

×2 in Tanakh First appearance: Ezekiel 1:3

A priest exiled to Babylon with King Yehoyachin, who prophesied among the exiles by the river Kevar. His visions include the divine chariot, the valley of dry bones, and a detailed vision of a future Temple, and he warned Jerusalem of its coming fall before comforting the exiles with hope of restoration (Ezekiel 1-48).

×50 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Kings 13:2

King of Yehudah who came to the throne at eight. When the Torah scroll was found during Temple repairs in his eighteenth year he tore his clothes, renewed the covenant, and led a sweeping reform destroying idolatrous shrines throughout the land, before dying in battle against Pharaoh Necho at Megiddo (2 Kings 22-23).

×49 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Kings 22:24

The last king of Yehudah, placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. His rebellion brought the final siege of Jerusalem, and after the city fell he was captured while fleeing, his sons were killed before his eyes, and he was blinded and taken to Babylon (2 Kings 24-25; Jeremiah 39, 52).

×10 in Tanakh First appearance: Numbers 13:8 count includes other meanings

Yehoshua's name before Moshe changed it when he sent him as one of the twelve spies (Numbers 13:16). It is also the name of a prophet, in whose book the marriage of Hoshea to a wayward wife pictures Israel's unfaithfulness to God (Book of Hosea), and of the last king of the northern kingdom, in whose reign Assyria conquered Israel (2 Kings 17). This spelling is also a Hebrew verb meaning “save,” so the count includes ordinary uses of that word as well.

×11 in Tanakh First appearance: 1 Samuel 8:2

A prophet whose book describes a devastating locust plague as a call to repentance and looks to a future “day of the LORD” when God will pour out His spirit on all flesh (Book of Joel). The book gives no information about his life beyond his father's name, Petuel (Joel 1:1).

×7 in Tanakh First appearance: Amos 1:1

A shepherd from Tekoa in Yehudah who prophesied against the northern kingdom of Israel in the days of Yerovam II, denouncing social injustice and empty ritual and warning of coming exile (Book of Amos). He describes himself as a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs rather than a trained prophet (Amos 1:1, 7:14).

×6 in Tanakh First appearance: Obadiah 1:1

A prophet whose short book pronounces judgment on Edom for its violence against its brother nation Yaakov and looks to the restoration of Israel (Book of Obadiah). Nothing else is recorded of his life beyond the opening verse that names him as the book's author (Obadiah 1:1).

×27 in Tanakh First appearance: Leviticus 5:7 count includes other meanings

A prophet sent to warn Nineveh of its coming destruction, who fled instead by ship, was thrown overboard in a storm, and was swallowed by a great fish for three days and nights before being cast onto dry land. He then went to Nineveh, whose repentance he resented, and the book closes with God's rebuke of his anger (Book of Jonah). His name is also the Hebrew word for “dove,” so the count includes both uses.

×31 in Tanakh First appearance: Judges 17:5

A prophet from Moreshet in Yehudah, contemporary with Yeshayahu, who condemned injustice among Israel's leaders and foretold both Jerusalem's judgment and a ruler to come from Beit Lechem (Book of Micah, 5:1). The book's opening verse dates his prophecy to the reigns of Yotam, Achaz, and Chizkiyahu of Yehudah (Micah 1:1).

×2 in Tanakh First appearance: Nahum 1:1 count includes other meanings

A prophet whose book announces the coming destruction of Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, as God's judgment for its cruelty (Book of Nahum). His name relates to the Hebrew root for “comfort,” so the count includes ordinary uses of that word.

×1 in Tanakh First appearance: Habakkuk 1:1

A prophet who questions God about the triumph of the wicked and the coming Babylonian invasion, and receives the answer that “the righteous shall live by his faith” (Book of Habakkuk, 2:4). Nothing else is recorded of his life beyond the book that carries his name (Habakkuk 1:1, 3:1).

×9 in Tanakh First appearance: Jeremiah 21:1 count includes other meanings

A prophet in the days of King Yoshiyahu who warned of a coming “day of the LORD” against Yehudah and the nations, and closed his book with a promise of restoration and rejoicing (Book of Zephaniah). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count reflects more than one meaning.

×13 in Tanakh First appearance: Exodus 23:18 count includes other meanings

A prophet who urged the returned exiles to resume building the Second Temple, which had stalled, and promised that its glory would exceed the first (Book of Haggai). His name relates to the Hebrew word for a festival, so the count includes ordinary uses of that word.

×20 in Tanakh First appearance: 2 Kings 14:29

A prophet of the return from Babylonian exile, contemporary with Chaggai, whose visions encourage the rebuilding of the Temple under Zerubavel and Yehoshua the High Priest and look ahead to a future redemption (Book of Zechariah). He is identified as the son of Berechyah and grandson of Iddo (Zechariah 1:1).

×14 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 28:12 count includes other meanings

The last of the prophets in the Tanakh's order, who rebuked the priests and people of the restored community for blemished offerings and unfaithfulness, and closed the prophetic books with the promise of Eliyahu's return before “the great and terrible day of the LORD” (Book of Malachi, 3:23-24). This spelling is also the Hebrew words for “my messenger,” the very phrase used in Malachi 3:1, so the count includes both uses.

×48 in Tanakh First appearance: Daniel 1:6 count includes other meanings

A young Judean noble taken to Babylon's royal court, who with his companions kept faithful to the dietary laws and interpreted the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar and the writing seen by Belshazzar. He survived a night in a lions' den under Darius and received visions of future kingdoms (Book of Daniel). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count is not of him alone.

×17 in Tanakh First appearance: Ezra 7:1 count includes other meanings

A priest and scribe who led a group of exiles back to Jerusalem from Babylon under Persian authorization, taught the Torah to the people, and led reforms including the dissolution of intermarriages with neighboring peoples (Book of Ezra; Nehemiah 8). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count is not of him alone.

×8 in Tanakh First appearance: Ezra 2:2

Cupbearer to the Persian king Artachshasta, who obtained leave to return to Jerusalem and rebuilt its walls despite opposition, then served as governor and worked with Ezra to renew the covenant and reform the community (Book of Nehemiah). He identifies himself as the son of Hachalyah, serving in the Persian citadel of Shushan (Nehemiah 1:1, 11).

×21 in Tanakh First appearance: Haggai 1:1 count includes other meanings

A descendant of the royal house of David who led the first group of exiles back from Babylon and oversaw the rebuilding of the Temple's foundation, encouraged by the prophets Chaggai and Zecharyah (Ezra 1-6; Haggai 1-2; Zechariah 4). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word or place-name element, so the count is not of him alone.

×44 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 4:14 count includes other meanings

A Jewish orphan raised by her cousin Mordechai in Shushan, chosen queen of Persia by King Achashverosh. At great personal risk she revealed her identity and Haman's plot to destroy her people, securing their deliverance (Book of Esther). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count is not of her alone.

×43 in Tanakh First appearance: Esther 2:5

A Jew of Shushan, cousin and guardian of Ester, who refused to bow to Haman and uncovered a plot against the king's life. After Haman's plot against the Jews was exposed, Mordechai was raised to second place in the kingdom (Book of Esther).

×47 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 3:11 count includes other meanings

Chief minister to King Achashverosh of Persia, an Agagite who, enraged at Mordechai's refusal to bow to him, plotted the destruction of all the Jews in the empire. His plot was exposed by Ester and he was hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordechai (Book of Esther). This spelling is identical to “the manna” that fed Israel in the wilderness, so the count includes both, and most of its occurrences are the food, not the man.

×26 in Tanakh First appearance: Esther 1:1

The Persian king who ruled from India to Kush over 127 provinces (Esther 1:1). He deposed Queen Vashti and chose Ester as her successor, and when Haman's decree against the Jews could not be revoked under Persian law, he authorized a counter-decree letting the Jews defend themselves (Book of Esther).

×37 in Tanakh First appearance: Genesis 19:30 count includes other meanings

Queen of Persia under Achashverosh, deposed for refusing the king's summons to appear before his guests, an event that opened the way for Ester to become queen (Esther 1-2). This spelling is shared with an ordinary Hebrew word, so the count is not of her alone.

×50 in Tanakh First appearance: Job 1:1

A blameless and upright man of the land of Uz, whose faith was tested when he lost his children, wealth, and health in a single trial permitted by God. After a lengthy debate with three friends, and then a fourth, over the meaning of his suffering, God answered him from a whirlwind, and his fortunes were restored twofold (Book of Job).

×4 in Tanakh First appearance: Leviticus 24:11

Named in Leviticus 24 as the daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan. Her son, whose father was an Egyptian, blasphemed the Divine Name during a fight in the camp and was put to death by the community at God's command (Leviticus 24:10-23).

×10 in Tanakh First appearance: 2 Samuel 11:3

Wife of Uriah the Hittite, with whom David committed adultery while Uriah was away at war. After Uriah's death in battle, arranged by David to cover the affair, she became David's wife and bore Shlomo, whom she later helped secure as king (2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Kings 1).