Nahum

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A seventh-century BCE Hebrew prophet whose prophecy against Nineveh forms a book of the Old Testament ; a masculine personal name of Hebrew origin
2. The minor prophet of ancient Israel credited with the Old Testament book of prophecy about Nineveh ; a male first name taken from Hebrew tradition
3. An ancient Hebrew prophet, author of a short biblical book denouncing Assyria's capital ; a boy's or man's first name of Hebrew origin

Etymology: The name "Nahum" comes from Hebrew נַחוּם (nakhúm), meaning "consolation" or "comfort." It is a derivative of the verb נָחַם (nacham), "to comfort, console," the same root that gives the Hebrew noun its sense of relief from grief. The name was borne by one of the minor prophets of the Hebrew Bible, whose short book is a prophecy against Nineveh, so the name reached English through biblical usage. Because the name is a Hebrew personal name rather than a common word, its history lies mainly in religious tradition: English speakers encountered it through the Bible and adopted it as a given name. Its meaning has stayed fixed since its Hebrew origin, which makes it one of the more transparent names in the Old Testament.