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The meaning of Bethany
by noisynora
12/1/2020, 8:07 PM
So I know Bethany means "house of figs," but I don't know what that means. What is a house of figs?NOISYNORA♠ Poof! It's magic!-Amy Sedaris ♣https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/214161
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- elbowin   +2
12/2/2020, 10:08 AM
It becomes more transparent when you remember that it is originally a place name. Imagine a farm or a hamlet surrounded by fig trees. It will be a perfect name for that place. *Beth* is a frequent name element of place names in Ancient Palestine, like *-heim* in German or *-ham* in English.
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- noisynora   +1
12/2/2020, 2:20 PM
So the house part...? Is that like another term for a place, in this sense?
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- thegriffon
12/18/2020, 5:22 AM
it's like -ham in English town names, or -heim in German town names.
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