Bible Encyclopedias
Zimran

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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 ( Genesis 25:2; 1 Chronicles 1:32 ). 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 Jeremiah 25:25 . It would then be the name of a clan, with the mountain sheep or goat as its totem. See TOTEMISM .