EBER ē’ bər (עֵ֔בֶר, one who crosses over). Name of an ancestor of Abraham and of four minor individuals in the OT.

Eber is the fourth in the genealogy from Noah to Abraham (Gen 10:21-25; 11:14-17; 1 Chron 1:18-25). Practically nothing is known of him. Interest attaches to the name which has the same root as the name ’iḇrî. This latter word may be the same as a cuneiform word Ḥabiru which refers to many people of various areas and situations. It may actually not be related to ’eḇer.

The meaning of the word ’ēḇer is uncertain. The root means “to cross over.” The form may well be intransitive and refer more to a “nomad,” a “traveler.” This meaning would fit the name “Hebrew,” but as mentioned above, may be only coincidental.

The name ’ēḇer also is applied to a Gadite (1 Chron 5:13), two Benjaminites (1 Chron 8:12, 22), and a priest (Neh 12:20). The reference in Numbers 24:24 is taken by Albright to be from the verb ’āḇar “cross over” (“The Oracles of Balaam,” JBL, LXIII [1944], 226). Smick suggests “quarter,” from the meaning “region beyond” or “side” (WBC in loc.).

Bibliography M. Greenberg, The Hab/piru (American Oriental Series, vol. 39 [1955], 90-93).