Bible Dictionary
Aran
Aran was a son of Dishan and a descendant of Seir the Horite. His name is associated with the meaning “wild goat.”
Definition
Aran was a son of Dishan and a descendant of Seir the Horite. His name is associated with the wild goat.
Biblical Usage
Aran is listed in the genealogies of the Horites in Genesis 36:28 and 1 Chronicles 1:42.
Historical Background
The supplied material notes that animal names are common among the Horites and connected clans, though the precise interpretation of Aran’s name is described as uncertain.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Wild goat, a descendant of Seir the Horite (Gen. 36:28).
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(wild goat), a Horite, son of Dishan and brother of Uz. Genesis 36:28; 1Chr 1:42
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>a'-ran ('aran, "wild goat"): A son of Dishan, the Horite (Ge 36:28; 1Ch 1:42). It may possibly be connected with the Yerahmelite Oren ('-ren) (1Ch 2:25; compare Curtis, Chron. at the place; Dillmann, Ge at the place; ZDMG, L,168); Robertson Smith claims that this name is equivalent to the Samaritan ('-r-n), "wild goat" (Jour. Phil., IX, 90). J. Jacobs translates it by "ass" (Stud. Biblical Arch., 71). This is one of the many totem names in the Bible. More than one-third of the Horites, the descendants of Seir, bear animal names, and those clans of the Edomites connected with the Horites also have animal names. The very name "Self" means a "he-goat," and Dishan, "a gazelle" (Stud. Biblical Arch., 70-72). Gray, however, remarks that "the instance (Aran) is most uncertain" (HPN, 108).</p><p>Samuel Cohon</p>