The meaning of Khiram's name

This is an idea I thought of some time last year, when I was doing some research into the Phoenician calendar. The Phoenician calendar - back when the Phoenicians were still known as Tzidonim, Tzori'im, Gevalim, etc (i.e., named after their land and/or city-states) - was a twelve-month calendar with each month having a name. To the best of my knowledge, a full list of names has not been found yet, but the list was restored by Prof. Robert Stieglitz in his essay "the Phoenician-Punic Calendar". Here's his list with my notes on the meaning of each name:

  1. זבח שמש - Zevach Shemesh - sacrifice to the sun

  2. מרפא - Merapeh - after Baal Merapeh, a Canaanite god

  3. חיר - Khir - per the name Khiram (Hiram), it may be deduced that Khir is the name of a god (as it seems the name means "Khir [is] great")

  4. בול - Bul - clump or rain

  5. פעלת - Po'elet or Pe'ulot - [fem.] acting or acts

  6. פגרם - Pegarim - probably referring to cultic stelae (and there might have also been a Baal Pegarim)

  7. אתנים - Etanim - Hurrian for fathers/patriarchs

  8. זו - Ziv - splendor

  9. מתן - Matan - gift

  10. מפע - Mofiah - appearing

  11. מפע לפני - Mofiah Lifnei - appearing before

  12. כרר - Karar - Karar, a Phoenician god

What is interesting about these names is that three of them appear in Tanach, in the Book of Kings: Ziv, Etanim and Bul. This has led many to conclude that the People of Yisrael borrowed the Phoenician caldendar. It is noticeable that these names appear only during the time that the First Temple was being built by Phoenician craftsmen and architects. In fact, a number of Phoenician-originated words appear in that same context, such as hechal (היכל) and rafsodah (רפסדה). I myself am doubtful of this conclusion, exactly because only three names appear and it is obvious that by the time the Book of Kings was fully redacted, no one knew what these months were, hence their numbers being stated as well.

But I would like to direct your attention at another month, the third month - חיר - Khir. It struck me to see this name on the list because I realized it is likely that it's connected to the Phoenician royal name Khiram - חירם (Hiram). Khiram was the name of several Phoenician kings, the most famous of them lived in the time of David and Shlomo and cut a deal with Shlomo to send him timbers for the Temple.

I had always assumed that Khiram came from chai + ram - חי-רם, which means "alive and great". However, as you can see from my research notes on the month names, there are a number of cultic names in there: Karar, Merapeh (Phoenician gods), Pegarim (either a god or reference to cultic stelae) and Zevach Shemesh (referring to sun sacrifice/worship). I therefore suggest that Khir is also the name of a Phoenician god, and therefore Khiram's name means "Khir is great", with one of the letters Resh (ר) swallowed up. I.e., instead of חיררם (Khirram), the name became חירם (Khiram).

(a Lebanese Cedar. Image taken from here)

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