Meaning of Maryam daughter of Imran

(1) Maryam

The name Maryam, was given to Maryam by her mother: [Wa 'Innī Sammaytuhā Maryama (= I have named her Mary) 3.36]

The question is: why the mother named her daughter (Maryam)?

The answer is in the Quran:

(Remember) when the wife of ´Imran said: My Lord! I have vowed unto Thee that which is in my belly as a consecrated (offering). Accept it from me. (3.35)

In Arabic : 'Innī Nadhartu Laka (=I have vowed unto Thee ) Mā Fī Baţnī (=which is in my belly ) Muĥarrarāan (= a meaning like : I have freed him for your service) Fataqabbal Minnī (=Accept it from me). Then Allah said: [ 3.37 And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance].

This means that, the mother gave (offered) her child to God. So, Maryam is an offering (Qurban in Arabic) to God. The mother is asking God to accept her offering (which is Maryam), and God accepted.

This means that the name Maryam must mean offering. But how? What is the linguistic relationship between the child as an offering to God and between her name (Maryam)?

You as a slave of God, when you are offering (giving) to God something, it is not best or excellent that you say (I gave god something), but the best and perfect way to say that is: I raised or elevated or lifted to God something. When you are giving a friend a gift you move your hands horizontally, but when you give God a gift you move your hands vertically (lifting the gift to God). People are also talking to kings in this manner. If someone gives a king a gift he is saying: I am raising my gift to your highness. (note: If God is giving us something, He is lowering it to us).

This is what mother of Mary is doing, she is lifting her child to God (the meaning is: she is giving or offering to God). Maryam literally means (raised to God/lifted to God), i.e. offered or given to Him.

The mother of Mary is naming her child according to her Hebrew tongue. So, let’s see some examples of how the Hebrew bible is saying when offering something to God:

I chose this translation: Young's Literal Translation

Leviticus 22:15 [and they do not pollute the holy things of the sons of Israel -- that which they lift up to Jehovah (ירימו ליהוה)]. The Hebrew verb used for (lift up) is (yā·rî·mū) or in Hebrew letters (ירימו). From this verb (YRYMW) came the name (MARYAM/MRYM). She (Mary) is presented to God through the Hebrew expression (lifted up to God/raised up to God). So, Maryam literally means (the lifted/the raised/the elevated) to God. Of course, the meaning of her name is (a present, a gift, an offering, ...) to God. MRYM literally means (lifted up to God) because this how people of Israel express themselves when they offer something to God. They do not say (we give to God), but instead they say (we elevate or lift or raise to God).

Let’s assume that the Hebrew verb (YRYM= to raise) is an English verb (for the sake of simple explanation). So lets say that: the mother (YRYM-ed) her child to God. Therefor the mother called her child by the name (YRYM-ed), or as she really called her: (MRYM).

When we give a human we normally use the verb (give), because that human is in our level (if he is not a king). But when we give God, it’s not respectful to say to God (we give You), because the level of God is the highest. So, we need to say: We are raising to You God (our offering or gift).

More Hebrew Bible examples

Numbers 18:19 [all the heave-offerings of the holy things which the sons of Israel lift up (YRIMW/ ירימו) to Jehovah] = (ירימו בני ישראל ליהוה).

Numbers 18:24 [but the tithe of the sons of Israel which they lift up (YRIMW/ ירימו) to Jehovah, a heave-offering] = כי את מעשר בני ישראל אשר ירימו ליהוה תרומה

Numbers 31:52  [and all the gold of the heave-offering which they have lifted up (HRYMW/ הרימו) to Jehovah]= ויהי כל זהב התרומה אשר הרימו ליהוה

Numbers 15:19 [ye heave up (TRYMW/ תרימו) a heave-offering to Jehovah;] = תרימו תרומה ליהוה

Exodus 35:24 [every one lifting up (RYM=רים) a heave-offering of silver and brass have brought in the heave-offering of Jehovah]= כל מרים תרומת כסף ונחשת הביאו את תרומת יהוה 

 

 

(2) Imran (ʕmran)

Why the father of Maryam is called Imran? Because his people saw him always inside the mosque (temple of Jerusalem) praying and servicing God. So, they named him by a name describing his deed and act. His name Imran means (the one who is usually or always inside the house of God, worshipping and serving).

In Semitic languages (like Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, …) the root (עמר) or (ʕmr) has a strong meaning related to (be inside a place, dwell, inhabit), (service), worship, …

Examples

Arabic

9.18 [He only shall tend Allah´s sanctuaries who believeth in Allah] = 'Innamā Ya`muru Masājida Allāhi Man 'Āmana Billāhi.

Quranic present verb (yʕmr) from root (ʕmr), is used here to mean (to be inside the house of God, worshipping God).

Also the Islamic word (ʕumrah) which means to visit the house of Allah , stay for a time and worship.

إِنَّهُ لَعَامِرٌ لِرَبِّهِ (=innhu la ʕamir li rbbihi) Verily he is a server, or worshipper, of his Lord. (TA.)

  (ʕamara rabbah عَمَرَ رَبَّهُ…,] He served, or worshipped, his Lord; (IAạr, Ḳ;) he prayed and fasted

 You say  تَرَكْتُ فُلَانًا يَعْمُرُ رَبَّهُ I left such a one worshipping his Lord, praying and fasting. (TA.)

/ LaneLexicon/Volume5

 

Hebrew

Deuteronomy 21:14 [ And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not deal with her as a slave, because thou hast humbled her]. The Hebrew sentence is [לֹא-תִתְעַמֵּר בָּהּ] = [ la ttʕmr bh]. The root ʕmr here means (keep, hold, enslave, imprison, tie, …). And that’s why people of Israel called the father of Mary by the name ʕmran (keeping himself inside the house of God, imprisoning himself, enslaving himself to God to service Him and to worship, tying himself in His house, …).

Deuteronomy 24:7 [ If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and he deal with him as a slave, and sell him; then that thief shall die; so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.]. The Hebrew sentence is [ וְהִתְעַמֶּר-בּוֹ ] = [ wa htʕmr bw].

So, the name ʕmran means (he is enslaving or keeping or holding himself for the service of God in His house).

 

עָמַר : .. (2) that of to subdue (as in Samaritan), to make a servant.. (3) to serve, colere

 

Aramaic

ˁwmr, ˁwmrˀ   (ˁmar, ˁumrā)   n.m.  habitation,   Palm. ˁmr : ... (b) monastic life  Syr. (b.1)  monastic community  Syr./ ˁwmry   (ˁumrāy)   n.f.  monk (cal.huc.edu/)

So it seems that the wife of Imran wanted to have a son in order that he will continue the way of his father Imran (ʕmran) of servicing God in his temple, and she vowed to free that child to God’s worshipping. But she had a daughter not a son, so the mother is like apologizing to God that she didn’t give birth to a boy. God accepted the given child (the one who is lifted up to him or the trwmh (lifted up gift, in Hebrew) or MRYM). Mrym then became a servant to God much more than her father ʕmran (she was 100% dedicated to the worshipping of God), she was put in the temple from day 1 of her birth and worshipped God fully until she died. And from this pure (trwmh=lifted up gift= MRYM) came the Messiah of God.

Note: one of the reasons of lifting the messiah up to God [I will raise you to Me (3:55)] is like his mother MRYM whom was lifted up to God earlier as a trwmah (lifted up gift). Other reasons have to do with purifying the messiah (saving his pure body) from the impure enemies of God who wanted to kill the messiah.

Hamed Al Awlaqi