Who or What Is Argov? A Philological Survey of a Difficult Lexeme

This paper presents a critical survey on the multifaceted interpretations and etymologies of the lexeme argov (אַרְגֹּב, also spelled argob) found in the Hebrew Bible. In four places, that noun is used in connection with a specific area in the Trans-Jordan region (Deut. 3:4, 3:13–14, I Kgs. 4:13), and in one place it appears in an enigmatic passage concerning Pekah's coup (II Kgs. 15:25). The central focus of this survey revolves around the philological question of whether argov should be understood as a common noun or a proper noun, specifically considering its possible uses as a place-name and/or personal name. A significant part of this study also focuses on whether argov means the same thing in both contexts that it appears. Additionally, it examines the term ha-arieh (האריה) in II Kgs. 15:25 (which appears alongside argov), analyzing whether it too should be regarded as a common or proper noun. The paper concludes by exploring the implications that the presence of the definite article may have on these research questions, and how the rabbis understood the definite article differently than mainstream Hebrew grammar dictates.