🔼The name Vashni: Summary
- And The Second
- From (1) the particle ו (waw), "and", and (2) the adjective שני (sheni), second or another, from the verb שנה (shana), to repeat.
🔼The name Vashni in the Bible
There is some controversy about whether the name Vashni is a Biblical name or not. The problem is that in 1 Chronicles 6:28, the Masoretic text seems to state that Samuel had three sons: an unnamed first born, then either Vashni or an unnamed second son, and then finally Abijah. In 1 Samuel 8:2, however, the first born is called Joel and the second Abijah.
It's not unusual that someone has two names in the Bible, but in this particular case the name Vashni looks much more like a Persian name than a Hebrew one, and it's too early in the narrative for that. And then, there are only four words in Hebrew that start with a ו (waw), and at best one or two Hebrew names that do so. If Vashni is supposed to be a name, it's a highly unusual one.
1 Chronicles 6:28 reads ובני (=and sons of) שמואל (=Samuel:) הבכר (=the first-born) ושני (="and second" / Vashni) ואביה (=and Abijah).
🔼Etymology and meaning of the name Vashni
Solution one is to consider Vashni a name anyway and let the origin of that name be a mystery. This interpretation is favored by all the older translations of the Bible, including the Vulgate (which reads Vasseni), the original KJV, Darby, Green, Webster (even the revision of 1995) and Young.
Solution two assumes that the word vashni is a compound of ו (waw), the particle of conjunction meaning "and", and the very common adjective שני (sheni), meaning second or another:
The root שנן (shanan) speaks of repetition or the creation of distance between elements, often preceded by a breaking apart, and followed by a removal or even storage.
Verb שנן (shanan) means to sharpen, and sharpening is achieved by removing material by repeatedly stroking a blade against a whetstone. This verb is also used in the sense of sharpening a mind by repeating the same exercise. Noun שן (shen) means tooth. Noun שנינה (shenina) denotes a "sharp" word; a taunt.
Verb שנה (shana) means to change or create a difference — of one's mind, or one's clothes, and this mostly through repetition. Noun שנה (shana) means year.
Perhaps formally separate but obviously related, or else the very same verb שנה (shana) means to repeat or reoccur. Noun שנים (shenayim) or שתים (shetayim) is the common word for two or a pair. Adjective שני (sheni) or שנית (shenit) means second and noun משנה (misneh) means second, double, or copy. Noun שנאן (shin'an) is used as a superlative in figures of speech (i.e. expressions like double-down, super-double-good).
Noun שני (shani) denotes the color purple. This noun might formally derive from a third wholly separate verb of unclear meaning but obviously reminds of the many times a garment has to be dipped in dye to have its color changed.
Verb ישן (yashen) means to sleep, which seems to indicate that the ancients related one's daily activities to a forward stroke of one's mental blade against the whetstone of life, whereas sleep counted as the trailing stroke backward and removal of the burr. Adjective ישן (yashen) means sleeping or sleepy, and is obviously similar to its sibling noun ישן (yashen), which means old. Nouns שנה (shena), שנא (shena') and שנת (shenat) mean sleep.
Verb שנא (sane') is commonly translated with to hate but actually lacks the angry emotion that our English word conveys. It rather means to reject, create distance from and send away. Adjective שניא (sani') means hated (i.e. the hated wife), and noun שנאה (sin'a) means a hating or hatred, which comes down to a separating or a sending away.
The obvious consequence of following this line of reasoning is that we're now missing two names: "And the sons of Samuel, the first born (...) and the second (...) and Abijah". A scribe having made a booboo while copying the holy Text was right off unthinkable to the Masoretes, and hence they created the rather curious name Vashni. More modern scholars tend to believe otherwise, and most modern translations — including NAS, NIV, ASV and the revised KJV (KJV21) — insert the omitted name Joel (sometimes in Italics to indicate insertion) in their texts, and delete the waw in front of Abijah.
And this also means that modern commentators don't treat the name Vashni. But if they would, their meaning would probably be And The Second.
Mister Alfred Jones (the author of the luminous Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names), however, is neither modern nor easily deterred, considers no scribal error and boldly takes the name Vashni from a Arabic verb meaning to give liberally. In addition, Jones takes the final yod to be a remnant of יה (Yah) = יהו (Yahu) = יו (Yu), which is short for יהוה, YHWH, or Yahweh. Hence Jones reads Gift Of God.