Hur Meaning in the Bible

Hur (Hebrew חוּר) is a short name of uncertain root. The most defensible readings are 'white' or 'noble,' from a root tied to fine white linen, though some connect it to the Egyptian god Horus, which would fit a family that had lived generations in Egypt. Name books that confidently print one meaning are overstating the evidence.

His moment comes at Rephidim. While Joshua fights Amalek, Moses holds up the rod of God, and when his hands grow heavy Aaron and Hur put a stone under him and 'stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side' (Exodus 17:12). Aaron is remembered; Hur is the other man, and the picture of supported leadership is the reason the name is still preached about.

Hur is left with Aaron to judge Israel while Moses climbs Sinai (Exodus 24:14) — which means he was present, or at least nearby, when the golden calf was made, though Scripture never names him in that failure. He is also the grandfather of Bezaleel, the craftsman filled with the Spirit of God to build the tabernacle (Exodus 31:2).

A different Hur is one of the five kings of Midian killed in Numbers 31:8, so the name was not unique to Israel. As a modern given name it is almost unused in English, but it survives inside surnames and place names and is instantly recognisable to anyone who knows Exodus 17.