The Name Ahuvah

[RC Klein]

Has anybody studied the origins of the (Ashkenazi?) feminine given name Ahuvah/אהובה? I seemed to remember reading in Beider's dictionary that that name is actually a recent Hebrew calque of the Yiddish Leeba, but when I looked at his entry on that name earlier today and didn't see this point. 

Also, using https://www.onomasticon.net/ I found that there is a bullae found in Jerusalem that bears the name נאהבת, which essentially means the same thing as אהובה, except that one is the in the פעול form and the other is in the נפעל form. See https://www.academia.edu/19515093/Hebrew_and_Non_Indicative_Bullae_from_The_Summit_of_the_City_of_David page 336. I wonder would, if anything, would be the difference between אהובה and נאהבת. Truth is, I'm not convinced that נאהבת in that bullae has to be proper name, it could have been a description or simply common noun. Any thoughts on that?

A Gezunte Vinter to all,

Reuven Chaim Klein

Beitar Illit, Israel

Author of: God versus Gods & Lashon HaKodesh

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