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H326 · Hebrew · Old Testament
אַחֲרוֹן
Acharon (western form)
Adjective
Last / Latter / Hinder / Western

Definition

A variant spelling of acharon (H314/H314), the adjective meaning last, latter, hinder, or western. In Hebrew geography, west was 'behind' (since one faced east toward the sunrise), making this word serve both temporal and spatial meanings.

Usage & Theological Significance

The dual use of acharon for both 'last' and 'western' reflects the Hebrew practice of orienting by the sunrise — east is 'before,' west is 'behind.' This word undergirds the great eschatological vision of the 'latter days' (acharit) when God will gather His scattered people from east, west, north, and south. The 'western sea' (Mediterranean) and the 'latter days' share the same root — both point to what lies beyond, what is yet to come, what God has prepared. In Christ, the 'last days' have arrived (Hebrews 1:2), and He who is the Last holds the west and the future in His hands.

Key Bible Verses

Deuteronomy 11:24 Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea — the western sea.
Joel 2:20 I will drive the northern horde far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land; its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.
Zechariah 14:8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.
Job 18:20 People of the west are appalled at his fate; people of the east are seized with horror.
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Related Words

External Resources

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