First names in Hebrew

First name Yaakov: meaning, origin and its Hebrew spelling

יעקב

Gematria value: 182

Its spelling

In Hebrew, Yaakov is written יעקב

Meaning and origin

What does Yaakov mean?

Meaning: "he who holds the heel"
Origin: Hebrew

Yaakov is the Hebrew name of Jacob, the third of the patriarchs. At his birth, he comes out of his mother's womb holding the heel of his twin brother Esau, and he is named for it, from the word akev, "heel" (Genesis 25:26). Esau later plays on the same word: "he has supplanted me twice" (Genesis 27:36).

Gematria

Yaakov = 182

In Hebrew, every letter is also a number. Added together, the letters of the name give its value: this is gematria. יעקב has 4 letters:

• יthe letter Yod10
• עthe letter Ayin70
• קthe letter Kuf100
• בthe letter Bet2
• Total182

The verse of the name

From the letter Yod to the letter Bet

An ancient custom gives each person a verse: the one that begins with the first letter of their name and ends with the last. For Yaakov, from י to ב:

יַעֲרֹף כַּמָּטָר לִקְחִי תִּזַּל כַּטַּל אִמְרָתִי כִּשְׂעִירִם עֲלֵי־דֶשֶׁא וְכִרְבִיבִים עֲלֵי־עֵשֶׂב׃

“May my teaching fall like rain, may my word come down like dew, like showers on young grass, like droplets on green plants.”

Deuteronomy 32:2

The book of your first name

Yaakov, in nine pages

• Yaakov, in Hebrew
• Letter by letter
• The number of your name
• The verse of your name
• The portrait of Yaakov
• Yaakov, day to day
• What tradition says about names
• The sources

Frequently asked

Yaakov in three answers

How do you write Yaakov in Hebrew?
In Hebrew, Yaakov is written יעקב.

What is the gematria value of Yaakov?
Written יעקב, Yaakov is worth 182: the letter Yod (10) + the letter Ayin (70) + the letter Kuf (100) + the letter Bet (2).

What does Yaakov mean?
He who holds the heel (origin: Hebrew). Yaakov is the Hebrew name of Jacob, the third of the patriarchs. At his birth, he comes out of his mother's womb holding the heel of his twin brother Esau, and he is named for it, from the word akev, "heel" (Genesis 25:26). Esau later plays on the same word: "he has supplanted me twice" (Genesis 27:36).