I. Name

The Iranian divinity Khvarenah (Avestan Xvarenah), Glory, is once found in the Bible as an element of a personal name. In Num. 34.25 mention is made of Parnāk (LXX Pharnach), which resembles Old Iranian *farnāka, comparable to other hypocoristic theophoric names attested in the Persepolis Fortification Texts, such as *Mazdāka, *Mithraka and *Bagaka. This resemblance can only be a coincidence in the context of Moses, but the adversary of Judith in the book named after her is called by the truly Iranian name Holophernēs, prob…