Bar is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew word ben meaning son of.

Both bar and ben are prefixed to names, thus Peter is called Bar-jonah in Matthew 16:17 and possibly Nathanael is called Bartholomew because he is the son of Tolmai . The titles can also be figurative, for example in Acts 4:36-37 a man named Joseph is called Barnabas meaning son of consolation.

See also

• Aramaic language