 This theory as to Bethany's etymology, which was eventually also adopted by Gustaf Dalman in 1905, is not without challengers.For example, E. Nestle's "Philologica Sacra" (1896) suggests that Bethany is derived from the personal name "Anaiah", while others have suggested it is a shortened version of Ananiah, a village of Bethel mentioned in the Book of Nehemiah ().Since Greek can neither reproduce an /h/ sound nor the harsh /ħ/ sound (Hebrew Ḥet) in the middle of a word, a derivation from the personal name Chananya ("Yah has been gracious") is also possible.