עַנְתֹתִיָּה
Anthothijah, an Israelite
Definition
עַנְתֹתִיָּה (Anthothijah) is a proper name belonging to an Israelite man, mentioned only once in the Bible. The name means 'answers of Yahweh' or 'Yahweh has answered.' It is a compound name, combining a form of the word for 'answer' with the divine name of God (Yahweh). As a personal name, it signifies a person whose life or birth was seen as a divine response, perhaps to prayer or a vow. The single biblical reference is in 1 Chronicles 8:24, where he is listed among the descendants of Benjamin.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively as a proper name for a single individual. It appears only in 1 Chronicles 8:24 within a genealogical list tracing the lineage of the tribe of Benjamin. There are no other occurrences or contextual uses in the Old Testament. The usage is purely for identification within a family record.
Etymology
The name is a compound derived from the Hebrew root עָנָה (ʿānâ, H6030), meaning 'to answer' or 'respond,' and the shortened form of the divine name Yahweh (יָהּ, yāh, H3050). It is closely related to the place name עֲנָתוֹת (ʿAnāthôth, H6068), meaning 'answers' or 'afflictions,' which was a priestly city. The name essentially means 'Yahweh has answered' or 'answers of Yah.'
Semantic Range
While the name itself is not central to major doctrines, it reflects a profound personal theology common in ancient Israel: the belief that God actively hears and responds to His people. Names like Anthothijah served as lifelong testimonies to God's faithfulness in answering prayer (e.g., 1 Samuel 1:27-28). It enriches our reading by reminding us that even minor figures in genealogies carried names that declared Yahweh's personal involvement in their family stories.
In ancient Israelite culture, personal names were often meaningful statements of faith, circumstance, or parental hopes. A name meaning 'answers of Yahweh' likely commemorated a specific event—such as the birth of a child after answered prayer for offspring or deliverance. This differs from modern naming conventions, which are often chosen for sound or family tradition rather than explicit theological meaning.
עֲנָתוֹת (ʿAnāthôth, H6068) — A place name (e.g., Jeremiah's hometown) derived from the same root, meaning 'answers' or possibly 'afflictions.'
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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