בְּעֶלְיָדָע
Beeljada, an Israelite
Definition
בְּעֶלְיָדָע (Bᵉʻelyâdâʻ) is a proper name meaning 'Baal has known' or 'the Lord knows.' It is the name of a son of King David, born in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 14:7). In the parallel account in 2 Samuel 5:16, the same individual is called אֱלִיעָד (Eliada), meaning 'God knows,' a variant that likely reflects a later scribal adjustment to avoid the theophoric element 'Baal,' which became associated with Canaanite idolatry. Thus, the name originally acknowledged Yahweh under the title 'Baal' (meaning 'lord' or 'master'), but theological sensitivities led to its alteration in Samuel.
Biblical Usage
This name occurs only once in the Old Testament, in 1 Chronicles 14:7, in a list of David's sons born in Jerusalem. The parallel passage in 2 Samuel 5:16 uses the name Eliada instead, demonstrating a textual variation. Its usage is strictly as a personal name within a genealogical record, with no narrative context beyond identification.
Etymology
The name is a compound of בַּעַל (baʿal, H1168), meaning 'lord, master, or Baal,' and יָדַע (yādaʿ, H3045), meaning 'to know.' It follows a common Hebrew naming pattern where a deity (here Baal as a title for Yahweh) is the subject of a verb, yielding 'Baal has known.' This reflects a time when 'Baal' could be used legitimately for Israel's God before it became exclusively linked to pagan worship.
Semantic Range
This name provides a significant window into Israel's religious development. It shows that early Israelites could use the title 'Baal' for Yahweh without idolatrous intent (cf. Hosea 2:16). The alteration to Eliada in 2 Samuel illustrates the later prophetic rejection of 'Baal' terminology to safeguard monotheistic worship, highlighting the Bible's dynamic engagement with language and culture in its revelation of God.
In early Israelite culture, 'Baal' was a common Semitic term for 'lord' and could be applied to human masters, property owners, or deities. Naming a child בְּעֶלְיָדָע reflected a pious acknowledgment of God's knowledge and sovereignty. However, as conflict with Canaanite Baal worship intensified, especially by the time of the monarchy and prophets, such names became theologically problematic, leading to alterations like the one seen in 2 Samuel 5:16.
אֱלִיעָד (Eliada, H450) — A variant name for the same person, meaning 'God has known,' which replaces the element 'Baal' with 'El' for God.
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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