חַגִּיָּה
Chaggijah, an Israelite
Definition
Chaggijah is a proper name meaning 'festival of Yahweh' or 'Yahweh is my festival.' It belongs to a Levite listed in the genealogy of the Kohathites in 1 Chronicles 6:30. As a personal name, it signifies a person whose identity is connected to the celebration and worship of God. The name reflects a family's piety and hope, associating a child with the joy and communal worship found in Israel's sacred festivals dedicated to the Lord.
Biblical Usage
This name is used only once in the Old Testament, in 1 Chronicles 6:30. It appears in a genealogical list tracing the lineage of the Levitical singers, specifically from the clan of Kohath. The context is purely archival, documenting the family lines within Israel's worship leadership. No narrative or dialogue provides further insight into the individual's life or actions.
Etymology
The name Chaggijah is a compound of two Hebrew elements: 'ḥag' (H2282), meaning 'festival' or 'pilgrimage feast,' and 'Yah' (H3050), a shortened form of the divine name Yahweh. It is constructed similarly to other Hebrew theophoric names (names containing God's name), where a divine element is combined with a noun or verb. The meaning is straightforwardly 'festival of Yah,' emphasizing celebration in God's honor.
Semantic Range
While the name itself is not central to doctrine, it theologically embodies the integration of worship and daily identity in ancient Israel. As a Levitical name, it connects the individual to the temple service and the cyclical, joyful celebrations (like Passover, Weeks, and Booths) that defined Israel's covenant relationship with God. Understanding such names enriches reading by revealing how faith and devotion were woven into personal and family identity, even in administrative lists.
In Israelite culture, names often carried significant meaning, expressing parental hopes, circumstances, or devotion to God. A name like Chaggijah, borne by a Levite, directly associated the person with the liturgical calendar and public worship duties. This differs from modern naming conventions, where names often have familial or aesthetic value rather than explicit religious meaning. For a Levite, such a name reinforced his hereditary role in facilitating the nation's festivals.
Chaggith (חַגִּית, H2294) — A feminine name meaning 'festive,' borne by one of David's wives (2 Samuel 3:4).
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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