גְּנֻבַת
Genubath, an Edomitish prince
Definition
Genubath is the name of an Edomite prince, the son of Hadad the Edomite and the sister of Pharaoh's wife Tahpenes. His name, meaning 'theft,' is derived from the Hebrew root for stealing. The sole biblical reference to Genubath is in 1 Kings 11:20, where he is raised in Pharaoh's household alongside the Egyptian royal children. This brief mention places him within the complex political and familial alliances of the ancient Near East during King Solomon's reign.
Biblical Usage
This proper noun is used only once in the Old Testament, in 1 Kings 11:20. The context is the story of Hadad the Edomite, who fled to Egypt after David's conquest of Edom. Genubath's birth and upbringing in Pharaoh's court are part of the narrative detailing foreign adversaries raised up against Solomon, as foretold by God due to Solomon's idolatry.
Etymology
The name Genubath (גְּנֻבַת) is a noun form derived from the root verb גָּנַב (gānav, H1589), meaning 'to steal.' It is essentially a passive participle, meaning 'theft' or 'something stolen.' The naming may reflect a cultural practice or carry a symbolic meaning related to the circumstances of his family's exile from Edom.
Semantic Range
While the name itself is not theologically loaded, Genubath's story is part of a significant theological theme in 1 Kings 11. His father, Hadad, becomes one of the adversaries God raises against Solomon for turning to other gods. Thus, Genubath's existence and privileged Egyptian upbringing are a small but concrete part of the outworking of divine judgment on the Davidic kingdom for covenant disobedience, illustrating how God uses international politics and personal histories to accomplish His purposes.
The name 'Theft' might seem unusual. In the ancient Near East, names often commemorated events, described circumstances of birth, or expressed a parent's sentiment. Given that his father, Hadad, was a royal refugee whose homeland (Edom) was conquered, the name could symbolically reflect the 'theft' of his rightful royal position or homeland. His upbringing in Pharaoh's court was a common practice for securing political alliances, effectively making him a hostage-prince to ensure his father's loyalty.
There are no direct synonyms for this proper name. The root concept relates to: גָּנַב (gānav, H1589) — the verb 'to steal,' from which the name is derived.
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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