קוֹלָיָה
Kolajah, the name of two Israelites
Definition
Qôwlâyâh is a Hebrew proper name meaning 'voice of Yah' or 'voice of the LORD.' It is borne by two distinct individuals in the Old Testament. The first is a Benjamite, the father of Sallu, who is listed among those who resettled in Jerusalem after the exile (Nehemiah 11:7). The second is a false prophet in Babylon, the father of Ahab, who was condemned by Jeremiah for prophesying lies and committing adultery; Jeremiah prophesied that both he and his son would be executed by Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 29:21-23). The name itself carries a pious meaning, though the character of the second bearer stands in stark contrast to it.
Biblical Usage
The name Qôwlâyâh is used only twice in the Old Testament, in two different contexts. In Nehemiah 11:7, it appears in a post-exilic administrative list, identifying a man of the tribe of Benjamin. In Jeremiah 29:21, it identifies a false prophet among the exiles in Babylon, who is denounced for leading God's people astray. The usage shows the name could belong to both an ordinary settler and a notorious false prophet.
Etymology
The name Qôwlâyâh is a compound of two Hebrew elements: 'qôwl' (H6963), meaning 'voice' or 'sound,' and 'Yâh' (H3050), a shortened form of the divine name Yahweh (the LORD). It is a theophoric name, common in Israelite culture, literally translating to 'voice of Yah.' Similar constructions include names like Zephaniah ('Yah has hidden') and Isaiah ('Yah is salvation').
Semantic Range
The name Qôwlâyâh, meaning 'voice of Yah,' presents a profound irony in its biblical usage, especially concerning the false prophet in Jeremiah 29. While the name expresses a desire to hear and proclaim God's voice, the bearer in Jeremiah directly opposed God's true message through His prophet. This contrast highlights a key biblical theme: the danger of false prophecy and the importance of discerning the true 'voice' of God from deceptive imitations. It underscores that a pious name does not guarantee a pious life or message.
In ancient Israel, names were deeply significant, often expressing a characteristic of the person, a hope of the parents, or a statement about God. Theophoric names like Qôwlâyâh, which incorporate a divine element ('Yah'), were extremely common and reflected personal piety and a connection to Yahweh. The fact that a man with a name meaning 'voice of the LORD' could become a denounced false prophet illustrates that names did not determine destiny and could become a point of stark contrast with one's actions.
No direct synonyms as a proper name. Related theophoric names include: Zekaryah (Zechariah, H2148) — 'Yah remembers'; Nethanyahu (Nethaniah, H5418) — 'given of Yah'.
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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