יֶעְדִּי
Jedi, an Israelite
Definition
יֶעְדִּי (Yeʻdîy) is a proper noun referring to an Israelite prophet and historian. He is identified as the father of Zechariah, who served as a royal recorder during King Uzziah's reign (2 Chronicles 26:22). The name itself means 'appointed' or 'designated,' suggesting a sense of divine calling or purpose. In the biblical record, his significance lies not in personal actions but in his role as the father of a key administrative figure and as an author of historical writings that documented the acts of King Jeroboam II (2 Chronicles 9:29).
Biblical Usage
This name appears only once in the Old Testament, in 2 Chronicles 9:29. The context is a summary of the historical sources for King Solomon's reign, listing 'the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite' and 'the visions of Iddo the seer' (where 'Iddo' is a variant reading from the margin for יֶעְדִּי). The usage is purely referential, identifying him as a seer whose recorded visions were considered a reliable source for the chronicler.
Etymology
Derived from the Hebrew root יָעַד (yāʿad, H3259), meaning 'to appoint, meet, or assemble.' The name is a gentilic or patronymic form ('my appointed one' or 'belonging to appointment'), indicating a person who is set apart or designated. It shares this root with words related to divine meetings, such as the 'tent of meeting' (אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד).
Semantic Range
While the individual is obscure, the name's etymology connects to the theme of divine appointment. In the biblical worldview, prophets, seers, and historians like יֶעְדִּי were seen as appointed by God to record and interpret His acts in history (2 Chronicles 9:29). Understanding this underscores the belief that even minor figures in genealogies or source citations were part of God's purposeful design to preserve His story.
In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried meaningful declarations about a person's character or destiny. A name meaning 'appointed' would reflect parental hope or recognition of a divine purpose for the child. As a 'seer' (חֹזֶה), יֶעְדִּי held a recognized role as a visionary and recorder of royal history, blending prophetic insight with the duty of preserving national records.
יִדּוֹ (Iddô, H3035) — A more common spelling/transliteration variant for the same individual, used in the main text of 2 Chronicles 9:29 and elsewhere (e.g., Zechariah 1:1).
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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