יִגְדַּלְיָהוּ
Jigdaljah, an Israelite
Definition
Yigdalyâhûw is a proper name meaning 'Yahweh is great' or 'magnified of Jah.' It belongs to an Israelite man named Igdaliah (as rendered in the KJV), who is identified as the father of Hanan. The name is a theophoric compound, explicitly honoring the God of Israel by declaring His greatness. This individual appears only once in the Old Testament, in Jeremiah 35:4, where his son's chamber in the temple is used by the prophet Jeremiah.
Biblical Usage
This name is used only once in the entire Old Testament, in Jeremiah 35:4. It serves solely as a personal identifier for the father of Hanan, a man who had a chamber within the temple complex. There are no other patterns or contextual variations in its usage.
Etymology
The name is a compound of two Hebrew elements. The first part comes from the verb גָּדַל (gādal, H1431), meaning 'to be great' or 'to magnify.' The second part is the divine name יָהּ (Yāh, H3050), a shortened form of Yahweh. Thus, the name literally means 'Yah is great' or 'magnified of Yah,' expressing praise and acknowledgment of God's majesty.
Semantic Range
While the bearer of the name is a minor figure, the name itself is theologically significant. It is a declarative statement of faith, embedding a core confession about God's character—His greatness—into a personal identity. Such theophoric names remind readers that ancient Israelites often expressed their relationship with and devotion to Yahweh through the very names they gave their children. Understanding this enriches the reading of even minor characters, seeing them as part of a culture that constantly acknowledged God.
In ancient Israel, names were not merely labels but often carried meaning and intention. A name like Yigdalyâhûw reflects a common cultural practice of incorporating the name of God (Yah or Yahweh) into personal names to express devotion, make a vow, or declare an attribute of God. This differs from many modern naming conventions where the meaning is often secondary or lost.
גְּדַלְיָהוּ (Gedalyâhûw, H1436) — Another theophoric name meaning 'Yahweh is great,' borne by a governor of Judah (2 Kings 25:22).
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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