יוֹנָדָב
Jonadab, the name of an Israelite and of a Rechabite
Definition
Yôwnâdâb (Jonadab) is a proper name borne by two distinct biblical figures. First, it refers to Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah, who infamously counseled Amnon in the deceitful rape of Tamar (2 Samuel 13:3-5). Second, and more prominently, it refers to Jonadab son of Rechab, the founder of the Rechabites, a nomadic clan known for their strict obedience to ancestral commands prohibiting settled agriculture and wine (Jeremiah 35:6-10). This latter Jonadab is commended by God through Jeremiah as a model of faithfulness and obedience, in stark contrast to the disobedient people of Judah.
Biblical Usage
The name is used in two distinct narrative contexts. In the historical books (2 Samuel 13:3, 13:32, 13:35), it identifies a cunning and morally corrupt individual within the royal court of David. In the prophetic book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 35:6, 35:10, 35:19), it identifies the pious, commandment-keeping ancestor of the Rechabite clan, held up by God as an example of covenant faithfulness.
Etymology
The name יוֹנָדָב (Yôwnâdâb) is a shortened form of יְהוֹנָדָב (Yehônâdâb, H3082), meaning "Yahweh is willing" or "Yahweh is noble." It is a theophoric name, combining the divine name Yahweh (יהו) with the verb נָדַב (nadab, H5068), meaning "to be willing, incite, or offer freely." This suggests a meaning of "Yahweh has incited" or "Yahweh is generous."
Semantic Range
The figure of Jonadab the Rechabite is theologically significant as a paradigm of radical obedience and covenant fidelity. In Jeremiah 35, God uses Jonadab's descendants, who faithfully obey their human ancestor's commands, as a living object lesson to shame Judah for its disobedience to the divine commands of their covenant God. This contrast highlights the seriousness of covenantal commitment and the blessing of obedience. Understanding the Hebrew name's meaning ("Yahweh is willing") adds irony and depth to the Rechabite story, as their willing obedience reflects the character of the God whose name they bear.
In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried significant meaning or reflected parental hopes. A name containing the divine element (Yahweh) identified the bearer or their family as worshippers of Israel's God. The two biblical Jonadabs represent a stark cultural contrast: one embodies the corruption possible within the elite urban court, while the other represents the austere, nomadic ideal of the Rechabites, who rejected settled agricultural life and its associated risks of Canaanite religious syncretism.
יְהוֹנָדָב (Yehônâdâb, H3082) — The longer, fuller form of the same name.
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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