Jidlaph
Jidlaph, a son of Nahor and Milcah, was Abraham's nephew (Gen.22.22).
Biography
Jidlaph was the seventh son born to Nahor and his wife Milcah, making him a nephew of the patriarch Abraham (Genesis 22:22). He is listed among the twelve sons of Nahor whose births are announced to Abraham following the binding of Isaac, the passage serving to establish the Aramean lineage that would become significant in Israel's patriarchal stories. Through this family connection, Jidlaph was a second-generation descendant of Terah and a cousin to Isaac. His name may be related to the Hebrew root meaning "to weep" or "to drip." No individual narrative is associated with him, but his family line gave rise to peoples who would play important roles in subsequent biblical history through the Aramean branch of the Abrahamic family.
Significance
Jidlaph's significance lies primarily in his genealogical position within the broader Abrahamic family network. His family's Aramean branch would later produce Rebekah and Rachel, the matriarchs of Israel through whom God's covenant blessings were transmitted to the chosen line. The announcement of Nahor's sons to Abraham in Genesis 22 follows immediately after the Akedah, implying divine intentionality in connecting the covenant line to this extended family. Jidlaph thus represents the way God's redemptive purposes extend through seemingly peripheral family members, whose descendants become unexpectedly central to the outworking of His plan of salvation.
Verse Appearances (1)
Genesis
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]