Bible Word Study
דּוֹדָוָהוּ
Dôwdâvâhûw · Dodavah, an Israelite
דּוֹדָוָהוּ
Dodavah, an Israelite
Definition
Dodavah is a proper name of an Israelite mentioned only once in the Old Testament. The name means 'beloved of Yahweh' or 'love of Jah,' signifying a personal devotion to God. He is identified as the father of Eliezer, a prophet who delivered a message of judgment against King Jehoshaphat of Judah. This single reference occurs in the context of a failed maritime alliance, as recorded in 2 Chronicles 20:37.
Biblical Usage
This name is used only once in the entire Old Testament, in 2 Chronicles 20:37. It appears in a historical narrative context, specifically within the account of King Jehoshaphat's reign. The usage is purely identificatory, naming Dodavah as the father of the prophet Eliezer, who condemned the king's partnership with the wicked King Ahaziah of Israel to build trading ships.
Etymology
The name Dodavah (דּוֹדָוָהוּ) is a compound Hebrew name derived from two elements: 'dod' (H1730), meaning 'beloved' or 'love,' and a shortened form of the divine name Yahweh, 'Yah' (H3050). It is a theophoric name, a common practice in Israel, where a name incorporates a reference to God. Its construction parallels names like Jedidiah ('beloved of Yah').
Semantic Range
While the individual Dodavah is obscure, his name and his son's role carry theological weight. The name itself is a confession of being 'beloved of Yahweh,' reflecting personal faith. More significantly, his son Eliezer acts as a prophet, demonstrating that God's word of correction could come through individuals from families otherwise unknown in the biblical record, emphasizing God's sovereignty in choosing messengers. In ancient Israelite culture, names were often meaningful and descriptive. Theophoric names like Dodavah, which include a form of God's name (Yah), were extremely common and served as a public declaration of faith and identity within the covenant community. It identified the individual or their family as worshippers of Yahweh. Jedidiah (Yᵊdîdyâ, H3041) — Also means 'beloved of Yah'; a name given to Solomon. Dodavah emphasizes the concept of 'love' (dod), while Jedidiah uses a different root (yadid) for 'beloved.'
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]