Bible Word Study
מְחֹלָתִי
Mᵉchôlâthîy · a Mecholathite or inhabitant of Abel-Mecholah
מְחֹלָתִי
a Mecholathite or inhabitant of Abel-Mecholah
Definition
The Hebrew word מְחֹלָתִי (Mᵉchôlâthîy) is a gentilic noun meaning 'a Mecholathite,' referring to an inhabitant of the town Abel-Mecholah. This place name, meaning 'meadow of dancing' or 'brook of dancing,' was located in the Jordan Valley. In the Bible, the term specifically identifies two individuals: Adriel the Meholathite, to whom King Saul gave his daughter Merab in marriage (1 Samuel 18:19), and Barzillai the Meholathite, whose sons were among those handed over to the Gibeonites by David (2 Samuel 21:8). The word functions solely as a geographical identifier for a person's origin.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only twice in the Old Testament, both times as a gentilic (a term denoting origin from a place) attached to a personal name. It appears in the historical books of Samuel, specifically in narratives concerning King Saul's family and King David's reign. In 1 Samuel 18:19, it describes Adriel, the husband of Saul's daughter Merab. In 2 Samuel 21:8, it describes Barzillai, the father of sons given to the Gibeonites. The usage pattern is strictly as a geographical descriptor in genealogical or identification contexts.
Etymology
The word is a patrial noun (a word for an inhabitant) derived from the place name אָבֵל מְחוֹלָה (Abel-Mecholah, H65). Abel-Mecholah itself is a compound name: 'Abel' likely means 'meadow' or 'brook,' and 'Mecholah' is related to the root חול (khul), meaning 'to dance' or 'to whirl.' Thus, the place name signifies 'meadow of dancing.' The gentilic form is created by adding the suffix -ִי (-iy), meaning 'of' or 'belonging to,' to the place name.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, a gentilic like 'Mecholathite' was a crucial part of a person's identity, linking them to a specific clan, town, or region. This was important for establishing lineage, inheritance rights, and social connections. The town of Abel-Mecholah, situated in the fertile Jordan Valley, was likely an agricultural settlement. The name's association with 'dancing' may hint at its character or a local tradition, but the biblical text does not elaborate on this. The term itself reflects the strong connection between people and their ancestral homeland. No direct synonyms, but related as other gentilic terms: יְהוּדִי (Yᵉhûwdîy, H3064) — a Judean or Jew, from Judah; יִשְׂרְאֵלִי (Yisrᵉʼêlîy, H3478) — an Israelite, from Israel.
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]