Bible Word Study
יָפִיעַ
Yâphîyaʻ · Japhia, the name of a Canaanite, an Israelite, and a place in Palestine
יָפִיעַ
Japhia, the name of a Canaanite, an Israelite, and a place in Palestine
Definition
Yâphîyaʻ (Japhia) is a proper noun used in the Old Testament to refer to three distinct entities. First, it is the name of a Canaanite king of Lachish who joined a coalition against Joshua (Joshua 10:3). Second, it is the name of a border town in the territory of Zebulun (Joshua 19:12). Third, it is the name of a son of King David, born in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:15, 1 Chronicles 3:7, 14:6). The meaning of the name, derived from its root, connects all these uses.
Biblical Usage
The word is used five times across historical books. It appears once in Joshua 10:3 for the Canaanite king, once in Joshua 19:12 for the Zebulunite town, and three times for David's son (2 Samuel 5:15, 1 Chronicles 3:7, 1 Chronicles 14:6). Its usage is strictly as a personal name for significant figures and a geographical location, with no other grammatical functions.
Etymology
The name יָפִיעַ (Yâphîyaʻ) is derived from the root יָפַע (yāphaʻ, H3313), meaning 'to shine, to send out light, to be bright.' It is a verbal noun form suggesting 'he shines' or 'he will shine.' This connects it to the concept of radiance or splendor, a common theme in Hebrew personal names.
Semantic Range
While primarily a name, its etymology ('to shine') can provide devotional insight. The name Japhia, meaning 'he shines,' when applied to a son of David, may subtly reflect the promised glory of the Davidic line. For the believer, it can serve as a reminder that God's people are called to reflect His light, a theme developed in the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 5:16). In ancient Semitic culture, names were often descriptive or expressed a hope or characteristic. Naming a son 'He Shines' (Japhia) was a meaningful act, possibly reflecting parental hope for the child's future prominence or blessedness. The reuse of the name for a town also indicates how place names were often derived from personal names or descriptive features of the location. There are no direct synonyms as this is a unique proper noun. However, it shares its root with: יָפַע (yāphaʻ, H3313) — the root verb meaning 'to shine, be bright.'
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]