Bible Word Study
יְחֻבָּה
Yᵉchubbâh · Jechubbah, an Israelite
יְחֻבָּה
Jechubbah, an Israelite
Definition
Yᵉchubbâh is a proper name meaning 'hidden' or 'protected'. It appears only once in the Old Testament as the name of an Israelite man, Jechubbah, listed among the descendants of Asher in 1 Chronicles 7:34. As a name derived from a verb meaning 'to hide', it likely carried a sense of being divinely sheltered or concealed. In the biblical context, names often reflected character or destiny, so Jechubbah's name may have signified a hope for God's protection over his life.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively as a proper name in a single genealogical record. It appears in 1 Chronicles 7:34 within a list of the sons of Shamer, a chieftain of the tribe of Asher. Its usage is purely identificatory, serving to name one individual in a lineage without narrative context or further description.
Etymology
Yᵉchubbâh is derived from the Hebrew root חָבָה (ḥāḇâ, H2247), which means 'to hide' or 'to conceal oneself'. It is a proper noun formed from the passive participle of this verb, giving it the sense of 'one who is hidden' or 'protected'. This root is used elsewhere, such as in Psalm 17:8, where the psalmist asks God to hide him in the shadow of His wings.
Semantic Range
While the name itself is not theologically loaded, its etymological connection to the concept of 'hiding' or 'protection' can reflect a broader biblical theme. God is often portrayed as a refuge and hiding place for His people (e.g., Psalm 32:7). Even a simple name in a genealogy can subtly point to the personal and covenantal relationship between God and the families of Israel, where divine shelter was a cherished hope. In ancient Israelite culture, names were significant and often descriptive. A name like Jechubbah ('hidden') may have been given to express a parent's prayer for the child's safety or to commemorate a circumstance of birth where the child or mother was 'hidden' or protected from danger. It reflects the common practice of embedding meaningful words or hopes into personal names. No direct synonyms as a proper name, but related to the root: חָבָה (ḥāḇâ, H2247) — the verb meaning 'to hide', from which the name is derived.
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]