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Ἰωσαφάτ

Iōsaphát

G2498 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Proper name referencing Jehoshaphat, a notable Israelite king; specifically, a personal name used for historical individuals, primarily found in genealogies or as a name reference. Semantic range includes use as a personal name referring to the Israelite king Jehoshaphat and others bearing the same name.

Semantic Range

personal name for Jehoshaphat; used for biblical Israelite monarch(s); used in genealogies; does not function as a common noun or descriptive title

Root / Etymology

Greek form Ἰωσαφάτ derived from the Hebrew יְהוֹשָׁפָט (Yehoshaphat), meaning 'Yahweh has judged' or 'Yahweh judges.' Transliterated as closely as possible to the Hebrew original in Greek script, typically through the process of combining Ἰω (for Hebrew 'Yehô'/'Yahu') and σαφάτ (for 'shaphat', 'he has judged').

Historical & Contextual Notes

The name Ἰωσαφάτ appears in Greek texts primarily as a transliteration of the Hebrew personal name יְהוֹשָׁפָט, most notably that of the king of Judah in the Hebrew Bible. In the Septuagint, the name is systematically used for the same figures as in the Hebrew text and maintains continuity into the New Testament, mainly in genealogical contexts (cf. Matthew 1:8). The name is not used as a generic description or title, but strictly as a personal proper name. Tradition often rendered the name as 'Josaphat' or 'Jehoshaphat' in English translations, but underlying the Greek is a transliteration rather than a translation, with no added semantic content beyond identification of the individual. The adoption of Ἰωσαφάτ illustrates the practice in Koine Greek of rendering Hebrew names for Israelite/Judahite/Judean figures into Greek genealogies and narrative. The word does not acquire any broader connotations or metaphorical uses in the biblical Greek corpus.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of Hebrew origin (יְהוֹשָׁפָט); Josaphat (i.e. Jehoshaphat), an Israelite:--Josaphat.

Root Family

Ἰωσαφάτ (Iōsaphat) — personal name, proper noun, Yahweh has judged

Root Ἰωσαφάτ personal name, proper noun, to judge (by etymological association)

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2498-01 Ἰωσαφάτ iosaphat N ACC M SG Jehoshaphat Jehoshaphat Iosaphat 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2498-01 Matthew 1:8 Ἰωσαφάτ iosaphat N ACC M SG Jehoshaphat Jehoshaphat Iosaphat
G2498-01 Matthew 1:8 Ἰωσαφὰτ iosaphat-2 N NOM M SG Jehoshaphat Jehoshaphat Iosaphat
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