אַדְמָתָא
𐤀𐤃𐤌𐤕𐤀
Ademata
H133 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Admatha — A personal name referring to one of the seven elite officials in the Persian court of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I), as listed in the Book of Esther. The word functions strictly as a proper noun and does not convey a common noun meaning or any semantic range beyond its application to this individual.
Semantic Range
personal name; a Persian official in Ahasuerus' court; proper noun designating an individual in Persian administrative structure
Root / Etymology
The exact etymology is uncertain. The name does not fit established Hebrew roots; it is widely considered to be of Persian origin, reflecting the linguistic influence of the Persian imperial period on the Hebrew Bible during the post-exilic era. Attempts to derive meaning from Hebrew ('adamah,' 'soil, ground') are seen as speculative and unsupported by context. Possible connections to Old Persian onomastics have been suggested, but no definitive etymology has emerged.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אַדְמָתָא (Admatha) occurs only in Esther 1:14, where the text lists high-ranking Persian officials. The inclusion of this name, together with others of clearly non-Hebrew and Persian origin in the narrative, reflects the cosmopolitan and administrative context of the Achaemenid Empire as experienced by Judeans in diaspora. English translations typically transliterate the name. The term has no connection to Israelite/Judean ethnicity or territory — it signifies a Persian court official, whose further identity remains historically obscure. There is no relation between אַדְמָתָא and other Hebrew terms such as 'adamah' ('earth'), and any association in translation tradition is coincidental. The appearance of such foreign names in Esther is characteristic of the book's Persian-period setting.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably of Persian derivation; Admatha, a Persian nobleman; Admatha.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
— (—) — uncertain; proper name of Persian origin
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H116 | אֱדַיִן | then |
| H175 | אַהֲרוֹן | and in Aharon |
| H1834 | דַּמֶּשֶׂק | Damascus |
| H1867 | דָּֽרְיָוֵשׁ | Darius |
| H1868 | דָּֽרְיָוֵשׁ | to Darius |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H133-01 |
אַדְמָ֣תָא | ademata | HNp |
Admatha | Admatha | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H133-01 |
Esther 1:14 | אַדְמָ֣תָא | ademata | HNp |
Admatha | Admatha |