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דְּעוּאֵל

𐤃𐤏𐤅𐤀𐤋

Deuel

H1845 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ידע to know, notice, perceive, recognize

Definition

A personal name meaning 'God knows' or 'known of God.' Used as the name of an Israelite leader in the wilderness census narratives. While the name is a theophoric compound, its lexical sense denotes someone whose identity or character is recognized or acknowledged by the deity (El).

Semantic Range

(personal name) Deuel; theophoric name meaning 'God knows,' 'known by God,' 'acknowledged by God'; denotes identification, recognition, or relationship with the deity (El) in an Israelite context

Root / Etymology

Compound of the verbal root יָדַע (yada‘, 'to know') and the theophoric element אֵל (El, 'God'). The structure suggests '[He] knows (is) God' or 'God knows.' The name is an instance of the widespread ancient Near Eastern practice of forming theophoric names expressing relationship to, or qualities attributed to, the deity.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Deuel appears as the father of Eliasaph, described as a leader of the tribe of Gad during the wilderness journey (Numbers 1:14; 2:14; 7:42,47; 10:20). The form of the name is a reflection of the Israelite practice of constructing names with El, the generic Northwest Semitic term for deity. In early Israelite and wider Northwest Semitic onomastics, such theophoric names typically invoked God as patron, witness, or in the case of Deuel, as the one who knows or acknowledges. Some manuscripts and critical editions alternatively read 'Reuel' in parallel passages (cf. Numbers 2:14 with 1 Chronicles 7:7), suggesting fluidity or possible scribal confusion in the transmission of the name. English translations almost always simply transliterate the name, which preserves its identity but often obscures the underlying semantic content. The specific phrase 'known of God' should not be confused with later theological concepts; it reflects personal naming conventions of the period rather than a doctrinal claim. The name has no developed theological or cultic significance beyond its function as an Israelite personal name.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from יָדַע and אֵל; known of God; Deuel, an Israelite; Deuel.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ידע (y-d-ʿ) — to know, perceive, recognize, acknowledge

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1668 דָּא Know!
H1843 דֵּעַ Know!
H1844 דֵּעָה perceptive knowledge
H1847 דַּעַת by his knowledge
H3028 יַד may he know

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1845-01 דְּעוּאֵֽל deuel HNp Deuel God Knows 4

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1845-01 Numbers 1:14 דְּעוּאֵֽל deuel HNp Deuel God Knows
H1845-01 Numbers 7:42 דְּעוּאֵֽל deuel HNp Deuel God Knows
H1845-01 Numbers 7:47 דְּעוּאֵֽל deuel HNp Deuel God Knows
H1845-01 Numbers 10:20 דְּעוּאֵֽל deuel HNp of Deuel God Knows
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