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הוֹדַיְוָהוּ

𐤄𐤅𐤃𐤉𐤅𐤄𐤅

Hodayevahu

H1939 noun

SILEX Entry

Root הדה to praise, to give thanks, confess

Definition

Proper name designating an Israelite male, often rendered 'Hodaviah.' The name likely means 'Yahweh is glory' or 'splendor of Yahweh,' reflecting a theophoric element and an emphasis on divine majesty or praise. Used exclusively as a personal name in the Hebrew Bible, denoting specific individuals within genealogical lists.

Semantic Range

personal name; 'Yahweh is my praise,' 'Yahweh is glory,' 'Splendor of Yahweh,' 'Thanksgiving/praise to Yahweh'

Root / Etymology

Formed from the root הודה (to give thanks, to praise) combined with the divine theophoric suffix -יה (Yah) or -יהוּ (Yahu), representing the divine name (Yahweh). Thus, the name means 'Yahweh is glory' or 'glory/praise belongs to Yahweh.' The etymology follows attested patterns for personal names in ancient Israelite onomastics.

Historical & Contextual Notes

הוֹדַיְוָהוּ appears as an Israelite personal name in post-exilic genealogies (see Ezra 2:40 [variant reading], 1 Chronicles 9:7; Nehemiah 7:43). In these contexts, it occurs within records listing descendants returning from exile, attached to Levitical or lay families. Variants such as הוֹדִוְיָה (Hodaviah) are also found; these forms likely represent dialectical or orthographic variation rather than different etymologies. The name is constructed in the pattern of other theophoric Israelite names, emphasizing glorification or thanksgiving to Yahweh. English translations have rendered the name variously as 'Hodaviah' or 'Hodaiah,' but rarely 'Hodajvah' (following Strong's). The name is not a title, common noun, or tribe, but specifically identifies individuals in genealogical or returnee lists. In later tradition, transliteration as 'Hodaviah' or 'Hodaiah' became more common, but this does not reflect distinct ancient usage. The name does not carry independent lexical meaning outside its onomastic use.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a form of הוֹדַוְיָה; Hodajvah, an Israelite; Hodaiah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

הדה (h-d-h) — praise, thanksgiving, confession

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1911 הָדָה he stretched out his hand

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1939-01 הדיוהו hdyvhv HNp Hodaviah Yahweh is praise 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1939-01 1 Chronicles 3:24 הדיוהו hdyvhv HNp Hodaviah Yahweh is praise
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