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זַתּוּא

𐤆𐤕𐤅𐤀

Zatu

H2240 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain, as the root is not identifiable; if anything, only as a proper name

Definition

Zattu, the personal name of an Israelite family ancestor, whose descendants are recorded among the returnees from exile. Used as a proper noun designating a family head or ancestral house.

Semantic Range

Zattu as the eponymous ancestor of a family, a designation for the descendants of Zattu; no wider lexical usage is attested

Root / Etymology

etymology uncertain. The name does not correspond clearly to a known Hebrew root. The structure, with doubled 'tav' (תּ), is rare and the meaning or origin is unclear in Hebrew onomastics.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The name זַתּוּא (Zattu) appears in post-exilic genealogical lists, specifically among the groups returning to Yehud (Judea) from Babylonian exile (Ezra 2:8; Nehemiah 7:13; 10:15). The designation is consistently that of a family or clan ancestor; the 'sons of Zattu' is the standard biblical phrase. The name is found only in late Biblical Hebrew texts in genealogical contexts, and there is no indication that the name was a title or common noun. In English Bible translations, the term is handled as a proper name, but modern scholarship notes there is no lexical meaning beyond its use as an individual name. In Nehemiah 10:15, a member of this family is among those who seal the covenant. The occurrence of this name only in the context of post-exilic Judah suggests it refers to a family with origins or traditions distinct from earlier periods. Later English translations sometimes treat all descendants as 'Jews,' but at the time, 'Judeans' or descendants of Israelite returnees is more historically accurate.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; Zattu, an Israelite; Zattu.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

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Root Family

uncertain (uncertain) — proper name only; no identifiable lexical root

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar
H1114 בִּלְשָׁן Bilshan
H1150 בִּנְעָא Bin'a
H116 אֱדַיִן and then

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2240-01 זַתּ֔וּא zatu HNp Zattu Zattu 4

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2240-01 Ezra 2:8 זַתּ֔וּא zatu HNp Zattu Zattu
H2240-01 Ezra 10:27 זַתּ֑וּא zatu HNp Zattu Zattu
H2240-01 Nehemiah 7:13 זַתּ֔וּא zatu HNp Zattu Zattu
H2240-01 Nehemiah 10:15 זַתּ֖וּא zatu HNp Zattu Zattu
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