יִדְאֲלָה
𐤉𐤃𐤀𐤋𐤄
Yidealah
H3030 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Yid'alâh is a proper noun denoting a geographic location, a town or city mentioned in the list of territorial allotments of the tribe of Zebulun in the Hebrew Bible. Its precise location is uncertain. The word is used solely as a place name and does not carry additional inherent lexical meaning beyond serving as a geographic designation.
Semantic Range
toponym (place name referring to a town in Zebulun)
Root / Etymology
Root uncertain; the precise derivation is obscure and not securely connected to any attested Hebrew root. The structure may suggest a compounded or extended root, but this is speculative and no consensus has emerged.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Yid'alâh (יִדְאֲלָה) appears in Joshua 19:15 among the cities listed within the tribal territory of Zebulun, alongside towns like Bethlehem (not to be confused with Bethlehem in Judah). The form and phonology do not allow for secure correlation with any recognizable Hebrew root, and thus, any attempts at deriving semantic value are tentative at best. No historical or archaeological evidence has definitively identified the site, reflecting the shifting and, at times, poorly attested settlement landscape of the northern kingdom. The use of the name in English translations occasionally takes on forms such as 'Idalah' or 'Jidalah,' reflecting the transliteration conventions rather than meaning. Since the toponym is only attested in this list and not reused in later scriptural, post-exilic, or extra-biblical sources, its significance remains firmly tied to the tribal geography of early Israelite history. It is distinct from personal names or ethnonyms and should not be confused with terms for inhabitants or subsequent cities with similar phonetic forms.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
xlit Yidălâh corrected to Yidʼălâh; of uncertain derivation; Jidalah, a place in Palestine; Idalah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
uncertain (unknown) — uncertain
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3030-01 |
וְ/יִדְאֲלָ֖ה | veyidealah | HC/Np |
and Idalah | and Yidʾalah | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3030-01 |
Joshua 19:15 | וְ/יִדְאֲלָ֖ה | veyidealah | HC/Np |
and Idalah | and Yidʾalah |