יְדִידָה
𐤉𐤃𐤉𐤃𐤄
Yedidah
H3040 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Personal name meaning 'Beloved' or 'Darling.' In biblical usage, Yᵉdîydâh refers to a particular Israelite woman—specifically, the mother of King Josiah (cf. 2 Kings 22:1). The form is feminine, derived from the root indicating affection or love, and would convey someone who is cherished or precious. In naming contexts, it reflects endearment or familial affection.
Semantic Range
female personal name meaning 'beloved,' 'darling'; specifically, an Israelite woman (mother of King Josiah); one who is cherished
Root / Etymology
From the root י-ד-ד (ידד), which expresses affection, attachment, or love. יְדִידָה is the feminine form, built on the pattern of participle with an -ah ending indicating the feminine gender. The masculine parallel is יְדִיד (Yᵉdîyd), meaning 'beloved' or 'friend.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
יְדִידָה appears as a personal name only in 2 Kings 22:1, where it identifies the mother of King Josiah and wife of Amon king of Judah. The root י-ד-ד is not especially common and often occurs in poetic or naming contexts, generally connected to the idea of being dearly loved. The choice of this name reflects the cultural practice of expressing affection or ideals in personal names; the use of the feminine form is significant in distinguishing women with cherished status. In English translation and tradition, 'Jedidah' is a transliteration, though it obscures the affectionate nuance of the name. The term does not carry broader senses such as 'friend' that the masculine form can sometimes have. The name is not used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible and did not develop further semantic nuance, remaining a specific personal name. Later Jewish and Christian traditions sometimes associate the name with piety or virtue, but these reflect later interpretive tendencies, not the word's lexical meaning.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine of יְדִיד; beloved; Jedidah, an Israelitess; Jedidah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ידד (y-d-d) — to love, to be affectionate, to be dearly loved
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3032 | יָדַד | they cast lots |
| H3033 | יְדִדוּת | belovedness of |
| H3039 | יְדִיד | to my beloved one |
| H3041 | יְדִידְיָה | Beloved of Yah |
| H4312 | מֵידָד | Affectionate One |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3040-01 |
יְדִידָ֥ה | yedidah | HNp |
Jedidah | Beloved woman | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3040-01 |
2 Kings 22:1 | יְדִידָ֥ה | yedidah | HNp |
Jedidah | Beloved woman |