← H3129 H3131 →

יוֹסֵף

𐤉𐤅𐤎𐤐

Yosef

H3130 noun

SILEX Entry

Root יוסף to add, to increase, to continue

Definition

Proper name Yoseph, meaning 'He adds' or 'May he add'; used as the personal name of various individuals in the Hebrew Bible, most prominently the son of Jacob and Rachel. The name is a wish or hope for increase, often regarding descendants or prosperity. In broader contexts, the name appears also as a tribal designation (the house or descendants of Yoseph, representing the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh).

Semantic Range

personal name (Yoseph), name of the patriarch Jacob's son, eponym of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, collective designation for northern tribes ('house of Yoseph'); other individuals named Yoseph

Root / Etymology

From the root יסף (y-s-p), meaning 'to add, increase.' יוֹסֵף is likely a truncated verbal form, meaning 'he adds' or an imperfect/jussive 'may he add.' The naming of Yoseph (Genesis 30:24) is accompanied by a wordplay referencing God adding another son.

Historical & Contextual Notes

יוֹסֵף (Yoseph) serves chiefly as a personal name. In Genesis, it is given to the eleventh son of Jacob/Israel and the firstborn of Rachel. The narrative associates his name with the desire for another child ('May YHWH add to me another son,' Genesis 30:24). Later, 'house of Yoseph' or simply 'Yoseph' can refer collectively to the tribes descended from him (Ephraim and Manasseh), particularly in the context of the northern kingdom after the Israelite division. Apart from Jacob's son, several lesser-known individuals in genealogical records bear the name. In late Second Temple and Hellenistic periods, the Greek Ioseph appears, which English Bibles translate as 'Joseph,' sometimes creating anachronistic associations. English traditions frequently use 'Joseph,' obscuring the theophoric pun in the name's original context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

future of יָסַף; let him add (or perhaps simply active participle adding); Joseph, the name of seven Israelites; Joseph. Compare יְהוֹסֵף.

Bantu Hebrew

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

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

יסף (y-s-p) — to add, to increase, to continue

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2058 וׇפְסִי Increaser
H3084 יְהוֹסֵף in Yehoseph
H3131 יוֹסִפְיָה Yahweh adds
H3254 יָסַף I will add further
H3255 יְסַף she was added

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3130-04 יוֹסֵ֖ף yosef HNp Joseph He adds 194
H3130-03 וְ/יוֹסֵ֖ף veyosef HC/Np and Joseph And Yoseph 9
H3130-01 לְ/יוֹסֵ֑ף leyosef HR/Np to Joseph to Yoseph-He-adds 8
H3130-02 וּ/לְ/יוֹסֵ֤ף uleyosef HC/R/Np And to Joseph and to Yoseph 2

Occurrences in Scripture

213 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3130-04 Genesis 30:24 יוֹסֵ֖ף yosef HNp Joseph He adds
H3130-04 Genesis 30:25 יוֹסֵ֑ף yosef HNp Joseph He adds
H3130-04 Genesis 33:2 יוֹסֵ֖ף yosef HNp Joseph He adds
H3130-04 Genesis 33:7 יוֹסֵ֛ף yosef HNp Joseph He adds
H3130-04 Genesis 35:24 יוֹסֵ֖ף yosef HNp Joseph He adds
H3130-04 Genesis 37:2 יוֹסֵ֞ף yosef HNp Joseph He adds
H3130-04 Genesis 37:2 יוֹסֵ֛ף yosef-2 HNp Joseph He adds
H3130-04 Genesis 37:3 יוֹסֵף֙ yosef HNp Joseph He adds
H3130-04 Genesis 37:5 יוֹסֵף֙ yosef HNp Joseph He adds
H3130-04 Genesis 37:13 יוֹסֵ֗ף yosef HNp Joseph He adds
← H3129 Hebrew Lexicon H3131 →