יוֹסִפְיָה
𐤉𐤅𐤎𐤐𐤉𐤄
Yosifeyah
H3131 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name meaning 'Yahweh adds' or 'Yahweh has added.' Used to denote a specific individual identified as an ancestor of certain returning Israelites in the post-exilic period. The name expresses a theophoric concept, indicating divine action of increase or addition.
Semantic Range
Yahweh adds, Yahweh increases, (personal name referring to an ancestor of returnees from exile)
Root / Etymology
The name יוֹסִפְיָה (Yôsiphyâh) derives from the root יסף ('to add, increase') combined with the theophoric suffix יה (representing Yahweh). Here, the meaning of the root is incorporated in an active sense, with Yahweh as the subject of the verb: 'Yahweh adds/increases.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
יוֹסִפְיָה appears in Ezra 8:10 as the name of a forebear of a family group among those who returned from Babylonian exile; he is not otherwise known in the Hebrew Bible. The name is constructed similarly to other theophoric names where a verbal root is combined with 'Yah' (a short form of Yahweh). While typically rendered 'Josiphiah' or 'Josiphjah' in older English translations, such forms are based on transliteration more than translation. The use of 'Jah' as a divine name element reflects the post-monarchic period trend of explicit Yahwistic theophoric names. No evidence suggests 'Jew' or 'Jewish' identity in the later sense should be retrojected for the person referred to. The name is representative of names popular in the return from exile, expressing piety and hope for divine blessing or intervention. The base verb יסף features in other names (e.g., Joseph/Yosef), but the construction here uniquely specifies Yahweh as the subject.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from active participle of יָסַף and יָהּ; Jah (is) adding; Josiphjah, an Israelite; Josiphiah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
יסף (y-s-p) — to add, to increase, to do again
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2058 | וׇפְסִי | Increaser |
| H3084 | יְהוֹסֵף | in Yehoseph |
| H3130 | יוֹסֵף | to Yoseph-He-adds |
| H3254 | יָסַף | I will add further |
| H3255 | יְסַף | she was added |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3131-01 |
יוֹסִפְיָ֑ה | yosifeyah | HNp |
Josiphiah | Yahweh adds | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3131-01 |
Ezra 8:10 | יוֹסִפְיָ֑ה | yosifeyah | HNp |
Josiphiah | Yahweh adds |