יוֹתָם
𐤉𐤅𐤕𐤌
Yotam
H3147 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name meaning 'YHWH is blameless' or 'YHWH is complete.' Used as the name of several individuals in the Hebrew Bible, most notably a king of Judah. The name expresses an assertion about the deity's perfection, innocence, or integrity. The semantic range is confined to use as a proper noun (personal name) in biblical texts.
Semantic Range
personal name meaning 'YHWH is blameless,' 'YHWH is complete,' or 'YHWH is perfect'; used as the name of a Judahite king and other Israelites
Root / Etymology
The name יוֹתָם (Yôwthâm) is a theophoric compound, formed from the divine name YHWH (יְהוָה, usually represented by the shorthand יוֹ) and the verbal root תָּם (tam), meaning 'to be complete,' 'to be blameless,' or 'to be perfect.' Thus, יוֹתָם means 'YHWH is blameless/complete/perfect.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, יותם is most prominently the name of a Judahite king, son of Uzziah (2 Kings 15:32–38; 2 Chronicles 27). It is also borne by other individuals, including the son of Gideon (Judges 9). The name fits within the broader trend of theophoric names from the monarchic and post-monarchic periods. English translations usually render the name as 'Jotham,' following Septuagintal and later Christian tradition, but this reflects later Anglicization rather than the original form or meaning. The use of the name spans the Israelite monarchic and pre-exilic periods; while its theological assertion is implicit (relating to the deity's perfection), the term itself remains a personal name and does not develop into an adjective or title. The root תָּם appears elsewhere in biblical Hebrew with a range of ethical and qualitative senses, but within this compound it functions as a statement about the deity named in the first element. No evidence suggests significant shifts in the name's meaning over time.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from יְהֹוָה and תָּם; Jehovah (is) perfect; Jotham, the name of three Israelites; Jotham.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
תם (t-m) — to be complete, to be blameless, to be perfect
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H8538 | תֻּמָּה | in your blameless integrity |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3147-03 |
יוֹתָ֧ם | yotam | HNp |
Jotham | YHWH-is-blameless | 19 |
H3147-02 |
וְ/יוֹתָ֤ם | veyotam | HC/Np |
and Jotham | and YHWH-is-complete | 3 |
H3147-01 |
לְ/יוֹתָ֗ם | leyotam | HR/Np |
of Jotham | to YHWH-is-complete | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
24 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3147-03 |
Judges 9:5 | יוֹתָ֧ם | yotam | HNp |
Jotham | YHWH-is-blameless |
H3147-01 |
Judges 9:7 | לְ/יוֹתָ֗ם | leyotam | HR/Np |
to Jotham | to YHWH-is-complete |
H3147-03 |
Judges 9:21 | יוֹתָ֔ם | yotam | HNp |
Jotham | YHWH-is-blameless |
H3147-03 |
Judges 9:57 | יוֹתָ֥ם | yotam | HNp |
of Jotham | YHWH-is-blameless |
H3147-02 |
2 Kings 15:5 | וְ/יוֹתָ֤ם | veyotam | HC/Np |
and-Jotham | and YHWH-is-complete |
H3147-03 |
2 Kings 15:7 | יוֹתָ֥ם | yotam | HNp |
Jotham | YHWH-is-blameless |
H3147-01 |
2 Kings 15:30 | לְ/יוֹתָ֖ם | leyotam | HR/Np |
of Jotham | to YHWH-is-complete |
H3147-03 |
2 Kings 15:32 | יוֹתָ֥ם | yotam | HNp |
Jotham | YHWH-is-blameless |
H3147-03 |
2 Kings 15:36 | יוֹתָ֖ם | yotam | HNp |
of Jotham | YHWH-is-blameless |
H3147-03 |
2 Kings 15:38 | יוֹתָם֙ | yotam | HNp |
Jotham | YHWH-is-blameless |