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יְחִזְקִיָּה

𐤉𐤇𐤆𐤒𐤉𐤄

Yechizeqiyah

H3169 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חזק to be strong, strengthen, prevail

Definition

A personal name meaning 'YHWH strengthens' or 'YHWH is strength.' Primarily used as the name of several Israelite individuals, most notably a king of Judah during the late 8th to early 7th centuries BCE. The term carries implications of divine empowerment or support, particularly through the name-formative suffix referencing the Israelite deity YHWH.

Semantic Range

personal name (YHWH strengthens), name of king of Judah, name of multiple Israelites; with or without pronominal suffix ('-u' = him)

Root / Etymology

The name is a theophoric compound formed from the verb חזק (ḥ-z-q, 'to be strong, strengthen') and יה (Yah, a short form of the Tetragrammaton YHWH). The longer form יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ (Yᵉchizqiyyahu, 'YHWH strengthens him') appears alongside the shorter יְחִזְקִיָּה (Yᵉchizqiyyah) in biblical narrative.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, יְחִזְקִיָּה frequently appears as the name of a prominent king of Judah noted for his political and religious leadership during the Assyrian threat (late 8th century BCE), as well as several lesser-known individuals. The double form (with or without the pronominal suffix -u) reflects typical patterns of theophoric naming. English translations often use 'Hezekiah,' which is a late Hellenized form and does not capture the specific theophoric nuance. The meaning of the theophoric 'Yah' is explicit—marking the name-bearer as devoted to or strengthened by YHWH, a feature common to many Israelite names in the monarchic period. In post-biblical and later liturgical usage, the rendering 'Hezekiah' persists, sometimes obscuring the name's original structure and intent. The name is inscriptionally attested in seals and bullae from the era attributed to the historical King Hezekiah. Do not confuse with names beginning חִזְקִיָּה (Ḥizqiyyah), lacking the initial י.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ; from יְרוּשָׁא and יָהּ; strengthened of Jah; Jechizkijah, the name of five Israelites; Hezekiah, Jehizkiah. Compare חִזְקִיָּה.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חזק (ḥ-z-q) — to be strong, strengthen, prevail

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2388 חָזַק I will strengthen
H2389 חָזָק with firmness
H2390 חָזֵק and strong
H2391 חֵזֶק my strength
H2392 חֹזֶק with strength

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3169-01 וִֽ/יחִזְקִיָּ֨הוּ֙ vichizeqiyahu HC/Np Jehizkiah and YHWH strengthens him 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3169-01 2 Chronicles 28:12 וִֽ/יחִזְקִיָּ֨הוּ֙ vichizeqiyahu HC/Np Jehizkiah and YHWH strengthens him
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