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מִיכָה

𐤌𐤉𐤊𐤄

Mikhah

H4318 noun

SILEX Entry

Root מי כ who, like, as; who is like...?

Definition

A personal name meaning 'Who is like (Yah/El)?', an abbreviated form of longer theophoric names. Used for several individuals in the Hebrew Bible, predominantly Israelites. The name expresses a rhetorical question implying incomparability, especially of the Israelite deity.

Semantic Range

Personal name; rhetorical question expressing uniqueness of deity; abbreviated theophoric name; used for multiple Israelite individuals.

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root מִי meaning 'who' and the particle כְּ 'like, as', with an implied divine subject—usually shorthand for מִיכָיָה ('Who is like Yah?'). The full form is often rendered מִיכָיָהוּ or מִיכָיָה, with Yah(u), a shortened form of Yhwh, as the theophoric element. מִיכָה represents the contracted, non-theophoric variant.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The name מִיכָה appears for multiple individuals across different periods, including the era of the Judges (Judg 17–18), lists of returnees in the Persian period, and in genealogies (1 Chr 5, 2 Chr 34). In some cases it reflects the full theophoric form (Micaiah), while in others it is shortened (Micah), indicating flexibility in personal naming conventions and shifts in the use or suppression of divine names in the biblical period. English translations commonly render the name as 'Micah' or 'Micaiah', but these are modern conventions; the original names highlight Israelite rhetorical theology, contrasting the incomparability of their deity with others. The abbreviation may also signal a trend toward non-theophoric naming, particularly in later periods. Care should be taken not to impose later theological or religious identities ('Jew' or 'Judaism') anachronistically onto these figures; rather, they are Israelites or figures within the tribal context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

an abbreviated form of מִיכָיָה; Micah, the name of seven Israelites; Micah, Micaiah, Michah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

מי כ (m-y k) — who, like, as; who is like?

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4318-02 מִיכָ֔ה mikhah HNp Micah Who-is-like? 32
H4318-03 מיכהו mykhhv HNp Micaiah Who-Is-Like 1
H4318-01 לְ/מִיכָ֔ה lemikhah HR/Np to Micah to Who-is-like? 1

Occurrences in Scripture

34 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4318-02 Judges 17:5 מִיכָ֔ה mikhah HNp Micah Who-is-like?
H4318-02 Judges 17:8 מִיכָ֖ה mikhah HNp of Micah Who-is-like?
H4318-02 Judges 17:9 מִיכָ֖ה mikhah HNp Micah Who-is-like?
H4318-02 Judges 17:10 מִיכָ֜ה mikhah HNp Micah Who-is-like?
H4318-02 Judges 17:12 מִיכָה֙ mikhah HNp Micah Who-is-like?
H4318-02 Judges 17:12 מִיכָֽה mikhah-2 HNp Micah Who-is-like?
H4318-02 Judges 17:13 מִיכָ֔ה mikhah HNp Micah Who-is-like?
H4318-02 Judges 18:2 מִיכָ֔ה mikhah HNp Micah Who-is-like?
H4318-02 Judges 18:3 מִיכָ֔ה mikhah HNp of Micah Who-is-like?
H4318-02 Judges 18:4 מִיכָ֑ה mikhah HNp Micah Who-is-like?
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