מִיכָהוּ
𐤌𐤉𐤊𐤄𐤅
Mikhahu
H4319 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Micaiah: a personal name meaning 'Who is like Yahweh?' or 'Who is like the LORD?'. Used as the name of several individuals in the Hebrew Bible, most notably a prophetic figure in the period of the monarchic Israelite kingdoms.
Semantic Range
personal name, rhetorical question emphasizing Yahweh's uniqueness, name of a prophet, theophoric formula in personal names
Root / Etymology
From the Hebrew interrogative מִי (mi, 'who?'), the comparative particle כָּ (ka, 'like, as'), and the theophoric element יָהוּ (yahu, a form of Yahweh). Thus, מִיכָהוּ is a theophoric name derived from the rhetorical question, 'Who is like Yahweh?'. The form is a shorted or contracted version of the fuller מִיכָיְהוּ (Mikayahu).
Historical & Contextual Notes
The name מִיכָהוּ (Micaiah) appears in 2 Chronicles 18:8 and similar passages as a prophet associated with the Israelite monarchy, especially in the Northern Kingdom. This form is a contracted theophoric name, with the -yahu suffix, a typical way to embed the divine name (Yahweh) in personal names in the monarchic period. The naming formula 'Who is like Yahweh?' is typical in Hebrew anthroponymy, reflecting both rhetorical reverence for Yahweh's uniqueness and the embedding of covenantal identity in personal names. The same individual is sometimes referred to by the longer form מִיכָיְהוּ, and the even shorter מִיכָה (Micah), but these are distinct in biblical texts and manuscript traditions. Use of 'Micaiah' in English Bibles may obscure the transparency of the original theophoric meaning. In the monarchic and later periods, such theophoric names were a key marker of Israelite identity. Note that 'Jew' is a later term and does not apply to the period or identity of the individuals bearing this name in the Hebrew Bible.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a contr. for מִיכָיְהוּ; Mikehu, an Israelite prophet; Micaiah (2 Chronicles 18:8).
Bantu Hebrew
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מי-כה-יהו (mi-kah-yahu) — who, like, Yahweh
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4319-01 |
מִיכָֽיְהוּ | mikhayehu | HNp |
Micah | Who-is-like-Yahweh | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4319-01 |
Judges 17:1 | מִיכָֽיְהוּ | mikhayehu | HNp |
Micah | Who-is-like-Yahweh |
H4319-01 |
Judges 17:4 | מִיכָֽיְהוּ | mikhayehu | HNp |
of Micah | Who-is-like-Yahweh |