פְּקַחְיָה
𐤐𐤒𐤇𐤉𐤄
Peqacheyah
H6494 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name, meaning 'Yahweh has opened (the eyes),' 'Yahweh has made attentive,' or 'Yahweh has granted insight.' Used as the name of an Israelite king, most notably Pekahiah, son of Menahem, who ruled the northern kingdom of Israel. The name combines the verbal sense of attentiveness or perception with the theophoric element referencing the deity YHWH.
Semantic Range
(a) Personal name—'Yahweh has opened (the eyes),' 'Yahweh has made attentive,' 'Yahweh has granted insight'; (b) as a component, expressing divine perception or granting of perception; used specifically as a royal name in the monarchic Israelite context.
Root / Etymology
Formed from the root פָּקַח (p-q-ḥ), 'to open (especially the eyes), to be alert, to be attentive,' and the theophoric suffix יָהּ (Yah), a short form of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH). The compound denotes an action attributed (grammatically) to Yahweh — i.e., YHWH causes one to be open/attentive/insightful.
Historical & Contextual Notes
פְּקַחְיָה occurs as the name of an Israelite king (2 Kings 15:23–26). This type of theophoric personal name is typical of the northern kingdom’s onomastics, expressing a belief in divine involvement in human faculties, such as perception or insight. The precise nuance ('opened,' 'made attentive,' etc.) may reference physical sight or, more generally, an awakened awareness. English translations sometimes render the name as 'Pekahiah,' which is a direct transliteration. The use of 'Jah' in older English versions reflects the theophoric suffix but is not otherwise accurate to Israelite pronunciation or word formation. Related names from the same root appear without the theophoric element (e.g., פֶּקַח, Pekah).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from פָּקַח and יָהּ; Jah has observed; Pekachjah, an Israelite king; Pekahiah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
פקח (p-q-ḥ) — to open (the eyes), to be attentive, to observe, to grant insight
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6491 | פָּקַח | I will open |
| H6492 | פֶּקַח | Pekach the Open-Eyed |
| H6493 | פִּקֵּחַ | sighted one |
| H6495 | פְּקַח־קוֹחַ | Open! |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6494-02 |
פְּקַחְיָ֥ה | peqacheyah | HNp |
Pekahiah | Yah Has Opened the Eyes | 2 |
H6494-01 |
פְקַחְיָ֖ה | feqacheyah | HNp |
of Pekahiah | Yah Has Opened-Eyes | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6494-02 |
2 Kings 15:22 | פְּקַחְיָ֥ה | peqacheyah | HNp |
Pekahiah | Yah Has Opened the Eyes |
H6494-02 |
2 Kings 15:23 | פְּקַֽחְיָ֨ה | peqacheyah | HNp |
Pekahiah | Yah Has Opened the Eyes |
H6494-01 |
2 Kings 15:26 | פְקַחְיָ֖ה | feqacheyah | HNp |
of Pekahiah | Yah Has Opened-Eyes |