קוֹלָיָה
𐤒𐤅𐤋𐤉𐤄
Qolayah
H6964 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name meaning 'Yah(weh) has spoken' or 'Yah(weh) is a voice.' Used as the name of two Israelite individuals in biblical genealogical records. The name asserts connection to the deity Yah(weh) through the motif of divine speech or proclamation. In the biblical context, proper names often reflect theological or aspirational elements, and here the name likely conveys the hope or declaration that Yah(weh) communicates or reveals.
Semantic Range
proper personal name; as a theophoric name, relates to the voice or proclamation of Yah(weh); potentially denotes 'Yah(weh) has spoken,' or 'Yah(weh) is a voice.'
Root / Etymology
The name is a theophoric compound formed from the noun קוֹל (qol, 'voice') and the divine name fragment יָהּ (Yah, a shortened form of Yahweh). The root of קוֹל is קול (q-w-l), meaning 'voice' or 'sound.' The suffix יָהּ marks the name as a dedication or association with the deity. The full formation thus means either 'Yah(weh) is a voice' or 'voice of Yah(weh).'
Historical & Contextual Notes
קוֹלָיָה (Qôwlâyâh) appears as a personal name twice in the Hebrew Bible: once as an ancestor of Sallu, a Benjamite repatriate in the period of the return from Babylonian exile (Nehemiah 11:7), and once as the father of the false prophet Ahab in Jerusalem during the time of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:21). The use of Yah(weh)-theophoric names became increasingly common from the monarchic period onward, especially during the late First Temple and exilic periods, reflecting both devotional and cultural emphases. English translations sometimes render the name as 'Kolaiah' or 'Colaiah,' but modern scholarship typically preserves the original theophoric form. The translation 'voice of Jah' is based on older forms of the divine name, but 'Yah(weh)' is historically and linguistically more accurate in ancient Israelite contexts. The name is distinct from other theophoric names formed with Yah(weh) (e.g., Isaiah, Zechariah, Hezekiah) both in structure and nuance, focusing on the motif of sound, announcement, or divine speech.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from קוֹל and יָהּ; voice of Jah; Kolajah, the name of two Israelites; Kolaiah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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קול (q-w-l) — voice, sound, utterance
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6963 | קוֹל | with a sound |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6964-01 |
קֽוֹלָיָה֙ | qolayah | HNp |
Kolaiah | Yah is Voice | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6964-01 |
Jeremiah 29:21 | קֽוֹלָיָה֙ | qolayah | HNp |
of Kolaiah | Yah is Voice |
H6964-01 |
Nehemiah 11:7 | ק֨וֹלָיָ֧ה | qolayah | HNp |
Kolaiah | Yah is Voice |