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Friday, October 20, 2023

Unusual theophoric names:

 The Hebrew Bible has several theophoric names. Names like Michael, Mi-ka-el (Who is like God?) which reference God are theophoric. Some of the names the Old Testament has are very unusual. Most of the names appear in the times of the Jewish kings.

One of the oddest is Ahijah.

Ahijah (Ahiyah) אֲחִיָּה means "brother of the LORD" or "my brother is Yah," which was the name of a lesser known prophet. This is odd considering this is before the incarnation when relatives of Christ were called "brother of the Lord."

A few instances where Ahijah appears:

And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah [אֲחִיָּה] the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two [were] alone in the field--1st Kings 11:29 

וַיְהִי בָּעֵת הַהִיא, וְיָרָבְעָם יָצָא מִירוּשָׁלִָם; וַיִּמְצָא אֹתוֹ אֲחִיָּה הַשִּׁילֹנִי הַנָּבִיא בַּדֶּרֶךְ, וְהוּא מִתְכַּסֶּה בְּשַׂלְמָה חֲדָשָׁה, וּשְׁנֵיהֶם לְבַדָּם, בַּשָּׂדֶה.-- First Kings 11:29

His family is mentioned, also with interesting names:

And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD'S priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.--1 Samuel 14:3 

וַאֲחִיָּה בֶן-אֲחִטוּב אֲחִי אִיכָבוֹד בֶּן-פִּינְחָס בֶּן-עֵלִי כֹּהֵן יְהוָה, בְּשִׁלוֹ--נֹשֵׂא אֵפוֹד; וְהָעָם לֹא יָדַע, כִּי הָלַךְ יוֹנָתָן. -- 1Samuel 14:3

The last verse is a bit absurd to read, when translating the names as:

And Yah's-my-brother, son of My-Brother-Is-Good(ness), brother of.... 

Sometimes Ahijah is spelled with a vav at the end--Ahiyahu:

And the LORD said unto Ahijahu [אֲחִיָּהוּ], Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he [is] sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself [to be] another [woman].--1 Kings 14:5 

וַיהוָה אָמַר אֶל-אֲחִיָּהוּ, הִנֵּה אֵשֶׁת יָרָבְעָם בָּאָה לִדְרֹשׁ דָּבָר מֵעִמְּךָ אֶל-בְּנָהּ כִּי-חֹלֶה הוּא--כָּזֹה וְכָזֶה, תְּדַבֵּר אֵלֶיהָ; וִיהִי כְבֹאָהּ, וְהִיא מִתְנַכֵּרָה.

Another possible variant of the name is Ahi אֲחִי (brother of):

Ahi (אֲחִי) the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of the house of their fathers.--1 Chronicles 5:15 

 אֲחִי בֶּן-עַבְדִּיאֵל בֶּן-גּוּנִי, רֹאשׁ לְבֵית אֲבוֹתָם. --1st Chronicles 5:15

In addition to this name, the time of the kings of Israel, there seems to be plenty of names with "brother" in it:

and Ahishar [אֲחִישָׁר] was over the household--1 Kings 4:6

Baana the son of Ahilud[אֲחִילוּד], in Taanach and Megiddo--1 Kings 4:12

Ahinadab [אֲחִינָדָב] the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife--1 Kings 4:14-15

The book 'Dictionary of Deities, and Demons in the Bible' under the entry Brother states:

"In Hebrew theophoric personal names known from the Bible and from inscriptions (Zadok 1988:178-187), the most common elements, apart from 'el, 'god', and variants of yhwh are 'ab, 'father' (more than 30), 'ah , 'brother' (more than 25), and amm-, 'paternal uncle/kinsman' (more than 12). Note names such as Ahijah, 'Yah(u) is My (divine) Brother' (8 men. one woman?: STAMM 1980:111), Ahinadab 'My (divine) Brother is Generous' (one man), and Ahisamach, 'My (divine) Brother Has Helped' (one man), as well as Ahinoam, 'My (divine?) Brother is Gracious' (one man [Samarian ostraca], two women; STAMM 1980:133). Probably substitute names, such as Ahitub, 'My Brother is Goodness' (two men), also occur (STAMM 1939:279, 295; 1980:67, 69). In societies that rely heavily on the extended patriarchal family, as illustrated especially in the Books of Genesis and Ruth in the case of Israel, a brother or an uncle is commonly a primary authority figure, one whose protection is essential....As such the epithet 'brother' can be used of a deity, even if only in the popular or family piety reflected in personal names (ALBERTZ 1978). --'Dictionary of Deities, and Demons in the Bible' Entry for Brother, page 179

Bithiah בִּתְיָה

The daughter of a Pharoah is named "Bityah" which can be interpreted "Daughter of Yah":

And his wife Jehudijah bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these [are] the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took.--1 Chronicles 4:18

וְאִשְׁתּוֹ הַיְהֻדִיָּה, יָלְדָה אֶת-יֶרֶד אֲבִי גְדוֹר וְאֶת-חֶבֶר אֲבִי שׂוֹכוֹ, וְאֶת-יְקוּתִיאֵל, אֲבִי זָנוֹחַ; וְאֵלֶּה, בְּנֵי בִּתְיָה בַת-פַּרְעֹה, אֲשֶׁר לָקַח, מָרֶד.

Bealiah בעליה

The name Bealiah בעליה resembles בעל ba'al which means either "husband", "lord", or the pagan god Ba'al.

Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Hariphite--1 Chronicles 12:6

אֶלְעוּזַי וִירִימוֹת וּבְעַלְיָה וּשְׁמַרְיָהוּ, וּשְׁפַטְיָהוּ החריפי --First Chronicles 12:6

Some have interpreted this as "Baal is Yah", whereas others seeing it less sacrilegious to interpret it as "Yah is master."

Benaiah בְּנָיָה 

"Son of Yah"

Benaiah [בְּנָיָה]the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day.--1 Chronicles 11:22

בְּנָיָה בֶן-יְהוֹיָדָע בֶּן-אִישׁ-חַיִל רַב-פְּעָלִים, מִן-קַבְצְאֵל; הוּא הִכָּה, אֵת שְׁנֵי אֲרִיאֵל מוֹאָב, וְהוּא יָרַד וְהִכָּה אֶת-הָאֲרִי בְּתוֹךְ הַבּוֹר, בְּיוֹם הַשָּׁלֶג.-First Chronicles 11:22

 

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