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Discover the meanings of thousands of Biblical names in Abarim Publications' Biblical Name Vault: Adaiah

Adaiah meaning

Adaiah in Biblical Hebrew
עדיה
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Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Adaiah.html

🔼The name Adaiah: Summary

Meaning
Yahweh Has Adorned, Ornament Of The Lord
Etymology
From (1) the verb עדה ('ada), to pass by or to ornament, and (2) יה (yah), the name of the Lord.
Related names
• Via עדה ('ada): Adadah, Adah, Addi, Adiel, Adithaim, Elead, Eleadah, Galeed, Gilead, Iddo, Irad, Jehoaddah, Maadai, Moadiah, Noadiah, Oded
• Via יה (yah): See the 'browse by form' menu for a long list of yah-names.

🔼The name Adaiah in the Bible

The name Adaiah is applied to quite a few men in the Bible:

  • Adaiah of Bozkath, the father of Jedidah, the mother of king Josiah (2 Kings 22:1).
  • One mentioned in a Levite genealogy, about halfway Asaph and Gershom the son of Levi (1 Chronicles 6:41).
  • One of the sons of Shimei of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:21).
  • A son of Jeroham, mentioned among the kohanim who returned (1 Chronicles 9:12 and Nehemiah 11:12).
  • The father of Maaseiah, who joined the royalists under Jehoiada (2 Chronicles 23:1). This man's name is actually spelled עדיהו (Adaiahu).
  • Two men from the family of Bani who divorced their foreign wives during the purge of Ezra. One is actually called Adaiah (Ezra 10:29), the other עדיהו (Adaiahu — Ezra 10:39).
  • A son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah of Judah mentioned among the re-settlers after the return from exile (Nehemiah 11:5).

🔼Etymology of the name Adaiah

The name Adaiah consists of two elements. The final part of the name is the appellative יה (Yah) = יהו (Yahu) = יו (Yu), which in turn are abbreviated forms of the Tetragrammaton יהוה, YHWH, or Yahweh.

The first segment of the name Adaiah comes from the Hebrew root group עדה, which is used all over the Bible:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
עדד

Root עדד ('adad) describes a repeated passing by or over, or a repeated encountering. Noun עדה ('idda) describes any well-worn item.

Verb עדה ('ada I) means to advance or pass on. Nouns עד ('ad) and ועד (w'ad) describe the difficult concept of a future era advancing upon the now, or else the prey or booty upon which a predator advances. The conjunction עד ('ad) or עדי ('ady) means "as far as" or until.

The same verb, namely עדה ('ada II) is used to mean to adorn or ornament oneself — that is: to have items approach the canvas of one's bulk in order to testify of some social rank or perhaps the trade or order one belongs to. Noun עדי ('adi) means ornamentation: fancy or declarative things worn on one's body or clothes.

Verb יעד (ya'ad) means to meet, habitually and repeatedly rather than incidentally. Noun עדה ('eda) means congregation or some other joint collective. Nouns מועד (mo'ed), מועד (mo'ad) and מועדה (mu'ada) describe a place (or time) of meeting.

Verb עוד ('ud) means to return and repeat. Noun עוד ('od) denotes an addition, repetition or continuance. Nouns עד ('ed), עדה ('eda), עדה ('eda), עדת ('edut), עדות ('edut) and תעודה (te'uda) all mean witness or testimony in various nuances, and verb עוד ('ud) means to bear witness.

— See the full Dictionary article —

🔼Adaiah meaning

It's by no means certain what the original designer of the name Adaiah meant to say with this name. It may mean Yahweh For Ever, or it may mean Congregation Of Yah.

But most commentators prefer the meaning of ornaments or to deck oneself. NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Yahweh Has Adorned. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has Ornament Of The Lord, and BDB Theological Dictionary suggests Yah Has Decked Himself.