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

Nehemiah meaning

Nehemiah in Biblical Hebrew
נחמיה
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Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Nehemiah.html

🔼The name Nehemiah: Summary

Meaning
Yah Comforts, Consolation Is Yah
Etymology
From (1) the verb נחם (naham), to be sorry or to comfort, and (2) יה (yah), the shortened name of the Lord.
Related names
• Via נחם (naham): Capernaum, Manaen, Menahem, Naham, Nahamani, Nahum, Nehum, Tanhumeth
• Via יה (yah): See the 'browse by form' menu for a long list of yah-names.

🔼The name Nehemiah in the Bible

There are three Nehemiah's mentioned in the Bible:

  • One Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel in the early wave (Ezra 2:2).
  • Another Nehemiah, a son of Azbuk, worked along those of the second wave (Nehemiah 3:16).
  • Lastly, there is the famous Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah, and author of the book that carries his name (Nehemiah 1:1).

🔼Etymology of the name Nehemiah

The name Nehemiah consists of two parts. The first part of the name Nehemiah comes from the verb נחם (naham), meaning to comfort:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
נחם

The verb נחם (naham) basically means to be sorry. It may mean to have regret but also to have compassion and often to comfort and console whoever one is sorry for. This verb often describes God's attitude toward mankind.

Noun נחם (noham) means sorrow or repentance. Nouns נחום (nihum) and נחמה (nehama) mean comfort or compassion. Noun תנחום (tanhum) meaning consolation.

— See the full Dictionary article —

The second part of the name Nehemiah is יה, the abbreviated form of יהוה, or YHWH, the Name of God .

🔼Nehemiah meaning

The two parts of the name Nehemiah put together means something like The Lord Is Comfort.

For a meaning of the name Nehemiah, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Yahweh Has Comforted. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads Comfort Of The Lord.