בְּסוֹדְיָה
𐤁𐤎𐤅𐤃𐤉𐤄
Besodeyah
H1152 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Personal name, likely meaning 'In the council/confidence of Yah' or 'Yahweh is his confidant/counsel.' The name integrates the concept of divine counsel (sôd) with the theophoric element (Yah), conveying a relationship of intimacy or privileged knowledge with the deity.
Semantic Range
in the counsel of Yahweh, confidant of Yahweh, belonging to Yahweh’s council, privileged with Yahweh’s counsel, Besodeiah (proper name)
Root / Etymology
Formed from the prepositional prefix בְּ ('in'), the noun סוֹד ('council, secret, confidential conversation'), and the theophoric short form יָהּ ('Yah', referring to the Israelite deity Yahweh). Thus, בְּסוֹדְיָה means 'in the counsel of Yah.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
בְּסוֹדְיָה appears only in Nehemiah 3:6 as the name of an Israelite figure involved in rebuilding the Jerusalem wall after the Babylonian exile. The name is constructed like other biblical Hebrew theophoric names, combining an element denoting a quality, event, or relationship with the deity's name. 'Sôd' frequently refers not just to ordinary advice or counsel, but to confidential or privileged knowledge, sometimes with divine or prophetic connotations (cf. Amos 3:7, Psalm 25:14). The use of the theophoric suffix -yāh is typical of the post-exilic period. English translations usually transliterate the name (Besodeiah), but do not convey its underlying meaning; older versions may inaccurately use religiously loaded terminology. The underlying term סוֹד was used in the Hebrew Bible for both human and divine advice or council, but this personal name places emphasis on a privileged relationship with the deity. The name reflects post-exilic naming practices that often preferred explicit references to Yahweh (יה or יהו), expressing piety or relationship to the deity. The name does not occur elsewhere in earlier biblical texts, nor is it attested in extrabiblical sources. Some English translations render the preposition 'in' as if it is essential to the name's meaning, while others take the phrase more idiomatically as 'counsel of Yah(weh)'.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from סוֹד and יָהּ with prepositional prefix; in (the) counsel of Jehovah; Besodejah, an Israelite; Besodeiah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
סוד (s-w-d) — counsel, confidential talk, secret counsel, intimate circle
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5476 | סוֹדִי | My confidant |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1152-01 |
בְּסֽוֹדְיָ֑ה | besodeyah | HNp |
of Besodeiah | In the counsel of Yah | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1152-01 |
Nehemiah 3:6 | בְּסֽוֹדְיָ֑ה | besodeyah | HNp |
of Besodeiah | In the counsel of Yah |