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בֶּרֶכְיָה

𐤁𐤓𐤊𐤉𐤄

Berekheyah

H1296 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ברך to bless, grant blessing, kneel

Definition

Personal name meaning 'Yah has blessed' or 'Blessing of Yah'. Used as the proper name for multiple individuals in the Hebrew Bible, typically Israelite men.

Semantic Range

personal name signifying 'Yah has blessed', 'Blessing of Yah'; name of several Israelite individuals; does not refer to knee in this context

Root / Etymology

From the root בָּרַךְ (barakh, 'to bless') combined with the theophoric short form יָהּ (Yah), referencing the deity YHWH. The formation indicates a divinely-bestowed blessing, rather than a literal 'knee,' as the root's primary lexical sense is 'to bless.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

בֶּרֶכְיָה (Berekyâh) is attested as the name of several Israelite men, most notably a Levite ancestor of the prophet Zechariah (see Zechariah 1:1), and in various genealogical lists (e.g., 1 Chronicles 6:39, 9:16). The name reflects the common ancient Israelite practice of forming personal names with theophoric elements to express divine affirmation or relationship. Though Strong's gloss refers to 'knee' (from the parallel root sense), the primary semantic basis for names of this form is 'blessing' derived from בָּרַךְ, not anatomical reference. Later English translations (such as the KJV) traditionally render the name as 'Berachiah' or 'Berechiah,' neither of which reflects the pronunciation or etymology precisely. There is no evidence in the biblical record that any bearer of the name was a Judean in the postexilic sense, and the term 'Jew' associated with such figures in English translations reflects later traditions rather than biblical usage. Variations in spelling (בֶּרֶכְיָה vs. בֶּרֶכְיָהוּ) reflect orthographic differences, not meaning.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or בֶּרֶכְיָהוּ; from בֶּרֶךְ and יָהּ; knee (i.e. blessing) of Jah; Berekjah, the name of six Israelites; Berachiah, Berechiah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ברך (b-r-k) — to bless, grant blessing, kneel

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1263 בָּרוּךְ blessed one
H1288 בָרַךְ let me bless
H1289 בְּרַךְ to pronounce blessing
H1290 בֶּרֶךְ knee
H1291 בֶּרֶךְ his knees

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1296-02 בֶּ֣רֶכְיָ֔הוּ berekheyahu HNp Berechiah Yah Has Blessed 4
H1296-01 בֶּ֣רֶכְיָ֔ה berekheyah HNp Berechiah Yah-has-blessed 4
H1296-03 וּ/בֶרֶכְיָ֧ה uverekheyah HC/Np and Berechiah and Yah-has-blessed 3

Occurrences in Scripture

11 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1296-01 Zechariah 1:1 בֶּ֣רֶכְיָ֔ה berekheyah HNp Berechiah Yah-has-blessed
H1296-02 Zechariah 1:7 בֶּ֣רֶכְיָ֔הוּ berekheyahu HNp Berechiah Yah Has Blessed
H1296-01 Nehemiah 3:4 בֶּרֶכְיָ֖ה berekheyah HNp Berechiah Yah-has-blessed
H1296-01 Nehemiah 3:30 בֶּ֣רֶכְיָ֔ה berekheyah HNp Berechiah Yah-has-blessed
H1296-01 Nehemiah 6:18 בֶּֽרֶכְיָֽה berekheyah HNp Berechiah Yah-has-blessed
H1296-03 1 Chronicles 3:20 וּ/בֶרֶכְיָ֧ה uverekheyah HC/Np Berechiah and Yah-has-blessed
H1296-02 1 Chronicles 6:24 בֶּרֶכְיָ֖הוּ berekheyahu HNp Berechiah Yah Has Blessed
H1296-03 1 Chronicles 9:16 וּ/בֶרֶכְיָ֤ה uverekheyah HC/Np and Berechiah and Yah-has-blessed
H1296-02 1 Chronicles 15:17 בֶּֽרֶכְיָ֑הוּ berekheyahu HNp Berechiah Yah Has Blessed
H1296-03 1 Chronicles 15:23 וּ/בֶֽרֶכְיָה֙ uverekheyah HC/Np and Berechiah and Yah-has-blessed
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