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דְּלָיָה

𐤃𐤋𐤉𐤄

Delayah

H1806 noun

SILEX Entry

Root דלה to draw (water), to lift out, to extract

Definition

A personal name meaning 'Yah has drawn up' or 'Yah has delivered.' The name דְּלָיָה (Delayah) and its longer form דְּלָיָהוּ (Delayahu) most likely express an invocation or declaration of divine rescue or extraction, referring in this case to Yahweh drawing someone up, saving, or delivering. Used exclusively as a proper name in the Hebrew Bible.

Semantic Range

Yah has drawn up, Yah has delivered, Yah has rescued; personal name for multiple Israelites in the Hebrew Bible

Root / Etymology

Compound formation from the verb דָּלָה (daláh, 'to draw up,' typically from a well) and the theophoric suffix יָהּ (Yah, abbreviated form of Yahweh). Thus, the name means 'Yah has drawn up/extracted (from danger or obscurity).'

Historical & Contextual Notes

This theophoric name is given to several figures in the Hebrew Bible, including leaders, scribes, and heads of priestly or lay families, primarily in late monarchic and post-exilic contexts (e.g., during the return from Babylonian exile). The root verbal element, דָּלָה, literally refers to drawing water, but in names, it conveys a metaphorical sense of deliverance or salvation. The extended form דְּלָיָהוּ includes the pronominal suffix -hu (he), a grammatical archaism preserved in some personal names, though its function is as a variation rather than a distinct grammatical meaning in this context. English translations render the name variably as 'Delaiah,' 'Dalaiah,' or 'Delajah,' but these do not capture the underlying theophoric meaning. As with other theophoric names, its use reflects the centrality of divine agency in personal and communal identity during the monarchic and post-exilic periods. There is no evidence the name was ever used for non-personal referents. No direct connection exists to the later term 'Jew' (Yehudi); identity here is connected with Israelite or Judahite lineages.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (prolonged) דְּלָיָהוּxlit Dᵉlâyâhhûw corrected to Dᵉlâyâhûw; from דָּלָה and יָהּ; Jah has delivered; Delajah, the name of five Israelites; Dalaiah, Delaiah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

דלה (d-l-h) — to draw up, to lift out, to extract

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1802 דָּלָה he drew up
H1803 דַּלָּה dangling strand of
H1805 דְּלִי from his two drawing-buckets
H1808 דָּלִיָּה his hanging branches
H1817 דֶּלֶת hanging door-panel

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1806-01 דְלָיָ֥ה delayah HNp Delaiah Yah Has Drawn Up Delayah 3
H1806-04 וּ/דְלָיָ֣הוּ udelayahu HC/Np and Delaiah and Yah has drawn up and Delayah 2
H1806-03 וּ/דְלָיָ֛ה udelayah HC/Np and Delaiah and Yah has drawn-up and Delayah 1
H1806-02 לִ/דְלָיָ֨הוּ֙ lidelayahu HR/Np to Delaiah to Yah-has-drawn-up to Delayah 1

Occurrences in Scripture

7 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1806-04 Jeremiah 36:12 וּ/דְלָיָ֣הוּ udelayahu HC/Np and Delaiah and Yah has drawn up and Delayah
H1806-04 Jeremiah 36:25 וּ/דְלָיָ֤הוּ udelayahu HC/Np and Delaiah and Yah has drawn up and Delayah
H1806-01 Ezra 2:60 דְלָיָ֥ה delayah HNp Delaiah Yah Has Drawn Up Delayah
H1806-01 Nehemiah 6:10 דְּלָיָ֛ה delayah HNp of Delaiah Yah Has Drawn Up Delayah
H1806-01 Nehemiah 7:62 דְלָיָ֥ה delayah HNp Delaiah Yah Has Drawn Up Delayah
H1806-03 1 Chronicles 3:24 וּ/דְלָיָ֛ה udelayah HC/Np and Delaiah and Yah has drawn-up and Delayah
H1806-02 1 Chronicles 24:18 לִ/דְלָיָ֨הוּ֙ lidelayahu HR/Np to Delaiah to Yah-has-drawn-up to Delayah
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