הוֹדִיָּה
𐤄𐤅𐤃𐤉𐤄
Hodiyah
H1940 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A feminine personal name, Hôwdîyâh; in context, refers to a woman belonging to a family with a theophoric name incorporating יהוה (YHWH). In some contexts, it may function as a patronymic or matronymic designator ('daughter of Hodiah'). The meaning of the name is commonly understood as 'Yahweh is my majesty/glory' or 'Yahweh is my splendor.' There is no lexical basis for interpreting the word strictly as 'a Jewess' in any ethnic or religious sense; rather, it is a proper name.
Semantic Range
proper feminine personal name; (by extension) matronymic/patronymic designation; 'Yahweh is my majesty/glory'; does not bear the meaning of ethnic or religious identity
Root / Etymology
From the Hebrew root הוּד (hud, 'majesty, splendor'), combined with the theophoric suffix יָה (Yah, a short form for the Tetragrammaton, יהוה, YHWH). Thus, the name means 'Yahweh is majesty/splendor.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
הוֹדִיָּה appears in genealogical lists and refers to specific female individuals, such as in 1 Chronicles 4:18 and Nehemiah 8:7, and to a male Levite in Nehemiah 12:15 (in masculine form הוֹדִיָּהוּ). The interpretation 'a Jewess' arises from later translation traditions confusing the root with the ethnonym יְהוּדִי (Yehudi, 'Judahite' or 'Judean') or from KJV translation influence, but this sense is not present in the original Hebrew. The name is theologically significant as it incorporates the divine name and expresses an attribute ascribed to YHWH. It must be distinguished from יְהוּדִית (Yehudit/Judith), which is a well-attested term for an Israelite woman of the southern kingdom but carries a distinct etymological and semantic origin. Post-biblical and later traditions (including English translations) have occasionally rendered הוֹדִיָּה as 'a Jewess,' but this is not warranted by the lexical data.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a form for the feminine of יְהוּדִי; a Jewess; Hodiah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
הוד (h-w-d) — majesty, splendor, glory
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1935 | הוֹד | splendor-of |
| H1936 | הוֹד | and Majesty |
| H1938 | הוֹדַוְיָה | Yahweh is Majesty |
| H1941 | הוֹדִיָּה | Yahweh is my splendor |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1940-01 |
הֽוֹדִיָּ֛ה | hodiyah | HNp |
Hodiah | Yahweh is my splendor | 4 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1940-01 |
Nehemiah 10:11 | הֽוֹדִיָּ֛ה | hodiyah | HNp |
Hodiah | Yahweh is my splendor |
H1940-01 |
Nehemiah 10:14 | הוֹדִיָּ֥ה | hodiyah | HNp |
Hodiah | Yahweh is my splendor |
H1940-01 |
Nehemiah 10:19 | הוֹדִיָּ֥ה | hodiyah | HNp |
Hodijah | Yahweh is my splendor |
H1940-01 |
1 Chronicles 4:19 | הֽוֹדִיָּ֔ה | hodiyah | HNp |
Hodiah | Yahweh is my splendor |