חֶפְצִי בָּהּ
𐤇𐤐𐤑𐤉 𐤁𐤄
Chefetsi Bah
H2657 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A proper name meaning 'my delight is in her'; the name given to a woman in the Hebrew Bible, specifically the mother of King Manasseh and wife of King Hezekiah. The name expresses a sentiment of delight or pleasure directed toward the bearer, most likely from the perspective of a parent, spouse, or the divine. In later texts, also used symbolically for Zion/Jerusalem to denote divine favor and restored relationship.
Semantic Range
a woman's proper name (mother of Manasseh); symbolically, used as a name for Zion/Jerusalem to express restored favor and divine delight; phrase indicating pleasure or delight directed at a feminine entity
Root / Etymology
Formed from the noun חֵפֶץ (ḥéfeṣ, 'delight, pleasure, desire') and the pronominal suffixes: first person singular possessive '-î' ('my') attached to 'delight' (חֶפְצִי, ḥephtsî), followed by feminine singular pronominal suffix '-bah' ('in her'), yielding the full construct 'my delight is in her.' Root is חפץ meaning 'to take pleasure in, to desire'.
Historical & Contextual Notes
During the monarchic period, the name חֶפְצִי בָּהּ is given to the mother of King Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1). Its literal meaning underscores parental or divine pleasure, contrasting with names expressing lament or judgment. In post-exilic prophetic literature (Isaiah 62:4), the phrase is repurposed as a symbolic name for Zion/Jerusalem, emphasizing the restored favor and special relationship between the deity and the city. The use of the phrase as a personal name is attested for royal women, reflecting naming patterns where names often expressed hopes or statements about relationship with the divine. Standard English translations sometimes render the phrase as 'Hephzibah,' maintaining its transliterated form even when used of cities, but may not convey the underlying nuance of delight or restoration. The term does not originally denote a territorial or geographic region (e.g. 'Palestine'), and such renderings are later interpretive expansions. The use of the term for a person differs categorically from its symbolic use for a location in prophetic contexts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from חֵפֶץ with suffixes; my delight (is) in her; Cheptsi-bah, a fanciful name for Palestine; Hephzi-bah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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חפץ (ḥ-p-ṣ) — to take pleasure in, to desire, to delight in
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2657-02 |
בָֽהּ | vah | HNp |
bah | My Delight Is in Her | 2 |
H2657-01 |
חֶפְצִי | chefetsi | HNp |
Hephzi | my delight | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2657-01 |
2 Kings 21:1 | חֶפְצִי | chefetsi | HNp |
Hephzi | my delight |
H2657-02 |
2 Kings 21:1 | בָֽהּ | vah | HNp |
bah | My Delight Is in Her |
H2657-01 |
Isaiah 62:4 | חֶפְצִי | chefetsi | HNp |
My delight | my delight |
H2657-02 |
Isaiah 62:4 | בָ֔הּ | vah | HNp |
is in her | My Delight Is in Her |