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יְהוֹנָתָן

𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤍𐤕𐤍

Yehonatan

H3083 noun

SILEX Entry

Root יהו, נתן to give (grant, bestow), YHWH (the personal name of the Israelite deity)

Definition

Personal name: 'Yehonatan' – 'YHWH has given' or 'YHWH gives.' Primarily used as the name of several Israelite men, most notably the son of Saul. The name is built on a theophoric element (YHWH) and a verb meaning 'to give.' In context, the name emphasizes divine bestowal or favor, as reflected in its use for prominent figures.

Semantic Range

personal name ('YHWH has given'), expression of divine favor, identification with the Israelite national deity, variations in theophoric prefix (Yeho– vs. Yo–); used exclusively as a male personal name in biblical Hebrew.

Root / Etymology

Formed from the theophoric prefix יְהוֹ (Yeho–, representing YHWH, the personal deity of Israel) and the verb נָתַן (natan, 'to give'), thus 'YHWH has given.' The Yeho- prefix is typical of many biblical Hebrew names, signifying that the bearer is marked by relation to YHWH.

Historical & Contextual Notes

יְהוֹנָתָן (Yehonatan) appears chiefly as the name of Saul's son, a central figure in the books of Samuel, known for his friendship with David. The name also belongs to lesser-known individuals across various genealogical lists in Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah. The shortened form יוֹנָתָן (Yonatan, H3129) is used interchangeably in some passages; both forms have the same underlying meaning but differ in the structure of the theophoric prefix. Most English translations render it 'Jonathan,' but this does not reflect the explicit reference to YHWH present in the original Hebrew. The use of the theophoric element marks it as a distinctly Israelite name, tied to open confession of YHWH as the source of blessing, common in the monarchic and post-exilic periods. No special religious connotation should be read into the name beyond this function as a personal name. In later Jewish tradition, the name persisted with the pronunciation and form 'Yonatan.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from יְהֹוָה and נָתַן; Jehovah-given; Jehonathan, the name of four Israelites; Jonathan. Compare יוֹנָתָן.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

יהו נתן (y-h-w n-t-n) — YHWH, to give, grant, bestow

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3083-05 יְהוֹנָתָ֜ן yehonatan HNp Jonathan YHWH-has-given 63
H3083-04 וִ/יהוֹנָתָ֖ן vihonatan HC/Np and Jonathan And YHWH-has-given 13
H3083-02 לִֽ/יהוֹנָתָ֜ן lihonatan HR/Np of Jonathan to Yehonatan (YHWH-has-given) 2
H3083-01 בִּ/יה֣וֹנָתָ֔ן bihonatan HR/Np against Jonathan YHWH-has-given 1
H3083-03 וְ/לִ/יהֽוֹנָתָן֙ velihonatan HC/R/Np And to Jonathan and to YHWH-has-given 1

Occurrences in Scripture

80 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3083-05 1 Samuel 14:6 יְהוֹנָתָ֜ן yehonatan HNp Jonathan YHWH-has-given
H3083-05 1 Samuel 14:8 יְה֣וֹנָתָ֔ן yehonatan HNp Jonathan YHWH-has-given
H3083-05 1 Samuel 18:1 יְה֣וֹנָתָ֔ן yehonatan HNp Jonathan YHWH-has-given
H3083-05 1 Samuel 18:1 יְהוֹנָתָ֖ן yehonatan-2 HNp Jonathan YHWH-has-given
H3083-05 1 Samuel 18:3 יְהוֹנָתָ֛ן yehonatan HNp Jonathan YHWH-has-given
H3083-05 1 Samuel 18:4 יְהוֹנָתָ֗ן yehonatan HNp Jonathan YHWH-has-given
H3083-05 1 Samuel 19:2 יְהוֹנָתָן֙ yehonatan HNp Jonathan YHWH-has-given
H3083-05 1 Samuel 19:4 יְהוֹנָתָ֤ן yehonatan HNp Jonathan YHWH-has-given
H3083-05 1 Samuel 19:6 יְהוֹנָתָ֑ן yehonatan HNp of Jonathan YHWH-has-given
H3083-05 1 Samuel 19:7 יְהוֹנָתָן֙ yehonatan HNp Jonathan YHWH-has-given
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