יוֹשָׁפָט (H3146) — Hebrew Lexicon

יוֹשָׁפָט

𐤉𐤅𐤔𐤐𐤈

Yoshafat

H3146 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁפט to judge, to govern, to decide judicially

Definition

Yoshaphat (Yôshâphât) – a personal name meaning 'Yahweh has judged' or 'Yahweh judges.' Appears as the name of several individuals in the Hebrew Bible, most notably a king of Judah, but also in other genealogical and narrative contexts. In some contexts, the name may function with the sense of judicial vindication or decree by Yahweh.

Semantic Range

personal name, Yahweh has judged, Yahweh judges, Judicial vindication by Yahweh, name of individuals (including a Judahite king and others)

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root שׁפט (sh-p-ṭ), 'to judge,' prefixed by יו (yo), a contracted form representing the divine name Yahweh (יהוה), yielding the meaning 'Yahweh has judged' or 'Yahweh judges.' The name structurally parallels other theophoric Hebrew names such as Jehoshaphat (יְהוֹשָׁפָט).

Historical & Contextual Notes

Yoshaphat is primarily used as a personal name, most famously for the fourth king of the southern kingdom of Judah, whose reign is described in 1 Kings 15–22 and 2 Chronicles 17–21. The name appears also for other individuals within various genealogies. The spelling יוֹשָׁפָט (Yôshâphât) is a contracted variant of יְהוֹשָׁפָט (Yəhōshāp̄āṭ); both preserve the same basic meaning and are used interchangeably in ancient manuscripts. In English Bibles, 'Jehoshaphat' is the more common transliteration for the king of Judah, while 'Joshaphat' may appear elsewhere, reflecting inconsistent transliteration traditions. The underlying theophoric element refers specifically to Yahweh and is thus distinct from similar names with El or other divine elements. The personal name did not function as a title or office and, in Iron Age Israelite and Judahite contexts, was not associated with the later religious category of 'Jew.' Its occurrence across diverse literary strata of the Hebrew Bible reflects no obvious change in meaning from the monarchic through post-exilic periods.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a form of יְהוֹשָׁפָט; Joshaphat, an Israelite; Joshaphat.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁפט (sh-p-ṭ) — to judge, to govern, to decide judicially

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H4941	מִשְׁפָּט	in the binding judgment
H8196	שְׁפוֹט	judicial sentences

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H3146-01`	וְ/יוֹשָׁפָ֖ט	veyoshafat	`HC/Np`	and Joshaphat	and Yahweh-has-judged	2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H3146-01`	1 Chronicles 11:43	וְ/יוֹשָׁפָ֖ט	veyoshafat	`HC/Np`	and Joshaphat	and Yahweh-has-judged
`H3146-01`	1 Chronicles 15:24	וְ/יֽוֹשָׁפָ֡ט	veyoshafat	`HC/Np`	and Joshaphat	and Yahweh-has-judged

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