יְרוּשָׁא
𐤉𐤓𐤅𐤔𐤀
Yerusha
H3388 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Personal name Jerusha/Jerushah; in the context of the Hebrew Bible, a proper name borne by a woman, interpreted to mean 'Possessed,' 'Possession,' or 'Inheritance.' Functions as a feminine noun derived from the verbal root, but attested primarily as a personal name. Variants (likely dialectal or orthographic) יְרוּשָׁא and יְרוּשָׁה refer to the same individual in historical records.
Semantic Range
personal name (Jerusha/Jerushah), possessed, possession, inheritance (in derivational sense)
Root / Etymology
From the root יָרַשׁ (yarash), meaning 'to possess, to inherit.' The form יְרוּשָׁה is the feminine passive participle or substantive form, signifying 'one who is possessed' or 'one who is an inheritance/possession.' In personal name usage, the term reflects the sense of being possessed (by God or by one's family) or being an inheritor.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The name יְרוּשָׁה (Jerusha/Jerushah) appears in 2 Kings 15:33 and 2 Chronicles 27:1 as the mother of King Jotham and wife of King Uzziah (also called Azariah), both rulers of Judah in the monarchic period. As a personal name, it may evoke the theological or familial notion of being God's possession or inheritance, though its usage in the text is strictly on the level of genealogical record and personal identification. The form is not used as a common noun in the Hebrew Bible, nor does it designate a land or property in these attestations—contrasted with related nouns like נַחֲלָה (nachalah, 'inheritance') or יְרוּשָּׁה (yerushah, 'possession'). Unlike the later term 'Jew' or Judean (related to ethnic or geographic identity), this name simply reflects an Israelite woman in the royal lineage of Judah. The translation 'Jerusha/Jerushah' is carried into English versions, but the underlying meaning often goes unexplained. Variations in spelling (with/without final heh) reflect minor scribal or orthographic shift typical in biblical names.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or יְרוּשָׁה feminine passive participle of יָרַשׁ; possessed; Jerusha or Jerushah, as Israelitess; Jerusha, Jerushah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ירשׁ (y-r-sh) — to take possession, to inherit, to dispossess, to occupy
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3423 | יָרַשׁ | to dispossess us |
| H3424 | יְרֵשָׁה | inherited possession |
| H4180 | מוֹרָשׁ | for inherited-possession-of |
| H4183 | מוֹרַשְׁתִּי | the Moreshethite |
| H7568 | רֶשֶׁת | in a net |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3388-02 |
יְרוּשָׁ֖ה | yerushah | HNp |
Jerushah | inherited possession | 1 |
H3388-01 |
יְרוּשָׁ֖א | yerusha | HNp |
Jerusha | Possessed-one | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3388-01 |
2 Kings 15:33 | יְרוּשָׁ֖א | yerusha | HNp |
Jerusha | Possessed-one |
H3388-02 |
2 Chronicles 27:1 | יְרוּשָׁ֖ה | yerushah | HNp |
Jerushah | inherited possession |