← H8202 H8204 →

שְׁפַטְיָה

𐤔𐤐𐤈𐤉𐤄

Shefateyah

H8203 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שפט to judge, decide, govern, act as judge

Definition

A personal name meaning 'Yah has executed judgment' or 'Yah has judged.' The name is compounded from the verb 'to judge' and the theophoric element referring to Yahweh (Yah). In the Hebrew Bible, שְׁפַטְיָה refers to multiple Israelite individuals in different periods, indicating both a declarative sense (Yahweh has rendered a judicial decision) and an emphasis on divine justice or vindication as characteristic of the individual’s naming. The semantic scope is limited to proper-noun usage as a personal (anthroponymic) designation.

Semantic Range

personal name — Yah has judged, Yah has executed judgment, Yahweh is judge; proper-noun designation of various Israelites or Judahites

Root / Etymology

From the root שָׁפַט (to judge, act as judge, govern) + the theophoric suffix יָהּ (shortened form of Yahweh). The name is a typical West Semitic theophoric compound, expressing an act performed by the deity—in this case, judgment or adjudication.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שְׁפַטְיָה appears as a personal name for several individuals in the Hebrew Bible, mostly identified as Israelites during the monarchic or early post-exilic periods (e.g. a descendant of David in 2 Samuel 3:4, a military leader in 2 Kings 25:23, a priestly figure in 1 Chronicles 9:8). The use of 'Yah' in the name reflects a theophoric tradition common in names from Iron Age Judah and among Israelites generally. The name's meaning—'Yah has judged'—implies a statement about divine justice or perhaps gratitude for such an act, but does not specify the content or subject of judgment. While later translations sometimes render the name as 'Shephatiah' (and in some Christian traditions may be loosely associated with 'Jewish' figures), in the biblical context the referents are uniformly Israelite or Judahite. The name should not be used as a common noun; its sense is limited to personal identification.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or שְׁפַטְיָהוּ; from שָׁפַט and יָהּ; Jah has judged; Shephatjah, the name of ten Israelites; Shephatiah.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

שפט (š-p-ṭ) — to judge, decide, govern, act as judge

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3092 יְהוֹשָׁפָט to YHWH-has-judged
H478 אֱלִישָׁפָט El has judged
H4941 מִשְׁפָּט according to your ruling
H8196 שְׁפוֹט Pronounce judgment!
H8199 שָׁפַט in his being judged

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8203-01 שְׁפַטְיָ֥ה shefateyah HNp Shephatiah Yah has judged 10
H8203-03 וּ/שְׁפַטְיָ֖הוּ ushefateyahu HC/Np and Shephatiah And-Yah-has-judged 2
H8203-02 שְׁפַטְיָ֖הוּ shefateyahu HNp Shephatiah Yah-has-judged 1

Occurrences in Scripture

13 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8203-01 2 Samuel 3:4 שְׁפַטְיָ֥ה shefateyah HNp Shephatiah Yah has judged
H8203-01 Jeremiah 38:1 שְׁפַטְיָ֣ה shefateyah HNp Shephatiah Yah has judged
H8203-01 Ezra 2:4 שְׁפַטְיָ֔ה shefateyah HNp Shephatiah Yah has judged
H8203-01 Ezra 2:57 שְׁפַטְיָ֣ה shefateyah HNp Shephatiah Yah has judged
H8203-01 Ezra 8:8 שְׁפַטְיָ֔ה shefateyah HNp Shephatiah Yah has judged
H8203-01 Nehemiah 7:9 שְׁפַטְיָ֔ה shefateyah HNp Shephatiah Yah has judged
H8203-01 Nehemiah 7:59 שְׁפַטְיָ֣ה shefateyah HNp Shephatiah Yah has judged
H8203-01 Nehemiah 11:4 שְׁפַטְיָ֥ה shefateyah HNp Shephatiah Yah has judged
H8203-01 1 Chronicles 3:3 שְׁפַטְיָ֖ה shefateyah HNp Shephatiah Yah has judged
H8203-01 1 Chronicles 9:8 שְׁפַטְיָ֔ה shefateyah HNp Shephatiah Yah has judged
← H8202 Hebrew Lexicon H8204 →