ע
ABARIM
Publications
Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary: The Old Testament Hebrew word: יקה

Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Dictionary/y/y-q-he.html

יקה

Abarim Publications' online Biblical Hebrew Dictionary

יקה

According to BDB Theological Dictionary there are two different roots יקה (yqh) that look the same in Hebrew but slightly different in Arabic. When vocalization symbols were added to the original Hebrew text (more than a thousand years after these were produced), these two roots became vocalized differently, which may suggest that they are as different as their Arabic counterparts. But on the other hand, they may have originally been perceived as the same, as their meanings in Arabic are largely overlapping:


יקה I

Root יקה (yqh I) isn't used as verb in the Bible, but in Arabic it means to preserve from evil or fear, or to be pious and careful of one's religious duties. The only evidence we have that this verb was probably known to Hebrew speakers is the Biblical occurrence of two derived names: Jakeh and Jekuthiel.

יקה II

Root יקה (yqh II) is also not used in the Bible, but seems to correlate with an Arabic verb that means to be obedient, and a Sabean verb that means to hear favorably or to hear and respond. The only trace of Biblical usage of this root is the derived feminine noun יקהה (yiqha), meaning obedience (and perhaps the name Kohath). It occurs in Proverbs 30:17 and in a declined form in Genesis 49:10 only.


Associated Biblical names