🔼The name Joshbekashah: Summary
- Meaning
- A Seat In A Hard Place, He Returns A Hard Fate
- Etymology
- From (1) the verb שוב (shub), to return, or ישב (yashab), to be seated, and (2) the verb קשה (qasha), to be hard.
🔼The name Joshbekashah in the Bible
There's only one man in the Bible who carries the enormous name Joshbekashah. He is a Levite — one of fourteen sons of Heman, who also has three unnamed daughters — who is to prophesy with lyre, harp and cymbals (1 Chronicles 25:4).
🔼Etymology of the name Joshbekashah
The complete etymology of the name Joshbekashah is disputed, although the various sources agree that the final part has to do with the verb קשה (qasha), meaning to be hard:
קשה
The verb קשה (qasha) means to be hard or severe (of a fate or burden). Adjective קשה (qasheh) means hard, severe or stubborn. Noun קשי (qeshi) means stubbornness. The noun מקשה (miqsheh) appears to describe a stylish coiffure and noun מקשה (miqsha) describes hammered metal work.
The origin of the first part is disputed, although scholars agree that it comes from the following cluster:
שוב
The verb שוב (shub) tells of a reversal in motion; the point where an upward motion becomes a downward one, or vice versa, or a westward motion an eastward one, and so on. This very frequently occurring verb is mostly translated with to turn or return, and is often used to mean to convert or return to a more fruitful way of life, and hence to restore, to retrieve or even to abstain, to reply and to repeat. Noun שובה (shuba) means withdrawal; noun שיבה (shiba) means restoration, and noun תשובה (teshuba) means answer. Adjectives שובב (shobab), שובב (shobeb) and משובה (meshuba) mean backsliding, or transitioning from a positive to a negative way of life.
Verb ישב (yashab) means to sit (the act which occurs precisely in between a person's descent and ascent) or to remain or dwell (in between traveling to and from some place). Nouns שבת (shebet) and מושב (moshab) mean both seat or dwelling place. Noun תושב (toshab) means sojourner.
The verb שבת (shabbat) means to rest or cease activity, and the familiar noun שבת (shabbat) means a rest or stoppage. Noun שבת (shebbet) means cessation and is closely similar to the noun שבת (shebet), meaning seat, mentioned above. Noun משבת (mishbat) also means cessation. Denominative verb שבת (shabat) means to keep the Sabbath and the noun שבתון (shabbaton) denotes a sabbatical observance.
Verb שבה (shaba) means to take captive, or to put a halt to someone's preferred trajectory and coerce them to go somewhere else. Nouns שבי (shebi) and שביה (shibya) mean captivity or captives collectively, but with the emphasis on being moved somewhere rather than the static condition of being imprisoned. Likewise, the noun שביה (shebiya) means captive. Noun שבית (shebit) or שבות (shebut) means captivity but since the parent verb speaks of a sudden change of destiny rather than a particular destination, this noun may also be used to mean restoration. The noun שבו (shebo) describes some sort of gem, apparently a real "head-turner."
🔼Joshbekashah meaning
Alfred Jones (Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names) proposes the first part of our name comes from the verb ישב (yashab), meaning to sit, remain or dwell. According to Jones, the letter beth of the name Joshbekashah, doesn't come from our verb (or rather, has been omitted in the name Joshbekashah) but is the particle beth, meaning in or by. Altogether, Jones translates the name Joshbekashah with the curious A Seat In A Hard Place.
NOBSE Study Bible Name List doesn't agree with Jones and sees more in the verb שוב (shub), meaning to turn or to return. Hence NOBSE reads a rather forged He Returns A Hard Fate.
Perhaps the name Joshbekashah is meant as a play on words and means He Turns Turned Metal. Or perhaps he was the local barber, known as Curling Iron. And then, of course, it's possible he was a bit of a Hard Ass. Who knows?