🔼The name Zebidah: Summary
- Meaning
- Given, Giving
- Etymology
- From the verb זבד (zabad), to give.
🔼The name Zebidah in the Bible
The name Zebidah (or Zebudah as many translations have it) occurs only once in the Bible. She is the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah and the mother of king Jehoiakim of Judah (2 Kings 23:36).
The traditional reading of this name is זבידה (Zebidah) but the Masoretic scribes couldn't match that with their understanding of the Hebrew language, and published their corrected spelling of זבודה (Zebudah) in the margins. Older translations tend to go with these Masoretic interpretations, but in modern times there seems to be a move towards the original texts, as modern translations speak of Zebidah.
🔼Etymology of the name Zebidah
The name Zebidah comes from the verb זבד (zabad), meaning to give:
זבד
The verb זבד (zabad) means to give and the noun זבד (zebed) means gift. Both these words are used only once, in Genesis 30:20. These words' more common equivalents come from the root נתן (natan).
🔼Zebidah meaning
For a meaning of the name Zebidah, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Given. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has Bestowing A Gift. BDB Theological Dictionary does not translate this name but does list it under the verb זבד (zabad), meaning to give.