Biblical Hebrew Forum

[jimstinehart AT aol.com]

Biblical Names Ending in -YH

 

Prior to II Samuel, not a single individual character in the Bible has a name that ends with -YH.  By stark contrast, beginning with I Kings there are dozens and dozens of Hebrew and Jewish west Semitic names ending in -YH that honor YHWH.  What happened in II Samuel to cause that sea change?

 

In my opinion, the Bible accords King David the great honor of being the first person to give one or more of his sons west Semitic names ending in -YH that honor YHWH.  II Samuel 3: 4.  A third son, Solomon, is later given a west Semitic nickname ending in -YH by the priest Nathan, and such name is expressly stated to be in honor of YHWH.  II Samuel 12: 25.  In generations  a-f-t-e-r  King David, west Semitic names ending in -YH that honor YHWH became very popular, as Hebrews and Jews, not surprisingly, began to copy King David’s way regarding names for their sons.  We see dozens of names in I and II Kings that are west Semitic names ending in -YH that honor YHWH, and there are dozens more such names in later books of the Bible.

 

But sad to say, the majority view of university scholars denies that feel-good analysis entirely.  Most university scholars say that the un-named father of King David’s obscure scribe $RYH [II Samuel 8: 17] gets the great Biblical honor of being the first person to give his son a west Semitic name ending in -YH that honors YHWH.  Can that be right?

 

Who’s right about this:  university scholars or me?

 

Jim Stinehart

Evanston, Illinois