זְבוּדָה (ze.vi.dah)
ze.vi.dah
Zebidah
N:N-F-PQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N-F-P
Word Overview
The name Zebidah means "gift" or "given." It appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in 2 Kings 23:36, where it identifies the mother of King Jehoiakim. She is described as the daughter of Pedaiah and the wife of Josiah, the righteous king who sought to restore true worship in Judah.
Although her personal story is not told, her name carries theological weight. In a narrative focused on royal lineage, being called "the gift" may reflect gratitude for a child born during a turbulent era. Her son Jehoiakim would go on to rule after Josiah’s death, marking a sharp turn away from his father’s reforms.
Lexical sources note that the name is rare and specific to this historical moment. It serves as a quiet reminder that even in times of national decline, individuals are remembered by name. The fact that Zebidah is listed alongside her husband and son highlights the importance of family connections in biblical genealogies.
Translators typically render the name simply as Zebidah or Zebudah, preserving its original sound. This choice respects the text’s focus on identity rather than interpretation. For readers, it offers a glimpse into the lives of those who shaped Judah’s history from behind the scenes.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Zebidah means "gift" or "given." It appears only once in Scripture, marking the mother of King Jehoiakim. In a time when royal lineages defined national identity, her name stands as a quiet reminder that God remembers individuals even when history moves toward decline.
Her son ruled after Josiah’s reforms, yet she is remembered simply as a gift. This invites us to see our own lives not by grand achievements, but as offerings held in trust. Every person, known or unknown, carries value before God.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [was] Zebudah1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- זְבוּדָּ֥ה1×
Key Verses
-
II Kings 23:36
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.
This verse identifies Zebidah as the mother of Jehoiakim, preserving her name and lineage despite the turbulent political shift following Josiah's death.