יִשְׁבַּח (yish.bach)
yish.bach
Ishbah
N:N-M-PQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N-M-P
Word Overview
The name Ishbah, meaning "he will praise," appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, recorded in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 4:17. It identifies a specific man within the tribe of Judah during the period of the divided monarchy. He is listed as the son of Mered and Bithiah, placing him in a lineage that includes notable figures like Miriam and Shammai.
While the name itself carries a clear theological sentiment of praise, its biblical significance lies primarily in its historical context rather than any narrative action. The sources note he was the father of Eshtemoa, anchoring this individual within the broader tribal records that Chronicles seeks to preserve for post-exilic readers.
Translators typically render the name phonetically as Ishbah or Yishbach, preserving the original Hebrew sound since no single English word captures both the identity and the meaning simultaneously. The entry serves as a reminder of the many unnamed individuals whose names, like this one, encode devotion even when their personal stories remain unrecorded in the text.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Ishbah means "he will praise." It appears only once in Scripture, tucked into a list of names in 1 Chronicles 4:17. This genealogy records the family lines of Judah, tracing ancestors back through generations. Most people in these lists have no stories attached to them, yet their names remain preserved in the biblical text.
This single entry reminds us that God values every individual, even those whose lives leave no dramatic record. The meaning of the name itself points to a life oriented toward worship. It suggests that praise is not just for the famous or the powerful, but for everyone in the lineage of faith.
When you read these lists, consider how your own life might contribute to a larger story of devotion. Your quiet faithfulness, like the names in this genealogy, matters to God. He keeps record of those who honor Him, even when the world does not notice.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Ishbah1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יִשְׁבָּ֖ח1×
Key Verses
-
I Chronicles 4:17
The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon; and Mered’s wife bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.
This verse places Ishbah in the tribe of Judah as the son of Mered and father of Eshtemoa, anchoring his identity within a specific family line rather than through personal narrative.