Hebrew word · H1441

גִּדְעֹנִי

gid'oni

Gideoni

From gāḏaʿ, "to hew, cut down, cut off". The verb is used for chopping down sacred poles (Deuteronomy 7:5), cutting off a horn, that is, breaking someone's strength (Lamentations 2:3), and cutting down an enemy (Isaiah 10:33). The name likely means "hewer" or "one who cuts down".

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Num.1.11;

father of: Abidan (H0027)

§ Gideoni = "my hewer"

a Benjamite, father of Abidan

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Numbers 1:11

Range of meaning

From gāḏaʿ, "to hew, cut down, cut off". The verb is used for chopping down sacred poles (Deuteronomy 7:5), cutting off a horn, that is, breaking someone's strength (Lamentations 2:3), and cutting down an enemy (Isaiah 10:33). The name likely means "hewer" or "one who cuts down". The -î ending may be a pet-name ending or may mean "my". Proposals such as "warrior" or "one with a maimed hand" are guesses.

Against the English

English versions transliterate it as "Gideoni". The Latin Vulgate makes the connection with Gideon visible (Gedeonis).

Used elsewhere in the period

Found only in Numbers, as Abidan's father (1:11; 2:22; 7:60, 65; 10:24). The judge Gideon (Judges 6–8) has a name from the same root and is famous for cutting down Baal's altar and Asherah pole (Judges 6:25–32). The Greek Septuagint spells it Gadeōni.

Where it appears

Numbers · 5

  1. Numbers 1:11 גִּדְעֹנִֽי׃ Gideoni

    from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;

    Here: Abidan's father's name, built on the verb gāḏaʿ, "to hew, cut down" (the same root as the judge Gideon's name). It may mean something like "hewer" or "one who cuts down". The exact sense of the ending is uncertain. Gideoni appears only as Abidan's father.

  2. Numbers 2:22 גִּדְעֹנִֽי׃ Gideoni

    Next will be the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the Benjamites is Abidan son of Gideoni,

  3. Numbers 7:60 גִּדְעֹנִֽי׃ Gideoni

    On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the Benjamites, drew near.

  4. Numbers 7:65 גִּדְעֹנִֽי׃ פ Gideoni

    and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.

  5. Numbers 10:24 גִּדְעוֹנִֽי׃ ס Gideoni

    and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.