Hebrew word · H3371

יׇקְתְאֵל

yakete'el

Joktheel

A compound name ending in ʾēl, "God". The first part is unclear. Older lexicons suggested meanings like "subdued by God". Other proposals connect it to roots meaning "to nourish" ("God sustains") or to the rare Hebrew word yiqqāhāh, "obedience" (Genesis 49:10). None of these is certain.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Joktheel = "the blessedness of God"

a city in the low country of Judah named next to Lachish

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 Joshua 15:38

Range of meaning

A compound name ending in ʾēl, "God". The first part is unclear. Older lexicons suggested meanings like "subdued by God". Other proposals connect it to roots meaning "to nourish" ("God sustains") or to the rare Hebrew word yiqqāhāh, "obedience" (Genesis 49:10). None of these is certain.

Against the English

All the major versions transliterate it as "Joktheel". This is accurate, but it hides the fact that the name contains "God".

Used elsewhere in the period

The same name is given in 2 Kings 14:7 to Sela in Edom after Amaziah took it, "to this day". That is a separate place, but it shows the name was a live, meaningful formation in Judahite naming. Place and personal names built with -el are common across the ancient Near East, at Ugarit and in Amorite texts.

Where it appears

Joshua · 1

  1. Joshua 15:38 וְיָקְתְאֵֽל׃ and Joktheel

    Dilan, Mizpeh, Joktheel,

    Here: A town name ending in -el ("God"). It is the last name in this verse and is marked as the end of the verse. The first half of the name is obscure. The location is unknown. It is a different place from the Edomite stronghold Sela, which King Amaziah later renamed "Joktheel" (2 Kings 14:7).

2 Kings · 1

  1. 2 Kings 14:7 יָקְתְאֵ֔ל Joktheel

    Amaziah struck down 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He took Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this very day.

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