Ikabod

Ikabod is in the 1st book of Samuel in the Old Testament the son of the priest Phinehas .

etymology

For the Hebrew personal name אִי־כָבוֹד 'î-khāwôd , German ' Ikabod ' (so in 1 Sam 4.21  EU , in 1 Sam 14.3  EU אִיכָבֹוד ' îkhāwôd ) there are different interpretations. Its main component is the noun כָּבוֹד kāwod , which means "heaviness / weight / reputation / honor / glory". In front of it is the element אִי־ ̓î . It is either an interjection (similar to אוֹי ̓ôj "woe"), then the name would translate as "woe to the glory". Or the element is a negation, then “no glory” could be translated. Furthermore there is the possibility to take אִי־ ̓î as a question word and to translate “Where is honor / glory?”. The names Ehud (אֵהוּד 'ehûd "Where is Highness?"), Jjob ("Where is the Father?"), Jezebel (אִיזֶבֶל ' îzævæl "Where is Highness?") And Iëser (אִיעֶזֶר 'î'æzær "Where is help?") Can be compared.

It is also discussed whether Ikabod is a shortened form of the name אֲחִיכָבוֹד 'ǎḥîkhāwôd ("my brother is honor") or אׇבׅיכָבוֹד ' ǎvîkhāwôd ("my father is honor"). Finally, it is considered whether the name was originally יוֹכֶבֶד jôkhævæd (" YHWH is weighty"), the spelling of the name Ikabod of the Septuagint in 1 Sam 14.3  EU as Ιωχαβηδ Iōchabēd fits this .

Deviating from this, the Septuagint gives the name in 1 Sam 4,21  EU as Οὐαὶ βαρχαβωθ Ouai barchabōth , translated "woe, son of glory", the Vulgate with Hicabod .

Biblical narration

Ikabod is a son of Phinehas and grandson of the priest Eli . According to 1 Sam 14.3  EU his brother is called Ahitub.

His father Phinehas and his uncle Hofni had died fighting the Philistines and the ark of God was carried away by the Philistines ( 1 Sam 4:11  EU ). When a messenger told Eli, Eli fell from his chair, broke his neck and died ( 1 Sam 4 : 17-18  EU ). The birth of Ikabod began the moment his mother learned of the removal of the ark and the death of her husband and father-in-law. His mother died in childbirth ( 1 Sam 4.19  EU ). She gave him the name Ikabod and said: “The glory is gone from Israel, for the ark of God has been dragged away” ( 1 Sam 4:22  EU ).

literature

• Matthias Helmer:  Ikabod. In: Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier (Eds.): The Scientific Biblical Lexicon on the Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff.
• Art. אִיכָבוֹד, In: Wilhelm Gesenius: Hebrew and Aramaic Concise Dictionary on the Old Testament , 18th edition 2013, p. 46.
• Hans Rechenmacher: Old Hebrew personal names, Münster 2012, p. 122.199.