Jedidiah

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A masculine given name of Hebrew origin, borne in the Bible by a son of King David
2. A male first name of Hebrew origin meaning beloved of the Lord, found in the Old Testament
3. Masculine personal name from Hebrew scripture, given to boys and meaning beloved by God

Etymology: Jedidiah is a Hebrew name, borrowed into English from the Hebrew "yədîḏyāh", meaning "beloved of Yahweh" (or "beloved of the Lord"). The name is built from two elements: "yāḏîḏ", "beloved" or "dear", and a shortened form of the divine name YHWH, the God of Israel. Its most famous bearer appears in the Hebrew Bible, where the prophet Nathan gives the name to Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba, as a sign of divine favour. The Bible's own text explains the name rather than the reverse, so the meaning was fixed from the start. English speakers know the name mainly as a personal name, and it has been used in English-speaking Protestant communities, especially in the United States, where Puritan and biblical naming traditions gave it wide currency. Its nickname forms, such as "Jed", have long been common in their own right.