🔼The name Haggiah: Summary
- Meaning
- Feast Of Yah
- Etymology
- From (1) the verb חגג (hagag), to gather for a festival, and (2) יה (yah), the shortened name of the Lord.
🔼The name Haggiah in the Bible
The name Haggiah occurs only once in the Bible, and that in a genealogy without further details (1 Chronicles 6:30). So we know that Haggiah existed but we don't know who he was, except that he was descendant of Levi, who was the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Haggiah was the sixth generation after Merari, the third son of Levi. The priestly sub-tribe of Merari carried the framework of the tabernacle in the wandering years (Numbers 3:36-37). Later this family was assigned twelve cities (Joshua 21:7) and became important in the worship services in the pre-Temple period (1 Chronicles 6:31-47).
🔼Etymology of the name Haggiah
The name Haggiah consists of two parts. The final element is יה, the abbreviated form of the Name of the Lord: יהוה (YHWH).
The first part of the name comes from the verb חגג (hagag), meaning to celebrate, hold a feast:
חגג
The verb חגג (hagag) means to gather for a feast or celebration, particularly those that were prescribed to occur yearly. Noun חג (hag) means feast or festival gathering.
The verb חוג (hug) means to draw round or make a circle. Noun חג (hug) means circle, cycle or circuit. Noun מחוגה (mehuga), meaning circler or compass.
It appears that the name Haggiah closely resembles the familiar phrase חג־יהוה, meaning Feast Of YHWH or Feast Of The Lord, which occurs in Exodus 10:9, Leviticus 23:39, Judges 21:19 and Hosea 9:5.
🔼Haggiah meaning
For the meaning of the name Haggiah Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads Exultation or Festival Of The Lord. NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Festival Of Yahweh. BDB Theological Dictionary reads Feast Of Yah.