Bible Dictionaries
Jehonathan

Holman Bible Dictionary

(jih hahn' uh thuhn) Personal name meaning, “Yahweh gave.” 1. Longer form of Jonathan often used in Hebrew text for Jonathan as in 1Samuel 14:6,1 Samuel 14:8 . 2 . Son of Abiathar, the priest (2Samuel 15:27,2 Samuel 15:36; 2Samuel 17:17,2 Samuel 17:20 ). He helped King David learn Absalom's plans when Absalom drove his father from Jerusalem. 3. King David's nephew who slew a giant from Gath (2 Samuel 21:22 ). 4 . Uncle of King David who served as royal counselor and scribe (1 Chronicles 27:32 ). 5 . Military leader under David (2 Samuel 23:32 ). 6 . Supervisor of royal storehouses under David (1 Chronicles 27:25 ). 7 . Scribe whose house King Zedekiah transformed into prison where he jailed Jeremiah (Jeremiah 37:15 ), a place Jeremiah did not like (Jeremiah 37:20; Jeremiah 38:26 ). 8 . Levite King Jehoshaphat sent to teach God's law in the cities of Judah (2 Chronicles 17:8 ). 9 . Head of a priestly family about 450 B.C. (Nehemiah 12:18 ). 10 . Founder of priesthood at worship place in Dan (Judges 18:30 ). Earliest Hebrew scribes noted that Jonathan was a descendant of Moses, but the present Hebrew text says Manasseh.

The Hebrew text is at times inconsistent in using the longer or shorter form of the name, and modern translators are as equally inconsistent. This article follows the Hebrew text. See Jonathan .