{
  "id": "dict_002459",
  "term": "Hephzibah",
  "slug": "hephzibah",
  "letter": "H",
  "entry_type": "biblical_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A Hebrew personal name meaning “my delight is in her.” In Isaiah 62:4 it is used as a symbolic name for restored Zion, expressing the Lord’s favor toward his people.",
  "simple_one_line": "Hephzibah is a biblical name meaning “my delight is in her,” used symbolically for Zion in Isaiah 62:4.",
  "tooltip_text": "Hebrew name meaning “my delight is in her”; a symbolic title for restored Zion in Isaiah 62:4.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Hezekiah",
    "Manasseh",
    "Zion",
    "Jerusalem",
    "Forsaken"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Isaiah 62",
    "names in the Bible",
    "covenant restoration"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Hephzibah is a biblical proper name meaning “my delight is in her.” Scripture uses it as the name of Hezekiah’s wife and, more prominently, as a symbolic title for Zion in Isaiah 62:4.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Name meaning “my delight is in her.”",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Appears as a personal name in 2 Kings 21:1.",
    "Used symbolically of Zion in Isaiah 62:4.",
    "Expresses divine delight and restored covenant favor."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Hephzibah is a Hebrew personal name commonly understood to mean “my delight is in her.” In 2 Kings 21:1 it is the name of Hezekiah’s wife and Manasseh’s mother. In Isaiah 62:4 it functions symbolically as a new name for Zion, indicating that the Lord delights in his restored people.",
  "description_academic_full": "Hephzibah is a Hebrew personal name commonly understood to mean “my delight is in her.” Scripture uses the name in two related ways. First, it identifies Hezekiah’s wife, the mother of Manasseh, in 2 Kings 21:1. More significantly, Isaiah 62:4 uses Hephzibah as a symbolic name for Zion, declaring that the city will no longer be called Forsaken but Hephzibah, because the Lord delights in her. In that prophetic setting the name functions as a vivid picture of covenant restoration and gracious divine favor after judgment. The entry is best treated as a biblical name with theological significance rather than as a standalone doctrinal term.",
  "background_biblical_context": "2 Kings 21:1 introduces Hephzibah as the wife of Hezekiah and mother of Manasseh. Isaiah 62:4 then reuses the name poetically for Zion, contrasting abandonment with restored delight.",
  "background_historical_context": "The name reflects common Hebrew naming practices, where personal names often carried theological meaning. Isaiah’s use of the name fits prophetic language of renewal and restored identity for Jerusalem after judgment and exile.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In the ancient Near Eastern and biblical world, names often conveyed hope, character, or divine action. Isaiah’s renaming of Zion fits the biblical pattern of symbolic name-giving to express a changed covenant status.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "2 Kings 21:1",
    "Isaiah 62:4"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Isaiah 62:1–5",
    "2 Kings 20–21"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew: חֶפְצִי־בָהּ (commonly understood as “my delight is in her”). The exact nuance reflects the name’s poetic and symbolic force in context.",
  "theological_significance": "In Isaiah 62:4 the name signals God’s gracious delight in his restored people. It highlights covenant mercy, renewed identity, and the reversal of forsakenness.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The term shows how biblical language can move from ordinary naming to symbolic proclamation. A personal name becomes a theological sign when used in prophecy to describe God’s relation to his people.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not treat Hephzibah as a separate doctrine or as evidence for special mystical meaning in names. In Isaiah 62:4 the force is literary and prophetic: the name symbolizes restored favor, not a literal change in ontology.",
  "major_views_note": "Interpreters generally agree on the basic meaning and on Isaiah 62:4 as symbolic language for Zion. The main question is not the meaning of the name but how strongly the prophetic renaming should be pressed; the safest reading sees it as vivid covenant-restoration imagery.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "The entry should remain within the bounds of biblical naming and prophetic symbolism. It should not be expanded into speculative name theology or detached from the immediate context of Isaiah 62.",
  "practical_significance": "Hephzibah reminds readers that God can replace shame with delight and abandonment with restored favor. It offers a concise picture of grace and renewal.",
  "meta_description": "Hephzibah is a biblical name meaning “my delight is in her,” used symbolically for Zion in Isaiah 62:4.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/hephzibah/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/hephzibah.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}