Jochebed
/ˈdʒoʊ.kə.bɛd/noun
A biblical Hebrew woman described in Exodus as the mother of Moses and Aaron.
Did you know?Jochebed’s name combines the divine element Yô-—related to the name Yahweh—with Hebrew kāvēd, meaning “glory,” “honor,” or literally “weight.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*k-b-d
“A root associated with being heavy; figuratively, weighty, honored, or glorious.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
יוֹכֶבֶד (Yôḵeḇeḏ)
“A personal name commonly interpreted as “YHWH is glory” or “YHWH is honor.””
6th–3rd Century BCE
Greek Septuagint
Ιωχαβήδ (Iōchabēd)
“Greek rendering of Jochebed’s name in the Septuagint translation of Exodus.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Iochabed
“Latin biblical form of the name.”
Middle English
English
Jochebed
“The conventional English biblical form, referring to Moses’ mother.”
Modern English
English
Jochebed
“A biblical female given name and the name of Moses’ mother.”