Zephaniah
/ˌzɛfəˈnaɪə/noun
A masculine given name borne by a biblical prophet whose book is part of the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament.
Did you know?The biblical Zephaniah was a seventh-century BCE prophet who warned of the “Day of Yahweh,” linking the name with apocalyptic prophecy rather than occult magic.
Etymological Timeline
Late 2nd–1st Millennium BCE
Hebrew
צְפַנְיָהוּ (Ṣəfanyāhū)
“A personal name meaning “Yahweh has hidden” or “Yahweh has protected”; the element -yāhū is a form of the divine name.”
6th–5th Century BCE
Biblical Hebrew
צְפַנְיָה (Ṣəfanyāh)
“A shortened form of the name, retaining the sense “Yahweh has hidden or protected.””
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Ancient Greek
Σοφονίας (Sophonías)
“The Greek transliteration of the biblical name in the Septuagint.”
4th–5th Century CE
Latin
Sophonias
“The Latin form used in biblical translations and Christian textual tradition.”
Middle English
English
Sophonias / Zephaniah
“Biblical forms transmitted through Latin and ecclesiastical English traditions.”
Modern English
English
Zephaniah
“A personal name and the conventional English title of the biblical Book of Zephaniah.”