H6964 H6964
Qolayah, Kolaiah; a personal name meaning 'voice of Yahweh,' borne by a false prophet's father and a Benjamite
This theophoric name combines 'voice' with the divine name, meaning 'voice/oracle of Yahweh.' It identifies two individuals: the father of false prophet Ahab whom Jeremiah condemned, and a Benjamite ancestor in Nehemiah's post-exilic community. The name's irony is notable—the father of a lying prophet bore a name suggesting divine oracle. The Septuagint preserves the name with minor variation (Kodia, Koleia), confirming its textual stability. Like many Yahwistic names, this reflects parental hope for prophetic gifting or divine communication.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Nehemiah 11:7 lists Qolayah in a Benjamite genealogy, while Jeremiah 29:21 identifies him as father of the false prophet Ahab who prophesied lies in Babylon. Neither passage develops the character; both use the name purely for identification in genealogical or patronymic formulas. Spanish maintains 'Qolayah/Colaías,' French and German preserve the form with transliteration. The Jeremiah context is damning: Qolayah's son Ahab would be executed by Nebuchadnezzar for false prophecy and adultery. The name appears nowhere else, suggesting these were minor figures preserved only for genealogical completeness or prophetic polemic. The theophoric element connects both men to Yahwistic heritage, whatever their later unfaithfulness. 2×
AR["قُولايا", "قُولَايَا"]·ben["কোলায়-এর", "কোলায়ের"]·DE["[קוליה]"]·EN["Qolayah"]·FR["[קוליה]"]·heb["קוליה"]·HI["कोलायाह", "कोलायाह-का"]·ID["Kolaya"]·IT["[קוליה]"]·jav["Kolaya"]·KO["골라야의", "콜라야의"]·PT["Kolayah", "Qolayah"]·RU["Колаии", "Колайяху"]·ES["Colaías", "Qolayah"]·SW["Kolaya"]·TR["Kolaya'nın"]·urd["قولایاہ", "قولایاہ-کے"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† קוֹלָיָה n.pr.m. (voice of י׳);— 1. father of proph. Ahab Je 29:21. 2. Benjamite Ne 11:7; Κοδια, A Κωλεια, 𝔊L Κολεια. Prob. also 3. Levite Ezr 10:23, MT קֵלָיָה but 𝔊 Κωλεια, A Κωλαα (cf. GrayProp. N. 297).