Girl Old Testament Rare
Mehetabel
how good is God
מְהֵיטַבְאֵל me.he.tav.el
Mehetabel (Hebrew: מְהֵיטַבְאֵל, me.he.tav.el) means “how good is God”, by traditional interpretation. Two people in scripture bear the name; the best attested is a king. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears with Achbor in Genesis 36.
Which Mehetabel?
Two men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.
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Mehetabel
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Mehetabel
spouse of Hadar; daughter of Matred
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 3 across 3 books
- Bearers
- 2 distinct people in scripture
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Patriarchal
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Genesis 36:39 |
| Last appears | Nehemiah 6:10 |
| Cross-references | 28 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Matred co-occurrence Appears with Matred in Genesis 36.
- Mezahab co-occurrence Appears with Mezahab in Genesis 36.
- Shemaiah co-occurrence Appears with Shemaiah in Nehemiah 6.
- Delaiah co-occurrence Appears with Delaiah in Nehemiah 6.
- Hadad co-occurrence Appears with Hadad in Genesis 36.
- Baal-hanan co-occurrence Appears with Baal-hanan in Genesis 36.
- Achbor co-occurrence Appears with Achbor in Genesis 36.
- Arah co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Arah.
Origin & meaning
A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.36.39; her mother was Matred (H4308); married to Hadad (H1908H)
§ Mehetabeel or Mehetabel = "favoured of God"
1) the ancestor of Shemaiah, the false prophet who was hired against Nehemiah by Tobiah and Sanballat
2) the daughter of Matred and wife of king Hadad of Edom
Mehetabel was the wife of Hadar, a king of Edom.
The biblical story
Mehetabel was the wife of Hadar (or Hadad), who was the last king of Edom mentioned in the genealogy of Esau. She was the daughter of Matred and the granddaughter of Me-zahab (Gen.36.39; 1Ch.1.50). The Edomites were descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Israel (or 'Jacob'), and they settled in the region southeast of Judah. The mention of Mehetabel in the genealogy suggests that she held a significant position as the queen of Edom during her husband's reign. However, no further details about her life or role are provided in the biblical text.
Key verses
Mehetabel appears in 2 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
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And Baal–hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
Genesis 36:39 -
And when Baal–hanan was dead, Hadad reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pai; and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
1 Chronicles 1:50
Show all 2 references
Genesis (1)
- Genesis 36:39
1 Chronicles (1)
- 1 Chronicles 1:50