Lexical Definition

‎יַדּוּעַ‎ Yaddûwaʻ (yad-doo'-ah) Jaddua ^N:N-M-P
from ‎יָדַע‎; knowing

Jaddua.

• § Jaddua = "knowing"
• Jaddua, the name of two Israelites

1) one of the chiefs of the people who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah
2) son and successor in the high priesthood of Jonathan, Jeshua, or Johanan; the last of the high priests mentioned in the OT, probably living in the time of Alexander the Great

Extended Information

• A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Neh.12.11
• son of: Johanan (יוֹחָנָן)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎יַדוּעַ‎

proper name, masculine 1. a chief of the people, one of those sealed Neh 10:22* ᵐ5^L Ιεδδαυα.

2. a priest, probably the high priest in time of Alexander the Great Neh 12:11; Neh 12:22 ᵐ5 Ιαδου, ᵐ5^L Ιεδδου (whence Lag^{BN 113} reads ‎יִדּוּעַ‎).

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Male • High Priest • High priest during the time of Alexander the Great.

Priest living at the time of Exile and Return

Jaddua served as the high priest during the reign of Darius the Persian and was contemporary with Alexander the Great (Neh.12.11,22).

• A High Priest from the tribe of Levi living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Neh.12.11;
• only referred to as Jaddua יַדּוּעַ;
• a son of Johanan יוֹחָנָן.

Jaddua is mentioned in Nehemiah 12:11 and 22 as a high priest who served during the reign of Darius the Persian. He was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of Joiada, who were also high priests (Neh.12.11).

The genealogy in Nehemiah 12 traces the succession of high priests from the time of the first return from Babylonian exile under Jeshua until the reign of Darius the Persian, also known as Darius III or Darius Codomannus (336-331 BC). This places Jaddua's tenure as high priest in the late 4th century BC.

Nehemiah 12:22 mentions that the Levites were recorded as heads of their fathers' houses during the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, until the reign of Darius the Persian. This suggests that Jaddua served as high priest for a considerable time, possibly spanning the reigns of multiple Persian kings.

According to Jewish tradition, as recorded in Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews (XI.8.4-5), Jaddua was the high priest who met Alexander the Great when the Macedonian king approached Jerusalem during his conquest of the Persian Empire. However, this account is not mentioned in the biblical text.

Jaddua's inclusion in the genealogy of high priests in Nehemiah 12 highlights the continuity of the priestly line and the importance of the high priestly office in the post-exilic Jewish community. It also provides a valuable historical reference point, linking the biblical narrative to the broader context of ancient Near Eastern history.

All entries for Jaddua: יַדּוּעַ

Related Profiles:

• Johanan (father)