Original Word: הוֹדַיְוָהוּ
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Howdayvahuw
Pronunciation: ho-dav-YAH-hoo
Phonetic Spelling: (ho-dah-yeh-vaw'-hoo)
KJV: Hodaiah
NASB: Hodaviah
Word Origin: [a form of H1938 (הוֹדַויָה - Hodaviah)]

1. Hodajvah, an Israelite

Hodaiah

A form of Howdavyah; Hodajvah, an Israelite -- Hodaiah.

see HEBREW Howdavyah

Word Origin
from yadah
Definition
an Isr. name
NASB Translation
Hodaviah (1).

Overview

The form הוֹדַיְוָהוּ (Strong’s Hebrew 1939) is a textual variant of the better-attested name Hodaviah/Hodevah. Although this precise spelling does not appear in the Masoretic text, it preserves the same covenantal idea: “praise” or “thanksgiving” joined to the divine Name. Several individuals bearing the cognate name serve in military, civic, or Levitical roles, illustrating how “praise to Yah” was embedded in Israel’s public and private life.

Representative Bearers (Variant Spelling Hodaviah/Hodevah)

1. A Manassite chieftain renowned for valor (1 Chronicles 5:24).
2. Ancestor of a Levitical clan that returned from exile (Ezra 2:40; Nehemiah 7:43).
3. A Benjamite listed in post-exilic Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 9:7, reading Hodaviah in several manuscripts).

These occurrences show the breadth of the name—from eastern-tribal warriors to Temple servants—affirming that gratitude toward the LORD belongs in every sphere of Israel’s calling.

Thematic Significance

• Praise as Identity

The root תודה (todah, “thanksgiving”) signals that Israel’s very names could become liturgical confessions. By carrying a name meaning “Yah is my praise,” each Hodaviah lived as a walking testimony that worship is not confined to sanctuary walls but woven into lineage and vocation.

• Restoration and Worship

In Ezra and Nehemiah, descendants of Hodaviah number seventy-four—small in comparison with larger clans, yet deliberately counted. Their inclusion underscores the principle that God restores worship by restoring worshipers. “For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). Even minor families find their place in His redemptive census.

• Courage and Praise

1 Chronicles 5:24 describes Hodaviah among “mighty men of valor.” Thanksgiving and courage stand side by side; genuine praise often flourishes in battlefields, not armchairs. This convergence anticipates New-Covenant exhortations: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15). The same heart that worships is the heart that wars for righteousness.

Ministry Implications

1. Worship Leaders

Levitical Hodaviahs remind today’s worship ministers that their foremost identity is not musicianship but thanksgiving. Skill supports, never replaces, a grateful spirit.

2. Intercessors

The militarily active Hodaviah models praise as warfare. Singing Psalmic truths is an act of intercession that dislodges strongholds (2 Chronicles 20:22).

3. Church Planters and Rebuilders

Post-exilic Hodaviahs highlight God’s priority of re-establishing corporate praise in times of renewal. Any work of church revitalization should place doxology at its core.

Christological Resonance

Hodaviah—“praise belongs to Yah”—reaches its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, through whom the Father receives “glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations” (Ephesians 3:21). The name points beyond itself to the Son who perfects our worship and mediates our thanksgiving.

Practical Application

• Cultivate named praise. Keep journals or prayer times where each petition is paired with explicit thanksgiving, turning needs into occasions for Hodaviah-like witness.

• Embrace small numbers. The seventy-four Levites show that effectiveness is measured by faithfulness, not crowd size.

• Link courage to gratitude. In seasons of conflict, rehearse God’s past victories; thanksgiving fuels fresh boldness.

Summary

Though Strong’s 1939 occurs only as a variant spelling, its thematic weight is clear. From genealogies to Temple courts, the Hodaviahs display a life oriented around thankful fidelity to the covenant Lord—a pattern still vital for believers who seek to couple valor with worship until every tongue joins the eternal song, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13).

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