Original Word: יְהוֹנָדָב
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Yhownadab
Pronunciation: yeh-ho-naw-dawb'
Phonetic Spelling: (yeh-ho-naw-dawb')
KJV: Jehonadab, Jonadab
NASB: Jonadab, Jehonadab
Word Origin: [from H3068 (יְהוֹוָה - LORD) and H5068 (נָדַב - offered willingly)]

1. Jehovah-largessed
2. Jehonadab, the name of an Israelite and of an Arab

Jehonadab, Jonadab

From Yhovah and nadab; Jehovah-largessed; Jehonadab, the name of an Israelite and of an Arab -- Jehonadab, Jonadab. Compare Yawnadab.

see HEBREW Yhovah

see HEBREW nadab

see HEBREW Yawnadab

Word Origin
from Yhvh and nadab
Definition
"the LORD is noble," a Rechabite, also a nephew of David
NASB Translation
Jehonadab (3), Jonadab (12).

יְהוֺנָדָב, יוֺנָדָב proper name, masculine (׳י is noble, or is liberal, or hath impelled, compare נְדַבְיָה) —

1 ׳יְהוֺ son of Rechab & chief of the Rechabites (ᵐ5 Ἰωαναδαβ) 2 Kings 10:15 (twice in verse); 2 Kings 10:23; Jeremiah 35:8,14,16,18; = ׳יוֺ Jeremiah 35:6,10,19.

2 ׳יְהוֺ nephew of David (ᵐ5 Ἰωναδαβ, Ἰωναδαμ; ᵐ5^L Ἰωαναθαν) 2 Samuel 13:5; = ׳יוֺ 2 Samuel 13:3 (twice in verse); 2 Samuel 13:32,35; (apparently called Jonathan 2 Samuel 21:21; 1 Chronicles 20:7, compare יְהוֺנָתָן

3)

Name and Overview

The Hebrew name יְהוֹנָדָב (Jehonadab, shortened Jonadab) occurs in reference to two distinct men in Israel’s history. Though they share a common name meaning “Yahweh has been generous,” their lives illustrate sharply contrasting moral paths—one marked by deceit, the other by covenant fidelity.

Jonadab Son of Shimeah (2 Samuel 13)

• Lineage and Setting: Nephew of King David (son of David’s brother Shimeah).
• Role in Amnon’s Sin: Introduced as “a very shrewd man” (2 Samuel 13:3), Jonadab crafts the scheme by which Amnon violates Tamar. His calculated counsel—“Go to bed and pretend you are sick” (2 Samuel 13:5)—becomes the catalyst for incest, abuse, and eventual fratricide.
• Aftermath: When Absalom’s revenge brings Amnon’s death, Jonadab minimizes the incident before David, revealing a callous pragmatism (2 Samuel 13:32-35). Scripture offers no record of repentance, leaving his legacy as a warning against worldly cleverness divorced from righteousness.

Jehonadab Son of Rechab (2 Kings 10; Jeremiah 35)

• Historical Context: Living in the ninth century BC, Jehonadab emerges during Jehu’s purge of Baal worship.
• Alliance with Jehu: Jehu invites him, “Is your heart as true to mine as my heart is to yours?” (2 Kings 10:15). Their shared zeal for purging idolatry drives them into the temple of Baal where they oversee judgment against the priests (2 Kings 10:23). Jehonadab’s presence lends spiritual credibility to Jehu’s reforms.
• Founding the Rechabite Rule: Jehonadab institutes a family code—abstinence from wine, rejection of settled agriculture, and a nomadic lifestyle. While not commanded directly by the Mosaic Law, these disciplines fortified his descendants against Canaanite assimilation and idol-tainted luxury.

Legacy among the Rechabites (Jeremiah 35)

• Centuries Later: During Jehoiakim’s reign, the Rechabites obediently refuse wine in the temple chambers. “We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab son of Rechab, our ancestor” (Jeremiah 35:8).
• Divine Commendation: The LORD contrasts Israel’s disobedience with Rechabite fidelity—“The words of Jonadab son of Rechab have been carried out… but I have spoken to you again and again, and yet you have not obeyed Me!” (Jeremiah 35:14).
• Promise: “Because you have obeyed the command of your ancestor Jonadab… Jonadab son of Rechab will never fail to have a man to stand before Me” (Jeremiah 35:18-19). The perpetual lineage points to God’s approval of voluntary, God-honoring vows.

Character Study and Theological Insights

1. Moral Influence: Both men exert significant sway over others—one leading to sin, the other to sanctified living. Scripture underscores the power of counsel and the enduring reach of a patriarch’s example (Proverbs 13:20).
2. Holiness vs. Worldliness: Jehonadab’s rule models separation without legalism; its flexibility allowed participation in national reform (2 Kings 10) while resisting cultural compromise (Jeremiah 35).
3. Continuity of Covenant: The Rechabites’ faithfulness across generations demonstrates that obedience rooted in reverence for the LORD transcends time and political turmoil, reinforcing the enduring call to covenant loyalty (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
4. Prophetic Illustration: Jeremiah uses the Rechabites as a living parable—if human tradition can command such loyalty, how much more authority belongs to the voice of God. This argument prefigures New Testament appeals to obey “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

Practical Applications

• Choose Counsel Carefully: Jonadab son of Shimeah exposes the peril of ungodly advice; believers must seek wisdom that aligns with God’s revealed will (Psalm 1:1-2).
• Cultivate Generational Faithfulness: Jehonadab son of Rechab illustrates how intentional, Scripture-saturated standards can preserve a family’s witness.
• Zeal with Discernment: Partnership with Jehu shows that reform is most effective when moral passion is coupled with uncompromised devotion to the LORD.

Summary

Strong’s Hebrew 3082 introduces two contrasting narratives. Jonadab son of Shimeah embodies crafty worldliness that breeds destruction. Jehonadab son of Rechab exemplifies disciplined obedience that God Himself honors. Together they present a sobering and encouraging tableau: the trajectory of a life—and of generations—turns on whether one’s shrewdness is surrendered to self or to the sovereign LORD.

וִיהוֹנָדָ֥ב ויהונדב יְה֣וֹנָדָ֔ב יְהוֹנָדָ֣ב יְהוֹנָדָ֤ב יְהוֹנָדָ֥ב יְהוֹנָדָב֩ יהונדב vihonaDav wî·hō·w·nā·ḏāḇ wîhōwnāḏāḇ yə·hō·w·nā·ḏāḇ yeHonaDav yəhōwnāḏāḇInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts