Jedidiah is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Jedidiah is a name given to Solomon, the son born to David and Bathsheba. The setting is the aftermath of David’s sin with Bathsheba and the death of the child conceived in that sin. In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan had confronted David, and David repented. After the child died, David comforted Bathsheba his wife, went in to her, and she bore a son. This son is the one whom Nathan the prophet named Jedidiah.
The Scripture says that David “sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:25). The name was given by Nathan, not by David. The source note explains that Jedidiah means “Beloved of the Lord.” The name appears only once in the King James Bible, in this verse.
Though the name Jedidiah is brief in the record, the person is Solomon, who would later become king of Israel and build the temple. The Bible does not here record any deed of Jedidiah himself; the verse focuses on the naming. What Scripture says of him is that he was named by Nathan because of the LORD, and the meaning of the name declares him beloved of the LORD. This naming follows the sorrow of the previous child’s death and David’s repentance, and it points to God’s mercy in the line of David.
The Name
The name Jedidiah is Hebrew, and its meaning is well established from the source note: “Beloved of the Lord.” The name is related to the Hebrew root for “beloved” and to the divine name, so it carries the sense of being loved by Yahweh. In the King James Bible the name appears only in 2 Samuel 12:25, where Nathan the prophet gives it to Solomon. The text itself supplies the reason: “because of the LORD.” So the meaning is not uncertain; it is explicitly tied to the LORD’s love.
A Closing Thought
Jedidiah’s story is a quiet one: a name given, a love declared. It comes not in a moment of triumph but after sin, grief, and repentance. The LORD did not abandon David’s house; He spoke a name of love over a newborn. That is a tender picture of grace. We too are named and known by God, not because we are flawless, but because He is merciful. Let this small verse remind you that the LORD’s love can rest upon a life before that life has done anything at all.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 2 Samuel 12:25 — And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.