Hodesh is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Hodesh appears in the genealogies of the tribe of Benjamin, recorded in 1 Chronicles 8. He was the wife of Shaharaim, a Benjamite who is listed among the descendants of Benjamin. The genealogy notes that Shaharaim had other wives, and it is in the context of his family record that Hodesh is named.
According to 1 Chronicles 8:9, Shaharaim “begat of Hodesh his wife, Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcham.” Hodesh is thus identified as the mother of four sons: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, and Malcham. These sons are counted among the descendants of Benjamin, and their names are preserved in the tribal record of Israel.
The account of Hodesh is brief. Scripture does not record her lineage, her later life, or any deed she performed. She appears only in this single verse, in a genealogy that traces the families of Benjamin after the return from exile. Her significance in the biblical text is that she bore children who were numbered among the people of God, and her name is preserved in the sacred record as part of that lineage.
The Name
The name Hodesh is related to the Hebrew word for “new” or “newness,” and it can also denote the new moon or the beginning of a month, since the Hebrew month was reckoned from the new moon. The name is thus often understood to carry the sense of “newness” or “new moon.” This meaning is well established from the Hebrew root, though as with many personal names in Scripture, it is not certain that the parents intended a specific meaning by it. It may simply have been a name in use at the time.
A Closing Thought
Hodesh’s life is remembered in a single line of a long genealogy, yet that line matters. She was a wife and mother whose sons were counted among the tribes of Israel, and her name was kept in the record of God’s people. Most of us will never be famous, and our lives may seem like a brief entry in a long list. But faithfulness in ordinary things—marriage, motherhood, the raising of children—is not forgotten by God. He keeps His own record, and no life lived before Him is too small to be remembered.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 8:9 — And he begat of Hodesh his wife, Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcham,