4322. Mikayahu
Lexical Summary
Mikayahu: Mikayahu

Original Word: מִיכָיָהוּ
Part of Speech: proper name; masculine; feminine
Transliteration: Miykayahuw
Pronunciation: mee-kah-YAH-hoo
Phonetic Spelling: (me-kaw-yaw'-hoo)
KJV: Michaiah
NASB: Micaiah
Word Origin: [for H4320 (מִיכָּיָה - Micaiah)]

1. Mikajah, the name of an Israelite and an Israelitess

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Michaiah

For Miykayah; Mikajah, the name of an Israelite and an Israelitess -- Michaiah.

see HEBREW Miykayah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from mi, a preposition prefix and Yah
Definition
"Who is like Yah?" an Isr., also an Isr. woman
NASB Translation
Micaiah (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מִיכָיָ֫הוּ proper name (Who is like Yah? compare מִיכָאֵל): —

1. masculine a prince under Jehosh.2Chronicles 17:7.

2. feminine2Chronicles 13:2f. l. for מִעֲכָה 2b, q. v.. Of this name, the following are abbreviated, or softened, forms —

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and theological implications

The name Micaiah-hu, “Who is like Yahweh?” functions as a constant confession of the incomparability of the covenant God. Every bearer of the name silently proclaims the exclusivity of the Lord in power, holiness, and faithfulness (Exodus 15:11; Micah 7:18).

Occurrences

1. 2 Chronicles 13:2 – Mother of King Abijah of Judah.
2. 2 Chronicles 17:7 – Teacher sent by King Jehoshaphat.

Micaiah the queen mother (2 Chronicles 13:2)

Abijah “reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah” (2 Chronicles 13:2). By identifying the queen mother, the Chronicler highlights the formative influence a godly or ungodly matriarch could exercise in the royal court (compare 1 Kings 15:13). Although Abijah’s reign was short, his public declaration that “God is with us as our leader” (2 Chronicles 13:12) suggests a residual faith tradition in the palace. Whether Micaiah nurtured such devotion is unstated, yet her very name witnesses to a heritage that acknowledged Yahweh alone. The Chronicler’s use of the more reverent spelling “Micaiah” (instead of “Maacah” in 1 Kings 15:2) may be an intentional theological correction, stressing the LORD-centered meaning embedded in the name.

Micaiah the royal teacher (2 Chronicles 17:7)

During the third year of Jehoshaphat, “he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the towns of Judah” (2 Chronicles 17:7). This Micaiah belongs to a team that included Levites and priests (verse 8), commissioned to carry the Book of the Law throughout Judah. Their itinerant ministry produced a nationwide fear of the LORD (verse 10), laying the spiritual groundwork that distinguished Jehoshaphat’s early reign. Micaiah therefore stands as an exemplar of biblical literacy, instructional faithfulness, and the transformative power of Scripture when proclaimed.

Historical setting and significance

Both contexts occur in the Southern Kingdom during the divided monarchy:
• Abijah (ca. 913–910 BC) ruled just after Solomon’s united kingdom split. His mother’s identity provides a lineage link between Benjaminite and Judahite elements, since Gibeah lay in Benjamin.
• Jehoshaphat (ca. 872–848 BC) pursued sweeping reforms. By sending Micaiah and others to teach, he rectified earlier lapses in covenant knowledge.

Micaiah surfaces, then, at two pivotal reform moments: Abijah’s reaffirmation of temple worship against Jeroboam’s apostasy (2 Chronicles 13), and Jehoshaphat’s educational mission that re-rooted the nation in Torah. In both cases the name “Who is like Yahweh?” frames the call back to exclusive loyalty.

Doctrinal and practical lessons

1. The influence of godly parentage: Even when a king’s reign falls short, the persistent testimony of a believing mother or grandmother can shape conscience and rhetoric (cf. 2 Timothy 1:5).
2. The necessity of Scriptural instruction: National revival in Judah began not with political reform but with the dispatch of teachers. The pattern anticipates the Great Commission’s mandate to “teach all nations.”
3. The power of a name: Biblical names often encapsulate theology. Bearing such a name should inspire the believer to live consistently with its truth (Colossians 3:17).

Messianic trajectory

Names that magnify the uniqueness of Yahweh ultimately converge on the Messiah, in whom “all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). Micaiah’s question, “Who is like Yahweh?” finds its fullest answer in Jesus Christ, “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3).

Summary

Although appearing only twice, Micaiah/hu embodies two complementary ministries—maternal influence within the palace and instructional service among the people. Both spheres attest that true covenant fidelity flourishes when God’s uniqueness is confessed and His word is taught.

Forms and Transliterations
וּלְמִיכָיָ֑הוּ ולמיכיהו מִיכָיָ֥הוּ מיכיהו mî·ḵā·yā·hū michaYahu mîḵāyāhū ū·lə·mî·ḵā·yā·hū ulemichaYahu ūləmîḵāyāhū
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
2 Chronicles 13:2
HEB: וְשֵׁ֣ם אִמּ֔וֹ מִיכָיָ֥הוּ בַת־ אוּרִיאֵ֖ל
NAS: name was Micaiah the daughter
KJV: name also [was] Michaiah the daughter
INT: name and his mother's was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel

2 Chronicles 17:7
HEB: וְלִזְכַרְיָ֔ה וְלִנְתַנְאֵ֖ל וּלְמִיכָיָ֑הוּ לְלַמֵּ֖ד בְּעָרֵ֥י
NAS: Nethanel and Micaiah, to teach
KJV: and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach
INT: Zechariah Nethanel and Micaiah to teach the cities

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4322
2 Occurrences


mî·ḵā·yā·hū — 1 Occ.
ū·lə·mî·ḵā·yā·hū — 1 Occ.

4321
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