Meaning & History
Iephthae is the Greek form of Jephthah, used in the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint). The name Jephthah derives from the Hebrew root פָּתַח (paṯaḥ), meaning "to open," and is interpreted as "he opens." In the biblical narrative, Jephthah was a judge of Israel who led its forces against the Ammonites. He made a rash vow to sacrifice whoever first came out of his house to greet him upon his return; tragically, his daughter did so, leading to her sacrifice (Judges 11:29–40). The Greek form Iephthae preserves the consonantal structure of the Hebrew original while adapting it to Greek phonology and morphology.
Notable Bearers
Because Iephthae is exclusively a biblical name used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, it has no historical surnames or notable modern figures associated with it. It appears only in textual and liturgical contexts among Greek-speaking Christian communities.
- Meaning: "He opens"
- Origin: Hebrew, via Greek Old Testament
- Type: Biblical
- Usage Regions: Greek-speaking Christian contexts, primarily historical