Josaphat

Josaphat is a contracted form of Jehoshaphat used in some English versions of the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 1:8 in the King James Version). The name ultimately derives from the Hebrew Yehoshafat (יְהוֹשָׁפָט), meaning “Yahweh has judged,” from the elements yeho (referring to God) and shafaṭ (meaning “to judge”). In the Old Testament, Jehoshaphat was the fourth king of Judah, known for his religious reforms, peaceful reign, and alliance with the northern kingdom of Israel.

Etymology and History

Josaphat originated as a medieval spelling variant of Jehoshaphat, retained in early English Bible translations such as the Tyndale Bible and the King James Version. The Greek form Ἰωσαφάτ (Iosaphat) appears in the New Testament genealogies of Jesus (Matthew 1) and was borrowed into Latin as Iosaphat. Old Spanish texts from the 13th century used the spelling Josaphat (with alternative Iosaphat), which later evolved into modern Spanish Josafat.

The truncation of the Hebrew theophoric element Yeho to Jo follows a pattern common in biblical names (e.g., Johanan → John).

Notable Bearers and Cultural Use

In Christian tradition, Josaphat is most closely associated with Saint Josaphat, a 17th-century Byzantine Rite saint (born Ivan Kunsevich) who was a Greek Catholic archbishop of Polotsk and is venerated as a martyr for church unity. The name is also used in Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism; Josaphat or Józefat (Polish Jozafat) appears as a male given name, particularly in Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic states.

Variants and Distribution

Related forms include Biblical Hebrew Yehoshafat, Latin Iosaphat, Polish Jozafat, and Spanish Josafat. The name Josaphat is today relatively rare in English-speaking countries, but its components (the abbreviation Jo and the root shapat) reoccur in other biblical names such as Joseph (in the Hebrew Yosef) and Joshua.

• Meaning: “Yahweh has judged”
• Origin: Hebrew, via Greek and Latin
• Type: Biblical contracted form of Jehoshaphat
• Usage Regions: English Bible traditions, Eastern and Western Christian devotional usage; substantive use in Poland and Slavic countries as Józefat/Jozafat
• Notable: Saint Josaphat Kuntsevych (c. 1584–1623), Byzantine Rite martyr