Did you know that King Solomon was given another name at birth? According to 2 Samuel 12:24-25, Solomon was named Jedidiah, ידידיה (yĕḏîḏĕyâ), at birth by the prophet Nathan. The text states: “Then David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and went to her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he named him Solomon. The LORD loved him, and sent a message by the prophet Nathan; so he named him Jedidiah (ידידיה), because of the LORD.”
The name ידידיה (yĕḏîḏĕyâ) is a theophoric name or a name that is either derived from or embeds the divine name into the individual’s name. In the case of Jedidiah (ידידיה), the name combines the divine name יה (yāh) and ידד (yādîd), meaning “beloved” or “lovely,” creating the name Jedidiah (ידידיה) meaning “beloved of the LORD."