Josabeth blends Joseph and Elizabeth, combining meanings of increase and God's oath.
Josabeth is a feminine name of Hebrew origin, a variant of Jehosheba or Josheba, composed of two ancient elements: "Yeho" — a reference to the divine name Yahweh — and "sheva," meaning "oath" or "fullness." The name thus carries the meaning "Yahweh is her oath" or "the Lord is fullness," a construction common in Hebrew theophoric names that anchored a child's identity directly to a covenant with the divine. In the Hebrew Bible, Jehosheba is a figure of quiet heroism.
According to the Second Book of Kings and the Second Book of Chronicles, she was the daughter of King Joram of Judah and the wife of the high priest Jehoiada. When Queen Athaliah seized power and ordered the slaughter of all the royal heirs, it was Jehosheba who crept into the palace and hid the infant prince Joash for six years, preserving the Davidic line from extinction. Her action is presented not as a dramatic battle but as an act of courageous concealment — one woman quietly defying tyranny and protecting the future.
Josabeth, as a softer English rendering of the name, lingered in Puritan-era naming traditions when biblical female names were revered. It has never been common, which gives it a quality of discovered treasure — deeply rooted, historically resonant, yet genuinely rare. For families drawn to biblical names who want something beyond the familiar Mary or Elizabeth, Josabeth offers both a remarkable story and a sound that is graceful on the ear.