Dinah
Name Origin & Meaning
From 'din' (to judge, to vindicate). Dinah was the only named daughter of Jacob, and her story is one of violation and contested justice. Her name's meaning — 'one who will be vindicated' — speaks prophetically to those whose stories have been shaped by injustice without resolution.
First Biblical Appearance
“And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.”
Leah's naming of her only recorded daughter — a brief mention that sets up one of the Bible's most tragic narratives.
Biblical Significance
Dinah was the daughter of Jacob and Leah. Her assault by Shechem son of Hamor, the subsequent negotiation, and the violent revenge by Simeon and Levi comprise one of the Bible's most difficult narratives. Her voice is absent from the account, which has made her story a touchstone for discussions of women's silence and the Church's responsibility to the violated.
Notable Bearers
- Dinah daughter of Jacob and Leah
Personality & Character
Universal compassion and wisdom — the number of divine love reaching to the ends of the earth
Spiritual symbolism drawn from Scripture and tradition
Modern Variants
A Blessing for This Name
May every injustice written into your story be carried before the Judge of all the earth, who hears the voice of the silent and vindicates those whose stories were never told.