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Adonikam

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A leader whose family returned from Babylonian exile, listed in Ezra and Nehemiah.

Detailed Definition
Adonikam appears in post-exilic genealogies, representing the restoration of Israel. Though minor, such names ground poetry in historical continuity. In verse, figures like Adonikam evoke themes of return, resilience, and the quiet heroism of rebuilding community after catastrophe.
Example
Example in poetry:
Adonikam—whose name means “my lord has risen”—appears in Ezra’s list of returnees; a poet might write, “Adonikam’s thousand sons returned, not with swords, but with hammers to rebuild”; In a poem on exile and return, “We are the Adonikams of this age—numbered, weary, yet bearing temple stones in our pockets”; Liturgical verse: “Like Adonikam, count me among those who rebuild what was broken”; A minimalist poem: “Adonikam: a name, a number, a covenant renewed in silence.”
Additional Notes
Adonikam is listed among the exilic returnees in Ezra 2:13 and Nehemiah 7:18, with his family numbering 666—a detail that has intrigued interpreters due to the later symbolic weight of that number in Revelation. Though a minor figure, Adonikam represents the restoration community’s efforts to rebuild identity after Babylonian exile. In poetry, such genealogical figures can symbolize continuity, collective memory, or the quiet resilience of ordinary people in sacred history.
Also Known As
lord arisen returnee head exile leader
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