Itai (''ee-tai'') is a

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

name, and also a Shona name. The name can also be written: Itai, Itahy, Ittai, Ittay, Etay, Eitay, Itay, Ytai, Etai, Itaj, Ithai, or Eatai.

Hebrew name

Itai ( he, איתי) is a Biblical name that appears in the

Books of Samuel The Book of Samuel (, ''Sefer Shmuel'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the narrative history of Ancient Israel called the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Joshu ...

(see

below Below may refer to: *Earth *Ground (disambiguation) *Soil *Floor *Bottom (disambiguation) Bottom may refer to: Anatomy and sex * Bottom (BDSM), the partner in a BDSM who takes the passive, receiving, or obedient role, to that of the top or ...

) and a very common name for men in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. In recent years Itai has become one of the most common names for boys in that country. Sometimes, in order to strengthen the connection to the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...

of a baby who was converted to

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

, or to bless a Jew who has become very ill, it is considered acceptable to change his name to Itai. This name is often explained as an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

of "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning" (Psalms, 137:5)- "אם אשכחך ירושלים, תשכח ימיני" ("Im Eshkakhekh Yerushalaiym Tishkakh Yemini") or "Land of Israel,

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

of Israel"- "ארץ ישראל, תורת ישראל" ("Eretz YIsrael, Torat YIsrael"). Itai is the name of two Biblical characters: Itai HaGiti (Itai of Gath) and Itai Ben-Rivai.

Itai HaGiti

Itai HaGiti was one of

King David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

's army Generals. He was not

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, but rather a

Caananite Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...

- an ancient people that lived in the

land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...

) from the city of Gath, next to Ashkelon. When David flees from Absolom, he tells Itai that it is wiser not to follow him, but Itai chooses to go with David and his household anyway. 2 Samuel Chapter 15: "(19) Then said the king to Itai the Gittite: 'Wherefore goest thou also with us? return, and abide with the king; for thou art a foreigner, and also an exile from thine own place. (20) Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us, seeing I go whither I may? return thou, and take back thy brethren with thee in kindness and truth.' (21) And Itai answered the king, and said: 'As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, even there also will thy servant be.' (22) And David said to Itai: 'Go and pass over.' And Itai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him".

Itai Ben Rivai

2 Samuel The Book of Samuel (, ''Sefer Shmuel'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the narrative history of Ancient Israel called the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Book ...

Chapter 23: "(8) These are the names of the mighty men whom David had:...(29)...Itai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin;". In

1 Chronicles The Book of Chronicles ( he, דִּבְרֵי־הַיָּמִים ) is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Chronicles) in the Christian Old Testament. Chronicles is the final book of the Hebrew Bible, concluding the third sect ...

Chapter 11: "(10) Now these are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who held strongly with him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. (31) Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin."

Shona name

Itai is a Shona name, pronounced ("ee-tai"). The gender of the name usually depends on the spelling. As a masculine name it is usually spelt "Itai" and as a feminine name it is spelt 'Itayi". There is not much general difference in the two but a slight heaviness in the feminine version to emphasise the "y". But in the popular teenage culture of

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

this slight difference is often ignored. The word itself loosely translates to "will" or "do as you/we please". The exact meaning is subjective, with positive or negative connotations. The first, positive, meaning is that of a proud person/family with free will. The second, negative, meaning is that of a persecuted person/family surrendering their will to their persecutor. Whether the first or the second meaning is implied is usually dictated by a person's family background. Those born into good fortune usually bear the positive whilst those born into poverty usually bear the negative. Itai is the title for the leader of

Afe Annang The Afe Annang was formed at the end of the civil war in Nigeria with the goal of fighting the marginalization of the Annang by the Nigerian government. This single umbrella organization was to be the single voice of the Annang since most of the ...

, the leader of the governing council of

Annang The Anaang (also spelled Annang) are a sub-ethnic group of the larger Ibibio people, whose land is primarily within 8 of the present 31 local government areas in Akwa Ibom State: Abak, Essien Udim, Etim Ekpo, Ika, Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara, Oruk ...

people of the

Akwa Akpa Duke Town, originally known as Atakpa is an Efik city-state that flourished in the 19th century in what is now southern Nigeria. The City State extended from now Calabar to Bakassi in the east and Oron to the west. Although it is now absorbed in ...

kingdom of Nigeria.

Notable people

* Itai Anghel, Israeli correspondent and documentary filmmaker * Itai Benjamini, Israeli mathematician at the Weizmann Institute of Science * Itai Chammah, Israeli Olympic swimmer * Itai Hagman, Argentine economist and politician * Itai Keisuke (1956–2018), Japanese sumo wrestler * Itai Maggidi, Israeli long-distance runner * Itai Veruv, Israeli general * Itai Yanai, American-Israeli biomedical scientist at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine Books of Samuel people Given names Gath (city)