Itai (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: אִתַּי, pronounced: ''ee-tai'') is a masculine given name of

origin, and also a

Shona Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people ** Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today ** Shona languages, a wider group of languages defined in the early 20th century ** Kingdom of Zimbabwe, a Shona stat ...

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

Hebrew name

Itai is a Biblical name that appears in the

Books of Samuel The Book of Samuel () is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Book of Joshua, Joshua, Book of Judges, Judges, Samuel, and Books of ...

(see

below Below may refer to: *Earth *Ground (disambiguation) *Soil *Floor * Bottom (disambiguation) *Less than *Temperatures below freezing *Hell or underworld People with the surname * Ernst von Below (1863–1955), German World War I general * Fred Belo ...

) and a very common name for men in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. 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. The definition ...

of a baby who was converted to

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

, 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 type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

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 ( , "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. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

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 a General, one of several, in

King David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

's Army. He was not

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, but rather a Caananite (an ancient people who 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. The definition ...

) from the city of Gath next to

Ashkelon Ashkelon ( ; , ; ) or Ashqelon, is a coastal city in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The modern city i ...

. The Biblical story in Second Samuel Chapter 15:19-22 states: As King David flees from Absolom, David tells Itai it is wiser not to follow him. Itai acknowledges the wisdom of King David AND Itai chooses to go with King David and his household. 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 () is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings) that constitute a theological ...

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 ( , "words of the days") 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 section of the Jewish Tan ...

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

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 file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

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 leader of the governing council of

Annang Anaang (also spelled Annang and Ànnang) is an ethnic group in Southern Nigeria, 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 ...

kingdom of Nigeria.

Notable people

Itai Anghel Itai Anghel () is an Israeli correspondent and documentary filmmaker. He is a staff reporter for Uvda (TV program), Uvda, a television news program on Channel 12 (Keshet Media Group, Keshet). He mainly covers conflict zones all over the world. I ...

(born 1968), Israeli correspondent and documentary filmmaker *

Itai Benjamini Itai Benjamini () is an Israeli mathematician who holds the Renee and Jay Weiss Chair in the Department of Mathematics at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Education Benjamini completed his Ph.D. in 1992 at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, ...

, Israeli mathematician at the Weizmann Institute of Science *

Itai Chammah Itai Chammah (; born 11 November 1985 in Yavne) is an Israeli swimmer who represented Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Biography Chammah is Jewish. Chammah competed on behalf of Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing Beijing, C ...

(born 1985), Israeli Olympic swimmer *

Itai Hagman Itai Hagman (born 13 February 1983) is an Argentine economist and politician who has been a National Deputy elected in the City of Buenos Aires since 2019. A member of the Patria Grande Front, Hagman was elected in the Frente de Todos list in 20 ...

(born 1983), Argentine economist and politician *

Itai Keisuke was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Usuki, Oita, Japan. His highest rank was '' komusubi''. He held the record for most consecutive victories from entry into sumo for several years before it was broken by Jōkōryū in 2012. After his retireme ...

(1956–2018), Japanese sumo wrestler *

Itai Maggidi Itai Maggidi (; born 9 January 1981) is an Israeli long-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. Biography Itai Maggidi is Jewish. He attended Clemson University. Sports career Itai Maggidi finished 6th at the 2000 Worl ...

(born 1981), Israeli long-distance runner *

Itai Veruv Itai Veruv (; born April 14, 1966) is a Major General (aluf) who is currently serving as the Commander of the Israel Defense Forces Depth Corps and Commander of the IDF Military Colleges. He previously served as Chief of Staff of the Ground Fo ...

(born 1966), Israeli general *

Itai Yanai Itai Yanai (; born 6 February 1975) is an American-Israeli biomedical scientist and Founding Director of the Institute for Computational Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He is also a professor in the Department of Biochemistry an ...

(born 1975), American-Israeli biomedical scientist at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine Books of Samuel people Given names Gath (city) Masculine given names Jewish given names Modern names of Hebrew origin Hebrew masculine given names