יַאֲזַנְיָ֫הוּ (ya.a.zan.yah)
ya.a.zan.yah
Jaazaniah
N:N-M-PQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N-M-P
Word Overview
The name Yaazaniah means "Jehovah hears." It appears only three times in the Hebrew Bible, linking four distinct men across the turbulent final years of Judah and the early exile. The sources identify these individuals as a military captain visiting Governor Gedaliah at Mizpah (Jeremiah 35:3), an elder among the exiles in Babylon during Ezekiel’s time (Ezekiel 8:11), a prince condemned by Ezekiel for idolatry (Ezekiel 11:1), and a Rechabite descendant of the prophet Jeremiah.
Though brief, these mentions place the name at the heart of Judah’s collapse. One bearer stood with Gedaliah after Jerusalem’s fall, another led elders in Babylonian exile, and a third faced divine judgment for turning away from God. The recurrence suggests a family line or clan active during this critical transition, embodying both loyalty to remaining leadership and the spiritual failures that led to displacement.
The name itself carries theological weight: "Jehovah hears" implies a God attentive to prayer and circumstance. In contexts of judgment and exile, such names remind readers that divine attention persists even when national structures crumble. The sources do not elaborate further on individual stories beyond these roles, leaving the focus on how this single name connects different facets of Judah’s final days.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Jaazaniah means "Jehovah hears," a reminder that God remains attentive even when history seems to unravel. In the final, turbulent years of Judah, several men with this name appear at critical moments—some standing with Governor Gedaliah after Jerusalem’s fall, others leading elders in Babylonian exile, and one facing judgment for idolatry. These brief mentions show that ordinary people lived through extraordinary times, their lives intersecting with divine purpose despite the chaos around them.
What stands out is not just the name itself but the variety of roles it carried: a military captain seeking stability, a Rechabite descendant honoring his family’s faithfulness, and a prince condemned for turning away. This diversity reminds us that God hears different cries in different seasons—whether we seek refuge, remain faithful, or need correction. The recurrence of the name suggests a family line active during this transition, embodying both loyalty and failure.
In contexts of judgment and exile, such names anchor readers in a simple truth: divine attention persists even when national structures crumble. Whether you are navigating uncertainty or reflecting on past choices, the meaning behind Jaazaniah offers hope—that God hears, sees, and remains present amidst life’s most difficult chapters.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ Jezaniah1×
- and/ Jaazaniah1×
- Jaazaniah1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יַאֲזַנְיָ֤ה1×
- וִֽ/יזַנְיָ֙הוּ֙1×
- וְ/יַֽאֲזַנְיָ֙הוּ֙1×
Key Verses
-
II Kings 25:23
Now when all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.
This verse places Jaazaniah among military captains who gathered with Gedaliah after Jerusalem’s fall, highlighting his role in seeking stability during Judah’s collapse.
-
Jeremiah 35:3
Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, with his brothers, all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;
Here, Jaazaniah is identified as a Rechabite descendant, showing how the name appears in contexts of faithfulness to family traditions amid national crisis.