Bible Dictionary
Jaazaniah
Jaazaniah, also called Jezaniah or Azariah in related passages, was a Judean captain who joined Gedaliah and later went with the remnant of Judah to Egypt. The name is also borne by three other men mentioned in Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
Definition
Jaazaniah, meaning “whom Jehovah hears,” is the name of four men in the supplied biblical accounts. They include a Judean captain, a chief of the Rechabite clansmen, the son of Shaphan, and the son of Azzur.
Biblical Usage
The Judean captain joined Gedaliah and later went with the remnant to Egypt. The Rechabite Jaazaniah was used in Jeremiah’s instruction concerning faithfulness, while the other two appear in Ezekiel’s visions of Jerusalem.
Historical Background
The name has variant forms, including Jezaniah and Azariah. The men belonged to the periods of Gedaliah’s governorship, Jeremiah’s ministry, and Ezekiel’s visions.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(whom Jehovah hears).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>ja-az-a-ni'-a (ya'azanyahu, in 2Ki 25:23; Eze 8:11; ya'azanyah, in Jer 35:3; Eze 11:1, "Yah hears"):</p><p>(1) In 2Ki 25:23, "son of the Maacathite," and one of the Judean "captains of the forces" who joined Gedaliah, the Babylonian governor appointed by Nebuchadrezzar over Judah, at Mizpah. He is the "Jezaniah" of Jer 40:8; 42:1. Though not mentioned by name, he was presumably one of those captains who joined Johnnan in his attack on Ishmael after the latter had slain Gedaliah (Jer 41:11-18). He is also the same as Azariah of Jer 43:2, a name read by the Septuagint's Codex Vaticanus in 42:1 also. Jer 43:5 relates how Johnnan and his allies, Jaazaniah (= Azariah) among them, left Judah with the remnant, and took up their abode in Egypt.</p><p>(2) In Jer 35:3, son of Jeremiah (not the prophet), and a chief of the Rechabite clansmen from whose "staunch adherence to the precepts of their ancestor" Jeremiah "points a lesson for his own countrymen" (Driver, Jeremiah, 215).</p><p>(3) In Eze 8:11, son of Shaphan, and one of the seventy men of the ciders of Israel whom Ezekiel saw in a vision of Jerusalem offering incense to idols.</p><p>(4) In Eze 11:1, son of Azzur, and one of the 25 men whom Ezekiel saw in his vision of Jerusalem, at the East door of the Lord's house, and against whose iniquity he was commanded to prophesy (11:1-13).</p><p>David Francis Roberts</p>