Zalaph is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Zalaph was the father of Hanun, who is named in the Book of Nehemiah among those who repaired the walls of Jerusalem. He is known to us only through his son, and only in a single verse of Scripture. The source note identifies him simply as the father of Shallum—the man who helped repair the walls during Nehemiah’s time—though the King James text of Nehemiah 3:30 names his son as Hanun, “the sixth son of Zalaph.” Either way, Zalaph himself does not appear as an actor in the narrative; he is remembered as the father of a wall-builder.
The setting is the great rebuilding project that followed the Babylonian exile. Nehemiah, cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes, had received permission to return to Jerusalem and restore its broken walls. Nehemiah 3 is a long roster of the men and families who took up portions of the work—priests, goldsmiths, merchants, rulers, and ordinary citizens, each repairing “another piece” alongside their neighbors. It is into this list of names that Zalaph’s son Hanun is written.
Of Zalaph himself, Scripture says nothing more. We are told neither his tribe, his trade, nor the length of his life. He appears only as a name in a genealogy of service—a father whose son stood on the wall with a tool in his hand. Yet that single mention places him within the story of God’s people being restored to their city, and it preserves his memory among those whose households contributed to the work.
The Name
The name Zalaph is a Hebrew name, but its meaning is not clearly recoverable from the biblical text or from the standard lexical sources. Various suggestions have been offered by way of conjecture—some connecting it to a root related to scraping or to a shadow—but none of these is well established, and the KJV text itself gives no explanation. It is honest to say that the meaning of this name is uncertain. What is certain is that it belonged to a real man whose son labored on Jerusalem’s wall.
A Closing Thought
Most of us will never be listed among the famous, and neither was Zalaph. He is remembered only because his son took up a piece of the wall. Yet that is no small thing. Faithfulness often echoes further than we can see: a father’s quiet life, a son’s willing hands, a name preserved in a register of workers. God keeps His own records, and He does not forget the households behind the laborers. If your part seems hidden, take heart—your labor, and the love that shaped it, is not lost to Him.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Nehemiah 3:30 — After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece. After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.