Izri is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Izri was a Levite who served as a musician in the temple during the reign of King David. He appears in the lists of those set apart for the ministry of sacred song, a service that David organized as the ark was brought to rest and worship was established in Jerusalem. The Levites had long carried the tabernacle and its furnishings, but David appointed many of them to a new and abiding work: to prophesy with harps, psalteries, and cymbals, giving thanks and praise to the Lord. Izri belonged to this company of singers and instrumentalists.
In 1 Chronicles 25, the men chosen for this ministry are arranged by lot into twenty-four courses, each course serving in its turn. The text reads, “The fourth to Izri, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve.” Izri thus received the fourth lot. His course consisted of himself, his sons, and his brethren—twelve in all—who together carried out the service of praise when their turn came.
Scripture tells us nothing more of Izri than this single verse. We are not given his father’s name here, nor any deed or word of his. What we know is that he was counted among the worshipers, that his lot fell fourth, and that he and his family were set apart for the music of the house of God. His name appears once in the King James Bible, and that one appearance places him in the ordered, joyful company of those who ministered before the Lord with song.
The Name
The name Izri is a Hebrew name, and its meaning is not clearly recoverable from the text or from the ordinary resources available. Some have suggested a connection to a root having to do with “forming” or “fashioning,” and others have proposed various derivations, but none of these is well established enough to state with confidence. What can be said plainly is that the precise sense of the name is uncertain. It is better to acknowledge that honestly than to assign it a meaning it may not carry.
A Closing Thought
Izri’s whole recorded life is a single line: he was fourth, and he and his sons and brethren were twelve. He never speaks, never acts alone, never seeks a place above his lot. Yet he stood among those whose work was to praise God with music in the temple. Most of us will be remembered, if at all, by small and quiet faithfulness rather than by great deeds. That is no small thing. The Lord keeps the record of those who serve Him, even when the record is short, and a life given to His worship is never wasted.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 25:11 — The fourth to Izri, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve: