Ibnijah is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Ibnijah was a descendant of Benjamin, mentioned in the genealogies of the tribe in 1 Chronicles. He appears in a list of Benjamites who lived in Jerusalem after the return from exile, a roster that the Chronicler records to establish who belonged to the tribe and who settled in the holy city. The passage names him only in connection with his descendants, specifically as an ancestor of Meshullam.
The Scripture reference is 1 Chronicles 9:8, which reads: “And Ibneiah the son of Jeroham, and Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri, and Meshullam the son of Shephathiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah.” In this verse Ibnijah is named as the great-grandfather of Meshullam, one of the men dwelling in Jerusalem. The line runs from Ibnijah to Reuel, to Shephathiah, to Meshullam.
That is all Scripture says of him. He is not credited with any deed, word, or notable event. His significance lies entirely in his place within the family line of Benjamin, preserved so that later generations could trace their ancestry and their standing among the people of God. He is one of many names recorded simply because they mattered to the family and to the tribe.
The Name
The name Ibnijah (also spelled Ibneiah in the KJV text) is a Hebrew name whose meaning is not clearly recoverable from the biblical text itself. It appears to be built from elements common in Hebrew personal names, but the exact sense is uncertain, and no established meaning is given in Scripture. Rather than assign it a meaning that cannot be verified, it is best to say plainly that the name’s significance is obscure. What is clear is that it belonged to a real man in a real family line, remembered by name among the Benjamites.
A Closing Thought
Most of us will never be remembered in a genealogy. Ibnijah’s entire legacy in Scripture is a single verse listing his descendants. Yet that was enough: he belonged to a family, a tribe, and a people whom God was preserving. Faithfulness often looks like simply being part of the line—raising the next generation, holding a place among God’s people, and trusting that God remembers those the world overlooks. He was known to God by name, and so are you.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 9:8 — And Ibneiah the son of Jeroham, and Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri, and Meshullam the son of Shephathiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah;