Jahaziah is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Jahaziah was a Levite who supported King Josiah’s religious reforms, mentioned in the Book of Chronicles. He appears in the account of the reforms carried out under Josiah’s reign, when the king set himself to purge Judah and Jerusalem of idolatry and to restore the worship of the LORD according to the law. The Levites, set apart for the service of the sanctuary, were natural allies in such a work, and Jahaziah is named among those who gave their support to it.
The source note places Jahaziah in the Book of Chronicles, though the single occurrence of his name in the King James Version is found in Ezra 10:15, where we read: “Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.” This verse belongs to a later setting than Josiah’s day. After the return from exile, Ezra the priest confronted the grave problem of the people’s intermarriage with the surrounding nations, and a great assembly was gathered to deal with the matter. The verse names the men who were “employed about this matter”—that is, appointed to oversee the handling of the case.
Jahaziah is identified here as “the son of Tikvah,” and he stands with Jonathan, son of Asahel, as one of the two chief men tasked with this work, while Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite are said to have helped them. Scripture records nothing further of him: no word, no deed beyond this single notice. He is simply a man entrusted with a hard and necessary duty, and counted faithful enough to be named for it.
The Name
The name Jahaziah is a Hebrew name, and its meaning is not clearly recoverable with certainty. It appears to be built from elements related to the verb meaning “to see” or “to behold,” and the divine name, so that it may carry a sense such as “the LORD sees” or “the LORD beholds.” Because the exact form and derivation are uncertain, no precise meaning should be asserted as established. What can be said plainly is that the name is theophoric—it contains a reference to God—as was common among Hebrew names, and that its full sense is not confidently known.
A Closing Thought
Jahaziah appears once, in a single verse, and then vanishes from the record. He was not a king, a prophet, or a reformer whose name echoes through the ages; he was a man given a difficult assignment and quietly faithful in it. Much of the work of God’s kingdom is like that—done by unnamed and unremembered hands. If your service seems small and unseen, take heart. The LORD who beholds all things does not overlook the labor of those who serve Him, even when no one else writes their names down.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Ezra 10:15 — Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.