Josibiah is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Josibiah was a descendant of Simeon, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. He is mentioned only once in the King James Bible, in the genealogies recorded in 1 Chronicles 4. These chapters trace the family lines of the tribes of Israel, and the section dealing with Simeon lists a series of men by name, preserving the memory of families and clans within the tribe. Josibiah appears in this record as part of that lineage, named among those whose descendants were counted.
The single verse in which his name appears reads: “And Joel, and Jehu the son of Josibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel” (1 Chronicles 4:35). From this we learn that Josibiah was the father of Jehu, and that he himself was the son of Seraiah, who was the son of Asiel. He thus stands in a chain of descent within the tribe of Simeon, linking the generations before him to the one that followed. His son Jehu is named alongside Joel in a list of leaders or heads associated with the Simeonites in that passage.
Beyond this single reference, Scripture says nothing further about Josibiah. We are not told of any deed he performed, any word he spoke, or any event in which he took part. He appears only as a name in a genealogy—a link in the family record of Simeon. Yet that is precisely how Scripture preserves him: as a real man in a real line, a father whose son is named, and a member of the people of God whose place in the record was kept.
The Name
The name Josibiah is a Hebrew name, and its meaning is not clearly recoverable with certainty from the text itself. It appears to be a compound name built from elements common in Hebrew naming, and various suggestions have been offered by scholars, but no single meaning is firmly established in the way that some biblical names are. Because the meaning is not plainly agreed upon, it is best to say so honestly rather than to assign a definite sense. What can be said is that it belongs to the stock of Hebrew names borne by Israelites of the tribe of Simeon, and like many such names it may have carried a devotional or ancestral significance now lost to us.
A Closing Thought
Most of us will never be remembered in a genealogy, and Josibiah’s single verse might seem like a small thing. Yet his name was written down, preserved for generations, and read aloud by the people of God long after he was gone. There is quiet comfort in that. Faithfulness in ordinary life—raising a son, belonging to a family, taking your place among God’s people—is not forgotten by the One who keeps His own record. Josibiah did nothing recorded for us, and yet he is not lost. Neither are the small, unseen lives lived before God.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 4:35 — And Joel, and Jehu the son of Josibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,