Arnan is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Arnan was a descendant of David, mentioned in the genealogies of the tribe of Judah. He appears in the record of the royal line as preserved in 1 Chronicles, where the Chronicler traces the families that came from Israel’s greatest king. The source note identifies him simply as a descendant of David, and the single verse that names him places him within that larger family record.
His name occurs in 1 Chronicles 3:21, in a passage that reads: “And the sons of Hananiah; Pelatiah, and Jesaiah: the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shechaniah.” In this genealogy Arnan is listed among the descendants of Hananiah, a son of Zerubbabel, who himself was a leader of the returning exiles after the Babylonian captivity. The setting is therefore the post-exilic community, when the Chronicler was compiling the genealogies of Judah to reassure the people of God’s continued faithfulness to the house of David.
Scripture says nothing else about Arnan. No deed, word, or circumstance of his life is recorded. He is known only as a link in a chain of names, one generation standing between Rephaiah and Obadiah. What the text says of him is simply that he belonged to the line of David and that he had sons who carried the family forward. His entire witness in Scripture is his place in that lineage.
The Name
The name Arnan is a Hebrew name, and its meaning is not clearly recoverable. Hebrew names often carry meaning, but in this case the etymology is uncertain, and no well-established definition can be given with confidence. Some have suggested possible connections to words for joy or rejoicing, but these remain conjectural. It is worth noting that a similar name, Araunah, belonged to the Jebusite from whom David purchased the threshing floor, though the two names are not identical. Rather than invent a meaning, it is best to say plainly that the significance of the name Arnan is not definitively known.
A Closing Thought
Most of us will never be remembered by crowds. Like Arnan, we may appear in no record but a family line, known only to those who come after us. Yet Scripture counts him worth naming. God’s purposes rarely rest on the famous alone; they are carried by ordinary people who faithfully lived, raised children, and passed on the heritage of faith. Arnan’s quiet place in David’s line reminds us that being part of God’s story does not require a great deed. Sometimes it is enough simply to be a faithful link in the chain.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 3:21 — And the sons of Hananiah; Pelatiah, and Jesaiah: the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shechaniah.