Jezliah — A Name in the Bible

Jezliah is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.

Who This Was

Jezliah was a descendant of Simeon whose name appears in the genealogies recorded in 1 Chronicles. The source note identifies him as a descendant of Simeon, and the Scripture reference places him in the genealogy of the tribe. He is mentioned only once in the King James Bible, in 1 Chronicles 8:18, where he is listed among “the sons of Elpaal” alongside Ishmerai and Jobab.

The setting of this passage is the extensive genealogical record preserved in 1 Chronicles. These chapters trace the family lines of Israel’s tribes, including the descendants of Simeon, and serve to document the ancestral heritage of the people of Israel. Jezliah appears within this record as part of the family of Elpaal, identified as one of his sons.

Scripture records nothing further about Jezliah beyond his name and his place in this lineage. No deeds, words, or personal circumstances are attributed to him. His inclusion in the genealogy means he was counted among the descendants of Simeon, and his name was preserved as part of the family record of Israel. Beyond this single mention, the Bible is silent about his life, leaving us only his name and his place among the sons of Elpaal in the tribe of Simeon.

The Name

The name Jezliah is a Hebrew name whose meaning is not clearly recoverable from the text or from standard scholarly sources. While many Hebrew names carry transparent meanings built from common roots, the etymology of this particular name is uncertain, and no meaning is well established for it. It would be speculation to assign it a definition. What can be said is simply that it was the name borne by one of the sons of Elpaal in the Simeonite genealogy, and the text preserves it without explanation.

A Closing Thought

Most of the people named in Scripture are like Jezliah: a single line in a long list, with no recorded words or deeds. Yet the genealogies were not filler. They were the family record of a people whose God knew them by name, generation after generation. Jezliah’s brief appearance reminds us that a life can be hidden from history and still be fully known to God. Quiet faithfulness in an unrecorded life is not forgotten by the One who numbers the stars and calls them each by name.

At a Glance

  • Gender: Male
  • Testament: Old
  • Mentions in the KJV: 1

Where It Appears in Scripture

  • 1 Chronicles 8:18 — Ishmerai also, and Jezliah, and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal;

Leave a Comment