Jaaziel is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Jaaziel was a Levite who served during the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. He is named in 1 Chronicles 15:18, in the account of David’s bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. The passage lists Jaaziel among “their brethren of the second degree,” a group of Levites appointed alongside the chief musicians and gatekeepers to support the service of the ark. The verse names him in a long company that includes Zechariah, Ben, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obededom, and Jeiel, who are described as “the porters.”
According to the source note, Jaaziel was one of the Levites who helped teach the law to the people during Jehoshaphat’s reign. This fits the wider picture of Jehoshaphat’s reforms, in which he sent officials and Levites throughout the towns of Judah to instruct the people in the Book of the Law of the LORD. Jaaziel thus belonged to a company set apart not only for music and gatekeeping in worship but also for the teaching of God’s word to the nation.
Scripture gives no further details about Jaaziel himself. He appears only once in the King James Bible, in a list of names, without any recorded words, deeds, or personal history. What is said of him is simply that he was counted among the Levites of the second degree who served in the procession of the ark, and, per the source note, among those who taught the law in Jehoshaphat’s day.
The Name
The name Jaaziel appears to be a Hebrew name, and its meaning is not clearly recoverable from the text itself. Suggested derivations connect it with roots carrying the sense of “God strengthens” or “God is my strength,” but these are inferences rather than certainties, and the name is rare enough that no single meaning is firmly established. It is best to say plainly that the exact meaning is uncertain, while noting the likely theophoric character of the name—that is, it seems to include a reference to God, as many Hebrew names do.
A Closing Thought
Jaaziel never speaks a word in Scripture. He is a name in a list, one of many Levites who carried out the quiet, faithful work of worship and instruction. Yet his life reminds us that God’s work is not built only on prominent figures. Behind every public moment of praise or teaching stood ordinary servants whose names we barely know. If you feel hidden or overlooked in your service, take heart: the God who inspired this list knows every name, and no faithful labor in His house is forgotten.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 15:18 — And with them their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, the porters.