Chuza is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Chuza was the steward of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea during the time of Jesus’ ministry. As a steward, Chuza would have held a position of considerable responsibility in Herod’s household, managing his master’s affairs and resources. This places Chuza among the servants of one of the most powerful political figures in the region—a man whose court was known for its wealth and its uneasy relationship with the message of John the Baptist and Jesus.
Chuza appears in Scripture only once, and only indirectly. In Luke 8:3, the Gospel writer lists the women who traveled with Jesus and his disciples and supported them out of their own means. Among them is “Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward.” Chuza himself is not described as a disciple or a follower of Jesus; he is named only as Joanna’s husband, the man whose household she belonged to.
What Scripture says of Chuza, then, is limited but significant. He was a man of standing in Herod’s service, and his wife was among the women who ministered to Jesus and the Twelve from their substance. The text does not tell us whether Chuza approved, objected, or remained indifferent to his wife’s devotion. It simply records his name and station, leaving him a quiet figure standing at the edge of the Gospel story.
The Name
The name Chuza is a transliteration of the Greek *Chouzas*, which most likely represents a Semitic name, possibly a shortened form of a name meaning “the seer” or “the prophet,” though this is not certain. Some suggest a connection to a Hebrew root related to seeing or beholding. Because the name appears only once in the New Testament and its exact Hebrew or Aramaic original is not preserved, the meaning is not clearly recoverable. It is best to say plainly that the etymology is uncertain rather than to assign it a meaning the text does not support.
A Closing Thought
Chuza never speaks in Scripture. He is remembered only as the husband of a faithful woman. Yet his place in the Gospel is not accidental: Joanna’s freedom to support Jesus may well have depended on the household Chuza provided. Not every servant of God is named among the disciples. Some serve quietly, in positions of worldly responsibility, making possible the ministry of others. Chuza reminds us that faithfulness is not always loud or visible. Sometimes it is simply the steady, unrecorded life that gives another person the room to follow Christ.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: New
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Luke 8:3 — And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.