Jaasau is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Jaasau was one of the men of Israel who had married foreign women during the period of Israel’s restoration after the Babylonian exile. He is named in the book of Ezra, in a list of those who had taken wives from the surrounding peoples—a practice that Scripture treats as a serious covenant violation because it led Israel away from the LORD. The setting is Jerusalem in the days of Ezra the priest, roughly the fifth century before Christ, when a remnant had returned from captivity to rebuild the temple and reestablish faithful worship.
When Ezra learned that the people, including priests and leaders, had intermarried with the neighboring nations, he was deeply grieved and prayed a prayer of confession on behalf of the nation. The people responded with repentance, and a formal assembly was held to address the matter. A proclamation went out that all who had married foreign wives were to come before the leaders and deal with their sin. Jaasau is listed among those who were found guilty and called to separate from their foreign wives, an act of obedience meant to restore covenant faithfulness.
Scripture records Jaasau’s name in this list of the repentant, but it tells us nothing further about him—his family, his tribe, or his later life. He appears only in Ezra 10:37, grouped with Mattaniah, Mattenai, and others of the sons of Bani. What we know of him is simply this: he was a man who had sinned in this way, was confronted by the Word of God through Ezra’s reform, and was among those who submitted to the call to repent.
The Name
The name Jaasau (Hebrew: יַעֲשָׂי , Ya’asai) is not one whose meaning is clearly established from the biblical text or from standard Hebrew lexicons. It appears to be a shortened or variant form of a longer theophoric name built on the root עָשָׂה (“asah,” meaning “to do” or “to make”), possibly meaning something like “Yahweh has made” or “whom God has made.” However, because the exact form is rare and its etymology is uncertain, no meaning can be stated with confidence. It is best to say plainly that the meaning of this name is not clearly recoverable.
A Closing Thought
Jaasau’s story is brief and unflattering—a man caught in a sin that threatened the spiritual health of his people—yet he stands among those who repented when confronted with the truth. His name is preserved not because of some great deed, but because he was willing to obey when the Word of God called him to change. That is no small thing. Many of us carry failures we would rather hide, but the path of grace always runs through honest confession and obedient response. Jaasau reminds us that God’s mercy meets us where we are and calls us forward.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Ezra 10:37 — Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,