Haruz is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Haruz is identified in Scripture only as the father of Meshullemeth, the wife of King Manasseh of Judah. He is mentioned in a single verse, 2 Kings 21:19, which introduces Manasseh’s son and successor, King Amon: “Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.” This brief genealogical note is the entirety of what the Bible records about him.
Haruz’s place in the biblical narrative comes through his daughter’s marriage into the royal line of Judah. Meshullemeth became the wife of Manasseh, one of Judah’s longest-reigning and most notorious kings, and the mother of Amon, who reigned only two years before being assassinated by his own servants. Through this marriage, Haruz became part of the extended royal family during one of the darkest spiritual periods in Judah’s history, when Manasseh filled Jerusalem with idolatry and innocent blood.
The text identifies Haruz as being “of Jotbah,” a town otherwise unknown in Scripture, likely located somewhere in the territory of Judah. Beyond his name, his hometown, and his daughter’s royal marriage, Scripture says nothing of Haruz’s life, character, or deeds. He appears only in this one verse, a single line in the record of Israel’s kings, remembered chiefly because his daughter married a king and gave birth to one.
The Name
The Hebrew name Haruz (חָרוּץ) is generally understood to derive from a root meaning “to be diligent,” “to be sharp,” or “to be decided,” and it is often rendered with the sense of “diligent” or “industrious.” Some relate it to the idea of gold or something sharpened, since the same root can carry those associations in Hebrew. The meaning is not entirely certain, as with many ancient Hebrew names, but “diligent” or “industrious” is the most commonly proposed sense. It should be noted that the precise nuance is not definitively recoverable, and no meaning should be pressed beyond what the language reasonably allows.
A Closing Thought
Haruz is a reminder that most lives are remembered in a single line. He never ruled, never prophesied, never performed a mighty deed recorded for us—yet he appears in the sacred record because his daughter became a queen and his grandson a king. His story quietly testifies that faithfulness in ordinary places matters, even when no one writes it down. We may never know how Haruz raised his daughter or what he taught her, but God saw fit to inscribe his name in Scripture. However small our part seems, we are not forgotten by the One who numbers even the sparrows.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 2 Kings 21:19 — Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.