Haziel is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Haziel was a Levite, a member of the tribe set apart in Israel for the service of the tabernacle and, later, the temple. He appears in the genealogies of Levi recorded in 1 Chronicles, in a passage that traces the descendants of Gershon, one of Levi’s three sons. The Chronicler, writing after the Babylonian exile, was concerned to preserve the ancestral records of the Levitical families so that the restored community would know who was eligible for temple service and how the duties should be organized.
Haziel is named as one of the sons of Shimei, alongside his brothers Shelomith and Haran. The text notes that these three were “the chief of the fathers of Laadan.” Laadan was a Gershonite clan leader, and the phrase indicates that Haziel and his brothers held a position of headship among the families descended from him. In 1 Chronicles 23, the Levites are numbered and assigned their duties for the service of the house of the LORD, and this genealogy supplies the framework for that organization.
Scripture records nothing further about Haziel’s personal life, character, or deeds. He does not speak, act, or appear in any narrative. He is known to us only as a name in a list—one man among many in the long chain of Levites who were counted, registered, and set apart for the work of worship. What Scripture says of him is simply this: he was a son of Shimei, a brother, and a chief among the fathers of Laadan.
The Name
The name Haziel is a Hebrew name, and its meaning is reasonably well established from its components. It appears to combine the Hebrew word *chazah*, meaning “to see” or “to behold,” with *El*, the common Hebrew word for God. On this reading, the name carries the sense of “God has seen” or “vision of God.” It belongs to the same family of names that express a relationship between the bearer and the God of Israel, a common pattern in Hebrew naming. The meaning is not stated in the biblical text itself, and the precise nuance—whether “God sees,” “seen by God,” or “vision of God”—cannot be fixed with certainty. It should be noted that some reference works treat the etymology as uncertain, so the meaning given here is the most likely rather than the definitively proven one.
A Closing Thought
Most of us will never be remembered in a genealogy. Our names will not be preserved in a sacred record for thousands of years. Yet Haziel’s brief appearance reminds us that God’s work has always been carried by ordinary, unnamed-in-history people who simply belonged to their families, took their place among their people, and were counted faithful in the role assigned to them. He did nothing recorded, and yet he was part of the great chain of worship that pointed forward to Christ. There is quiet dignity in that. Faithfulness does not require a famous name—only a place among the people of God.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 23:9 — The sons of Shimei; Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the chief of the fathers of Laadan.