Huzzab is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Huzzab is a figure mentioned only once in the King James Bible, in the Book of Nahum, in a prophecy concerning the downfall of Nineveh. The source note identifies Huzzab as a figure associated with the downfall of Nineveh, and the single verse in which the name appears places this person squarely within that scene of judgment. Nahum 2:7 reads: “And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.” The verse presents Huzzab being led away into captivity, brought up, and attended by maids who mourn audibly, beating upon their breasts like the cooing of doves.
The setting is the collapse of Nineveh, the great Assyrian capital, under the judgment pronounced through the prophet Nahum. The verse describes the humiliation of the city and its people as they are carried off. Huzzab is depicted as being taken captive and brought up, with mourning attendants around her, an image of grief and defeat. Though the source note identifies Huzzab as male, the KJV text uses feminine pronouns—”she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her”—so the passage presents the figure in feminine terms even as the note assigns a male identity. The verse does not record any action taken by Huzzab beyond being led away; the emphasis falls on the captivity itself and the mourning that accompanies it.
The Name
The meaning of the name Huzzab is not clearly recoverable. It appears only here in the King James Bible, and the text offers no explanation of its sense. Some have proposed that the Hebrew term behind it may relate to a word for being established, fixed, or stationed—suggesting something set in place—but this is not a settled or certain identification, and the KJV itself treats the word as a proper name without glossing it. Because the name is obscure and its etymology is debated rather than well established, no confident meaning can be given. It is best to say plainly that the meaning is uncertain and to avoid assigning one for the sake of having a definition.
A Closing Thought
Huzzab appears for a single verse, named only as one being led away captive amid mourning. There is no record of great deeds or words spoken—only a figure caught in the collapse of a proud city. That brevity is itself a quiet lesson: a life can be remembered in a single line, and what Scripture preserves is not always triumph but the truth of what happened. For the reader, Huzzab stands as a reminder that earthly security can be carried off in a moment, and that the wise response is to place confidence not in the strength of cities or nations but in the God who remains when all else falls.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Nahum 2:7 — And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.