JAAZANIAH

(Ja·az·a·niʹah) [Jehovah hears].

Toward the end of the kingdom of Judah it seems that this was a rather common name; all four men mentioned in the Bible by this name lived within the same short period of time. The name has also been found in the Lachish Letters, and on a seal found at Tell en—Nasbeh the words “Yaʼazan·jahu, servant [officer] of the king” appear. There is no direct evidence, however, that such inscription identifies any of the following persons.

1. A leader of the Rechabites when the prophet Jeremiah tested their integrity by offering them wine, which they refused. Jaazaniah was the son of another Jeremiah.—Jer. 35:3, 5, 6.

2. Son of Shaphan; the only individual named in Ezekiel’s vision (612 B.C.E.) of the seventy men who offered incense before carved idolatrous symbols in the temple at Jerusalem.—Ezek. 8:1, 10, 11.

3. Son of Azzur; one of the twenty-five men seen in Ezekiel’s vision standing at the eastern gate of Jehovah’s temple. Jaazaniah and his companions were “scheming hurtfulness and advising bad counsel against this city” and Ezekiel was commanded to prophesy against them.—Ezek. 11:1-4.

4. A military chief of Judah in the brief period immediately following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Jaazaniah (Jezaniah, as his name was sometimes spelled) was one of several who readily supported the appointment of Governor Gedaliah. (2 Ki. 25:23; Jer. 40:7, 8) He was presumably included when “all the chiefs of the military forces” warned Gedaliah of Ishmael’s threat on his life and, after Ishmael did assassinate Gedaliah, pursued him and recovered those he had taken prisoner. (Jer. 40:13, 14; 41:11-16) Jezaniah was among those leaders who inquired of Jeremiah concerning what to do then, but rather than follow his advice, they led the few remaining ones down to Egypt. (2 Ki. 25:26; Jer. 42:1-3, 8; 43:1-5) “Azariah the son of Hoshaiah” is possibly a brother of, but more likely the same as, Jaazaniah.—Jer. 43:2.