חֵזִיר
Chezir, the name of two Israelites
Definition
חֵזִיר (Chêzîyr) is a proper noun, the name of two distinct individuals in the Old Testament. The first is a priest during the time of King David, appointed by lot to lead the seventeenth division of priests in the temple service (1 Chronicles 24:15). The second is a leader among the people who, alongside Nehemiah, sealed the covenant of faithfulness to God's law after the return from exile (Nehemiah 10:20). In both instances, the name identifies a person in a position of religious leadership or communal responsibility.
Biblical Usage
This name is used only twice in the Old Testament, each time to identify a different man. It appears in the historical books of 1 Chronicles and Nehemiah, both in lists of names. In 1 Chronicles 24:15, it is used in a priestly administrative context, while in Nehemiah 10:20, it appears in a list of covenant signatories, indicating a lay leader. There is no narrative or descriptive usage beyond these identifications.
Etymology
The name חֵזִיר (Chêzîyr) is likely derived from the common noun חֲזִיר (chăzîyr, H2386), meaning 'swine' or 'boar.' As a personal name, it may carry a sense of 'protected' or perhaps denote strength or fierceness, akin to the characteristics of a boar. It follows a common Hebrew practice of deriving personal names from animal terms, possibly to signify desired attributes.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names were often meaningful and conveyed something about the individual, their family's hopes, or circumstances. While the root word for 'boar' might seem unusual, it could symbolize protection or strength. The name's appearance in both priestly and lay leadership lists highlights that individuals from various societal roles committed themselves to God's covenant.
As a proper name, חֵזִיר has no direct synonyms. It is distinct from other priestly names like אֲבִיָּה (ʼĂbîyâh, H29) or יְהוֹיָרִיב (Yᵊhôwyârîyb, H3080), which have different etymological origins and meanings.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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