Azgad
Azgad was the ancestor of 1,222 (or 2,322) exiles who returned to Jerusalem (Ezr 2:12; 8:12; Neh 7:17).
Biography
Azgad was a prominent family head whose descendants played a significant role in the restoration of Israel following the Babylonian exile. The name Azgad means "God is strong" or "Fortune of Gad," reflecting the faith context of his lineage. When Zerubbabel led the first wave of exiles back to the land of promise, 1,222 of Azgad's descendants were among those who returned (Ezra 2:12).
Decades later, during the second return under Ezra, an additional contingent of 110 men from this clan, led by Johanan son of Hakkatan, made the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 8:12). The varying numbers recorded in Nehemiah 7:17 (2,322) likely reflect the cumulative total of the clan over both waves of return.
Significance
The family of Azgad illustrates the breadth of participation in Israel's divinely ordained restoration from exile. That his clan sent hundreds, and potentially thousands, back to the promised land underscores the communal nature of God's redemptive work. The sheer size of the returning group signals both the resilience of Israelite identity under foreign domination and the fulfillment of prophetic promises regarding the return (Jeremiah 29:10).
Azgad's descendants embodied covenant fidelity by choosing the risk of resettlement over the relative comfort of life in Babylon, serving as a living testament to the belief that God's purposes for his people remained undiminished by historical catastrophe.
Verse Appearances (3)
Nehemiah
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]