Who was Azor in the Bible?

Azor was an ancestor of Jesus Christ, listed in the genealogy presented in the Gospel of Matthew. He is mentioned as the son of Eliakim and the father of Zadok (Matthew 1:13-14).

Why is Azor significant?

Azor's significance lies in his place within the direct lineage of Jesus the Messiah, connecting the promises to King David to their fulfillment in Christ. His inclusion underscores the historical continuity and legitimacy of Jesus's royal ancestry.

What do we know about Azor's life?

The Bible provides no specific events from Azor's life; his sole mention is as a name in the genealogical record. His role is defined entirely by his place in the generational line from Abraham to Joseph, the husband of Mary (Matthew 1:16).

Azor

New TestamentMaleSon of eliakim

Azor was an ancestor of Jesus Christ, mentioned in the genealogy of Matthew (Matt 1:13, 14).

Azor

Biography

Azor appears in the Gospel of Matthew's genealogy of Jesus Christ, listed as the son of Eliakim and the father of Zadok in the royal line of David (Matthew 1:13-14). He belongs to the post-exilic segment of the genealogy, the third and final division of fourteen generations from the Babylonian exile to the birth of the Messiah. Outside of this genealogical reference, Azor is entirely unknown; no biographical information about him survives in Scripture or in Second Temple Jewish literature. Yet this silence is itself instructive: Azor lived and died in obscurity during one of the most historically muted periods of Israelite history, the Persian and early Hellenistic eras, faithfully maintaining the lineage through which God's promise to David would ultimately be fulfilled.

Significance

Azor's theological importance lies entirely in his place within the Messianic genealogy. Matthew structures his genealogy in three sets of fourteen generations to demonstrate that Jesus is the culmination of a divinely ordered history stretching from Abraham through David to the exile and beyond (Matthew 1:17). Azor is one of the post-exilic figures who kept the Davidic line alive during centuries when the royal house had no throne, no power, and no visible glory. His existence testifies to God's sovereign preservation of the covenant promise even through nameless generations. In this, Azor embodies the truth that faithfulness in obscurity is as vital to God's redemptive plan as the acts of the great and celebrated figures who precede and follow him.

Verse Appearances (2)

Matthew

Matthew 1:13 Matthew 1:14

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]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

View all sources & licensing →

See our editorial standards →

Content compiled from public domain scholarship, academic sources, and verified references. Editorial standards · View all sources