Hazo
Hazo was a son of Nahor, the brother of Abraham. (Gen.22.22)
Biography
Hazo was one of the eight sons born to Nahor and his wife Milcah, making him a nephew of the patriarch Abraham (Genesis 22:20-22). He is listed among the children born to Nahor after the near-sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah, in a passage that informs Abraham that his brother's line has also grown into a substantial family. Nahor, who had remained in Mesopotamia when Abraham journeyed to Canaan, became the ancestor of the Aramean peoples, and his descendants would later intersect significantly with Israel's story, most notably through Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel, who were all daughters of Nahor's line. Hazo himself is not associated with a specific people group or region in extant texts.
Significance
Hazo's appearance in Genesis 22 serves the larger narrative function of establishing that God's blessings were not confined solely to Abraham's immediate line but that his brother Nahor also experienced multiplication of offspring. This passage frames the patriarchal story within a network of kinship that would prove crucial to Israel's history: the women who became matriarchs of Israel came from Nahor's household. Hazo's listing reminds readers that God's providential purposes often work through family connections and extended kinship networks, weaving together the stories of related peoples in ways that only become clear in retrospect.
Verse Appearances (1)
Genesis
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]