Jahzeel
Jahzeel (or Jahziel), son of Naphtali, was a grandson of Jacob and a clan leader.
Biography
Jahzeel (also spelled Jahziel) was the firstborn son of Naphtali, the sixth son of Jacob, born to Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant. He is listed in Genesis 46:24 as one of the seventy members of Jacob's household who migrated to Egypt, and again in Numbers 26:48 as the progenitor of the Jahzeelite clan within the tribe of Naphtali. His name, possibly meaning 'God apportions' or 'God divides,' reflects the naming conventions of the patriarchal era in which divine activity was commemorated in personal names. Through his descendants, Jahzeel's lineage survived the Egyptian sojourn, the exodus, and the wilderness period, eventually settling in the northern region of Canaan allotted to Naphtali.
Significance
Jahzeel's significance lies in his foundational role within the tribal genealogy of Naphtali. As a first-generation patriarch, he represents the promise that Jacob's family, however scattered and tested, would grow into a great nation. His clan's survival through Egypt, the exodus under Moses, and the forty years in the wilderness speaks to the providential preservation of every branch of the covenant community. The region of Naphtali later became associated with prophetic fulfillment: Isaiah 9:1–2 singles out 'the land of Naphtali' as a place that would see a great light, a passage the New Testament applies to the ministry of Jesus (Matthew 4:15–16).
Verse Appearances (3)
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]