Bible Word Study
אֲחִיעֶזֶר
ʼĂchîyʻezer · Achiezer, the name of two Israelites
אֲחִיעֶזֶר
Achiezer, the name of two Israelites
Definition
Achî'ezer is a proper name meaning 'brother of help' or 'my brother is help.' It belongs to two distinct Israelites in the Old Testament. The primary figure is Achî'ezer son of Ammishaddai, the tribal leader of Dan during the wilderness wanderings (Numbers 1:12, 2:25). He represented his tribe in military censuses and offerings. A second, different Achî'ezer is mentioned as a Benjaminite warrior who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chronicles 12:3).
Biblical Usage
The name Achî'ezer is used exclusively as a personal name for Israelite men. Its six occurrences are in narrative contexts within Numbers (5 times) and 1 Chronicles (1 time). In Numbers, it consistently identifies the Danite leader in census lists (Numbers 1:12), camp arrangement (Numbers 2:25), and tribal offerings (Numbers 7:66, 7:71). In 1 Chronicles 12:3, it identifies a skilled Benjaminite archer who defected to David's army, showing its use for a different individual in a later historical period.
Etymology
The name is a compound of two Hebrew elements: 'ach (H251), meaning 'brother,' and 'ezer (H5828), meaning 'help' or 'aid.' It is a theophoric name, implicitly acknowledging God as the source of help, as was common in Israelite naming conventions. Similar constructions include Eli'ezer ('my God is help') and Azar'yah ('Yahweh has helped').
Semantic Range
As a name meaning 'brother of help,' it subtly points to the biblical theme of divine assistance and community. It reflects the Israelite understanding that help ultimately comes from God, who is a helper to His people (Psalm 33:20). The name, borne by both a wilderness leader and a loyal warrior for David, connects God's sustaining help across different eras of Israel's story—from tribal organization to the establishment of the monarchy. In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried significant meaning, describing character, circumstance, or expressing faith. Achî'ezer is a 'theophoric' name, where a divine element ('help') is implied, affirming dependence on God. The two bearers—a tribal prince and a warrior—show the name's use among the leadership and military classes, embodying the ideal of a divinely assisted protector or leader for the community. Eli'ezer (ʼEliʻezer, H461) — Means 'my God is help'; a more explicitly theophoric name. Azar'yah (ʻAzaryah, H5838) — Means 'Yahweh has helped'; focuses on past action of God.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]