Bible Word Study
חַנִּיאֵל
Channîyʼêl · Channiel, the name of two Israelites
חַנִּיאֵל
Channiel, the name of two Israelites
Definition
Channiel is a Hebrew proper name meaning 'favor of God' or 'God has been gracious.' It is borne by two distinct individuals in the Old Testament. The first is Hanniel son of Ephod, a leader of the tribe of Manasseh appointed to help divide the land of Canaan (Numbers 34:23). The second is Hanniel, a son of Ulla from the tribe of Asher, listed in a genealogical record (1 Chronicles 7:39). In both cases, the name signifies a person under God's gracious favor, reflecting the meaning of its components.
Biblical Usage
The name Channiel appears only twice in the Old Testament, each time identifying a different person from a different tribe. In Numbers 34:23, it identifies a tribal prince of Manasseh involved in a significant national event—the apportionment of the Promised Land. In 1 Chronicles 7:39, it appears in a genealogical list of the tribe of Asher, establishing family lineage. There is no narrative usage; it functions solely as a personal identifier.
Etymology
The name Channiel (חַנִּיאֵל) is a compound of two Hebrew elements: the verb חָנַן (chanan, H2603), meaning 'to be gracious' or 'to show favor,' and the noun אֵל (el, H410), meaning 'God.' It is a theophoric name, a common practice in Israelite culture, where a divine name (El) is combined with a verb or attribute to create a meaningful statement about God's character or action, in this case, 'God is gracious.'
Semantic Range
As a theophoric name meaning 'favor of God,' Channiel serves as a tangible reminder of a core biblical theme: divine grace. It personalizes the abstract concept of God's unmerited kindness, embedding it in the identity of individuals within the covenant community. Understanding its etymology enriches reading by highlighting how ancient Israelites expressed their faith and hope through naming, acknowledging God as the source of all blessing and favor in their lives and national destiny. In ancient Israelite culture, names were deeply significant, often describing character, circumstance, or a parent's prayer. Theophoric names like Channiel were extremely common, publicly affirming a family's faith in Yahweh (or El) and invoking His protection and blessing upon the child. The name's meaning, 'favor of God,' reflects a desire for the child to live under and embody divine grace, a central hope within the covenant relationship. Yehonatan (Yᵊhônāṯān, H3083) — means 'Yahweh has given,' another theophoric name emphasizing God as a giver. Nᵊthan'el (Nᵊṯan'ēl, H5417) — means 'God has given,' similar in structure but using the verb 'to give.'
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]