Jahaziel

Minor Spiritwell-documentedJewishChristianJewishBiblicalJudahAncient Israel

Jahaziel is a prophetic human in Jewish folklore, from Judah. Jahaziel (Hebrew: יַחֲזִיאֵל Yaḥăzīʾēl, meaning "God sees" or "Yah looks") is the name of several minor figures in the Hebrew Bible; most notably a Levite of the sons of Asaph who, in 2 Chronicles 20, is reported to have been filled with the spirit of the Lord and delivered a divine oracle to King Jehoshaphat and the assembled people of Judah during a national crisis.

Origin

The biblical account identifies Jahaziel as a Levite of the sons of Asaph. In the narrative of 2 Chronicles 20, during the reign of King Jehoshaphat when Judah faced a confederation of enemy nations, "the spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah son of Benaiah son of Joel son of Mattaniah," and he spoke an oracle assuring the people that the battle belonged to God. The sources also note that the name Jahaziel appears elsewhere in biblical lists (priests and warriors), of which four other bearers are mentioned but not credited with independent action.

Appearance

No physical or visual description is provided in the sources. Jahaziel is identified genealogically (a Levite, son of Zechariah, descendant of Asaph) and by role (a temple-associated singer/Levite), but the texts do not describe bodily attributes or dress.

Abilities

The only documented extraordinary activity is that, on a single occasion in 2 Chronicles 20, "the spirit of the Lord came upon" him and he delivered a divine message to the king and people, exhorting them not to fear because the battle was God's. The sources do not ascribe ongoing prophetic office, miracles, or other powers beyond this inspired speech.

More from Jewish

Aaron

Aaron is a central human figure in Israelite sacred literature: the elder brother of Moses, the first high priest (progenitor of the Aaronide priesthood), and a spokesman/prophet who mediates between Israel and God in Exodus–Deuteronomy narratives. His role in the texts establishes hereditary priestly authority, ritual functions (sacrifices, blessing, use of Urim and Thummim), and institutional norms for Israelite cultic life.

Abaddon

In Hebrew scripture Abaddon is primarily a noun meaning 'destruction' or a section/condition of the underworld paired with Sheol; in the New Testament Book of Revelation Abaddon is personified as an angelic figure (Greek Apollyon) described as the king of an army of locusts released from the abyss during the apocalypse.

Abadir

Abadir is a polysemous name attested in distinct cultural contexts: a legendary founding saint and clan ancestor in eastern Ethiopia (Sheikh Abadir Umar Al‑Rida / Aw Abadir), a term applied to cone‑shaped cult stones in Phoenician religious description, and a personal name of a martyr (Abadir/Apater) in the Coptic Synaxarium. The attestations are independent usages of the same name rather than a single supernatural being.

Abadiu of Antinoe

Abadiu of Antinoe was a fourth‑century bishop of Antinoe (Antinoopolis, in Roman Egypt) commemorated as a martyr and saint in the Coptic Orthodox Church, with a feast day on 26 December. Sources record that he was killed during a theological dispute with Arian opponents and reference him in collections of Egyptian martyrs.

Abagtha

Abagtha (Hebrew: אבגתא, ’Ǎḇaḡṯā) is a named human court official in the Hebrew Bible’s Book of Esther, listed among seven chamberlains who ministered before King Ahasuerus and were commanded to bring Queen Vashti before the king. He is attested only in Esther 1:10 and is presented as an institutional palace attendant rather than a supernatural being.

Abanoub

Abanoub is a 4th‑century Egyptian Christian child martyr venerated in the Coptic tradition. Remembered for his public confession of Christ, miraculous healings associated with his passion, and the translation and veneration of his relics, his feast is observed on July 31 (Epip 24) and his cult centers include Nehisa and Samanoud.

Abaskhiron the Soldier

A Coptic Orthodox martyr venerated for refusing imperial idolatry during the Diocletian persecution; reputedly healed by the Archangel Michael, preserved in monastery relics, and commemorated on 14 June (7 Paoni).

Abdel Messih El-Makari

Abdel Messih El-Makari (1892–1963) was a Coptic Orthodox monk and priest venerated as a 20th‑century Coptic saint. Associated with the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor and the Monastery of Saint Macarius (Scetes/Wadi El‑Natrun), he is remembered for humility, asceticism, charity, and reported spiritual gifts such as prescience, discerning of spirits, and healing.

Abdiel

Abdiel (Hebrew עֲבְדִּיאֵל) is primarily a theophoric Hebrew personal name meaning "servant of El/servant of God," attested once in the Hebrew Bible (1 Chronicles 5:15). In later literature—most notably John Milton's Paradise Lost—Abdiel is reimagined as a faithful seraph who opposes Satan's revolt. The provided sources do not treat Abdiel as an autonomous folkloric spirit type or record rituals or wards associated with the name.

Abednego

Abednego is a human figure in the Book of Daniel (chapter 3), one of three Jewish youths (with Shadrach and Meshach) who refuse to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar II's image and are cast into a fiery furnace but preserved by divine intervention.

Abel

Abel is the second son of Adam and Eve in the Genesis narrative, a shepherd whose accepted offering and subsequent murder by his brother Cain form the biblical account of the first death. Later interpretive traditions expand his role, treating him as an archetypal righteous victim, a postmortem avenging or adjudicating figure, and in some systems (notably Mandaean) identifying him with an angelic lightbeing.

Abiathar

Abiathar (Hebrew: אֶבְיָתָר, ʾEḇyāṯār) is a named human priestly figure in the Hebrew Bible. He is presented as a survivor of the Nob massacre who fled to David with priestly regalia, served as a priest and counselor in David's court, and was later deposed and sent to Anathoth by Solomon for supporting Adonijah.

All Jewish entities →

Community Record

Sources
  1. [1]
    Jahaziel — Wikipedia. Jahaziel (Wikipedia), summary of 2 Chronicles 20 and name etymologywiki
  2. [2]
    Jahaziel — Wikidata. Wikidata entry for Jahaziel (Prophet in the Hebrew Bible)other
  3. [3]
    Archive references mentioning Jahaziel. Archive item referencing the name Jahaziel (no additional folkloric detail)other
  4. [4]
    Archive references mentioning Jahaziel (personal names). Archive item containing the name Jahaziel in a non-biblical context (no folkloric detail)other
well-documented