Habazziniah
1:
HABAZZINIAH (PERSON) [Heb ḥăbaṣṣinyâ (חֲבַצִּנְיָה)]. The grandfather of the Rechabites who were tested by Jeremiah (Jer 35:3). Habazziniah’s grandson Jaazaniah and his household are taken by Jeremiah to the Jerusalem temple. They are offered wine but citing the command of their ancestor Jonadab (2 Kgs 10:10–15) refuse to drink it (Jer 35:6–7). While the narrative in Jeremiah 35 concerns Habazziniah’s grandson’s generation, Habazziniah is likely included to underscore the continuity of the Rechabite tradition and family. In Jeremiah 35 the faithfulness of the Rechabites to Yahweh for many generations is contrasted with King Jehoiakim’s failure to heed Yahweh’s word in Jeremiah 36. Thus the Rechabites are promised descendants (Jer 35:18) while Jehoiakim is warned “he shall have none to sit upon the throne of David” (Jer 36:30). The Rechabites were noted for their zealous devotion to Yahweh, and this is perhaps reflected in the yāh endings of the three names in Jer 35:3—Jaazaniah, Jeremiah, and Habazziniah (Orelli 1889: 264). A variety of connections have been suggested between Habazziniah and the Akk ḥabāṣu (‘the Lord has made me abundant’), though how this bears upon the text is not clear. Alternatively, it may mean “Yahweh has made me joyful” (TPNAH, 96, 178).
Bibliography
Orelli, C. von. 1889. The Prophecies of Jeremiah. Trans. J. E. Banks. Edinburgh.
John M. Bracke
Freedman, D. N. (1996, c1992). The Anchor Bible Dictionary (3:6). New York: Doubleday.
2:
HABAZZINIAH Jaazaniah’s grandfather. Jaazaniah was a leader of the Recabites, warriors tested by Jeremiah with regard to their forefather’s command not to drink wine (Jer 35:3). They remained loyal to the command, and Jeremiah used their loyalty in an appeal to Judah to be faithful to God.
Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale reference library (560). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
3:
HABAZZINI´AH (hab-a-zî-niʹa). The father of one Jeremiah and grandfather of the chief Rechabite, Jaazaniah (whom the prophet Jeremiah tested with the offer of wine in the Temple; Jer. 35:3), about 607 b.c.
Unger, M. F., Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., & Unger, M. F. (1988). The new Unger's Bible dictionary. Revision of: Unger's Bible dictionary. 3rd ed. c1966. (Rev. and updated ed.). Chicago: Moody Press.
4:
Habazziniah (Heb. ḥăḇaṣṣinyâ)
The grandfather of Jaazaniah the Rechabite. He and his household were tested by the prophet Jeremiah in the Jerusalem temple (Jer. 35:3–10).
Freedman, D. N., Myers, A. C., & Beck, A. B. (2000). Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible (536). Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans.
