Hananiah

Jehovah has given.

grace; mercy; gift of the Lord

(gift of God).

1. One of the fourteen sons of Heman, and chief of the sixteenth course of singers. ( 1 Chronicles 25:4 1 Chronicles 25:5 1 Chronicles 25:23 ) (B.C. 1014.)
2. A general in the army of King Uzziah. ( 2 Chronicles 26:11 )
3. Father of Zedekiah, in the reign of Jehoiakim. (B.C. before 605.)
4. Son of Azur, a Benjamite of Gibeon and a false prophet in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah. In the fourth year of his reign, B.C. 595, Hananiah withstood Jeremiah the prophet, and publicly prophesied in the temple that within two years Jeconiah and all his fellow captives with the vessels of the Lords house, should be brought back to Jerusalem. ( Jeremiah 28:1 ) ... Hananiah corroborated his prophecy by taking from off the neck of Jeremiah the yoke which he wore by divine command. ( Jeremiah 27:1 ) ... and breaking it. But Jeremiah was bidden to go tell Hananiah that for the wooden yokes which he had broken he should make yokes of iron, so firm was the dominion of Babylon destined to he for seventy years. The prophet Jeremiah added to this rebuke the prediction of Hananiahs death, the fulfillment of which closes the history of this false prophet.
5. Grandfather of Irijah, the captain of the ward at the gate of Benjamin who arrested Jeremiah on the charge of deserting to the Chaldeans. ( Jeremiah 37:13 ) (B.C. before 589.)
6. Head of a Benjamite house. ( 1 Chronicles 8:24 )
7. The Hebrew name of Shadrach. He was of the house of David, according to Jewish tradition ( Daniel 1:3 Daniel 1:6 Daniel 1:7 Daniel 1:11 Daniel 1:19 ; 2:17 )
8. Son of Zerubbabel, ( 1 Chronicles 3:19 ) from whom Christ derived his descent. He is the same person who is by St. Luke called Joanna. (B.C. after 536.)
9. One of the sons of Bebai who returned with Ezra from Babylon ( Ezra 10:28 ) (B.C. 459.)
10. A priest, one of the makers of the sacred ointments and incense, who built a portion of the wall of Jerusalem in the days of Nehemiah.
11. Head of the priestly course of Jeremiah in the days of Joiakim. ( Nehemiah 12:12 ) (B.C. 610.)
12. Ruler of the palace at Jerusalem under Nehemiah. The arrangements for guarding the gates of Jerusalem were intrusted to him with Hanani the Tirshathas brother. ( Nehemiah 7:2 Nehemiah 7:3 ) (B.C. 446.)
13. An Israelite. ( Nehemiah 10:23 )

HANANIAH

han-a-ni'-a (chananyahu, chananyah; Ananias; also with aspirate, "Yahweh hath been gracious"):

This was a common name in Israel for many centuries.

(1) A Benjamite (1 Chronicles 8:24).

(2) A captain of Uzziah's army (2 Chronicles 26:11).

(3) Father of one of the princes under Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 36:12).

(4) One of the sons of Heman and leader of the 16th division of David's musicians (1 Chronicles 25:4,23).

(5) Grandfather of the officer of the guard which apprehended Jeremiah on a charge of desertion (Jeremiah 37:13).

(6) A false prophet of Gibeon, son of Azzur, who opposed Jeremiah, predicting that the yoke of Babylon would be broken in two years, and that the king, the people and the vessels of the temple would be brought back to Jerusalem. Jeremiah would be glad if it should be so, nevertheless it would not be. The question then arose, Which is right, Jeremiah or Hananiah? Jeremiah claimed that he was right because he was in accordance with all the great prophets of the past who prophesied evil and their words came true. Therefore his words are more likely to be true. The prophet of good, however, must wait to have his prophecy fulfilled before he can be accredited. Hananiah took off the yoke from Jeremiah and broke it in pieces, symbolic of the breaking of the power of Babylon. Jeremiah was seemingly beaten, retired and received a message from Yahweh that the bar of wood would become a bar of iron, and that Hananiah would die during the year because he had spoken rebellion against Yahweh (Jeremiah 28 passim).

(7) One of Daniel's companions in Babylon whose name was changed to Shadrach (Daniel 1:7,11,19).

(8) A son of Zerubbabel (1 Chronicles 3:19,21).

(9) A Levite, one of the sons of Bebai, one of those who married foreign wives (Ezra 10:28; 1 Esdras 9:29).

(10) One of the perfumers (the King James Version "apothecaries") who wrought in rebuilding the wall under Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:8).

(11) One who helped to repair the wall above the horse gate (Nehemiah 3:30). This may be the same person as number 10.

(12) A governor of the castle, i.e. the birah or fortress, and by Nehemiah placed in charge of the whole city of Jerusalem, because "he was a faithful man, and feared God above many" (Nehemiah 7:2).

(13) One of those who sealed the covenant under Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:23); a Levite.

(14) A priest who was present at the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 12:12,41).

J. J. Reeve