Hebrew word · H3110

יוֹחָנָן

yochanan

Johanan

Yôḥānān means 'Yah has been gracious'. Qārēaḥ, his father, means 'bald'.

Appears 22 times in 22 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Ki.25.23;

son of: Kareah (H7143);

brother of: Jonathan (H3129L)

§ Johanan = "Jehovah has graced"

1) a priest during the high priesthood of Joiakim who returned with Zerubbabel

2) a Jewish captain after the fall of Jerusalem

3) the eldest son of king Josiah

4) a post-exilic prince of the line of David

5) father of Azariah, priest in Solomon's time

6) a Benjamite, one of David's mighty warriors

7) a Gadite, one of David's mighty warriors

8) a returning exile

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Jeremiah 40:8

Range of meaning

Yôḥānān means 'Yah has been gracious'. Qārēaḥ, his father, means 'bald'.

Against the English

No problem with the translation. The textual question is whether 'and Jonathan' really belongs next to him.

Used elsewhere in the period

Johanan is a major figure in Jeremiah 40:13–43:7. He warns Gedaliah, offers to kill Ishmael, rescues the captives at Gibeon, and asks Jeremiah for a word from God. Then he rejects that word and takes the remnant, Jeremiah included, to Egypt.

From the study of Nehemiah 12:23

Range of meaning

Johanan ("the LORD has been gracious") is a high priest of the late Persian period. ben means "son," but it is regularly used for grandson or any descendant.

Against the English

Every English version writes "son of Eliashib." That is correct for the Hebrew, but modern readers may take it as strictly father to son.

Used elsewhere in the period

Neh 12:10–11 gives the line Eliashib → Joiada → Jonathan → Jaddua. Neh 12:22 lists Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, Jaddua, so "Jonathan" and "Johanan" are probably the same man, through a scribal slip or a variant name. An Aramaic letter from the Jewish garrison at Elephantine in Egypt, dated 407 BC, mentions "Yehohanan the high priest and his colleagues the priests in Jerusalem." Josephus (Antiquities 11.297–301) tells of a high priest John (Joannes) who killed his brother Jesus in the temple under the Persian official Bagoses. Ezra 10:6 mentions a chamber of "Jehohanan son of Eliashib."

Where it appears

2 Kings · 1
  1. 2 Kings 25:23 וְיוֹחָנָ֣ן and Johanan

    When all the commanders of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as their men.

1 Chronicles · 4
  1. 1 Chronicles 3:15 יוֹחָנָ֔ן Johanan

    The sons of Josiah: Johanan was the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second, Zedekiah the third, and Shallum the fourth.

  2. 1 Chronicles 3:24 וְיוֹחָנָ֧ן and Johanan

    The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani—seven in all.

  3. 1 Chronicles 6:9 יוֹחָנָֽן׃ Johanan

    Ahimaaz was the father of Azariah, Azariah was the father of Johanan,

  4. 1 Chronicles 6:10 וְיוֹחָנָ֖ן and Johanan

    Johanan was the father of Azariah, who served as priest in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem,

Ezra · 1
  1. Ezra 8:12 יוֹחָנָ֖ן Johanan

    from the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;

Nehemiah · 2
  1. Nehemiah 12:22 וְיוֹחָנָן֙ and Johanan

    In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, during the reign of Darius the Persian, the heads of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded.

  2. Nehemiah 12:23 יֽוֹחָנָ֥ן Johanan

    As for the descendants of Levi, the family heads up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles.

    Here: "The LORD has been gracious." Here it names the high priest Johanan, who also appears in verse 22 and is very probably the "Jonathan" of 12:11.

Jeremiah · 14
  1. Jeremiah 40:8 וְיוֹחָנָ֣ן and Johanan

    they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite—they and their men.

    Here: Johanan son of Kareah later warns Gedaliah about Ishmael (40:13–16). After the murder he leads the survivors, and Jeremiah with them, down to Egypt (chs. 41–43).

  2. Jeremiah 40:13 וְיֽוֹחָנָן֙ and Johanan

    Meanwhile, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah

  3. Jeremiah 40:15 וְיוֹחָנָ֣ן and Johanan

    Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke privately to Gedaliah at Mizpah. “Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah,” he said. “No one will know it. Why should he take your life and scatter all the people of Judah who have gathered to you, so that the remnant of Judah would perish?”

  4. Jeremiah 40:16 יוֹחָנָ֣ן Johanan

    But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Do not do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is a lie.”

  5. Jeremiah 41:11 יוֹחָנָ֣ן Johanan

    When Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies with him heard of all the crimes that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed,

  6. Jeremiah 41:13 יֽוֹחָנָן֙ Johanan

    When all the people with Ishmael saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the army with him, they rejoiced,

  7. Jeremiah 41:14 יֽוֹחָנָ֖ן Johanan

    and all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah.

  8. Jeremiah 41:15 יֽוֹחָנָ֑ן Johanan

    But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and went to the Ammonites.

  9. Jeremiah 41:16 יוֹחָנָ֨ן Johanan

    Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies with him took the whole remnant of the people from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam: the soldiers, women, children, and court officials he had brought back from Gibeon.

  10. Jeremiah 42:1 וְיֽוֹחָנָן֙ and Johanan

    Then all the commanders of the forces, along with Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, approached

    Here: The leading officer. He had warned Gedaliah about Ishmael's plot (40:13–16) and rescued the captives Ishmael had taken (41:11–16). He is now the group's leader in fact.

  11. Jeremiah 42:8 יֽוֹחָנָן֙ Johanan

    and he summoned Johanan son of Kareah, all the commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest.

  12. Jeremiah 43:2 וְיוֹחָנָ֣ן and Johanan

    Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to reside there.’

    Here: 'Yahweh has been gracious'. Johanan is the military leader of the survivors (40:13–16; 41:11–16; 43:4–5). He is named second here even though he leads the march to Egypt in vv. 4–5.

  13. Jeremiah 43:4 יוֹחָנָ֨ן Johanan

    So Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces disobeyed the command of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah.

    Here: An officer who had warned Gedaliah about the murder plot (40:13–16) and later rescued the captives from Ishmael (41:11–16). He is now the leader of the remnant left in Judah. His name means 'YHWH has been gracious', which is ironic here.

  14. Jeremiah 43:5 יוֹחָנָ֤ן Johanan

    Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the whole remnant of Judah, those who had returned to the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been scattered,

    Here: Means 'the LORD has been gracious.' It is the name of the army officer who had warned Gedaliah about the plot against him (40:13-16) and who now leads the move to Egypt.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.