Hebrew word · H6222

עֲשָׂיָה

'asayah

Asaiah

A personal name built from the verb ʿāśâ ("make, do") and Yah (short for Yahweh): "Yahweh has made/acted". It is a common type of Israelite name that thanks God for a birth.

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Ki.22.12; also called in KJV: Asahiah;

§ Asaiah or Asahiah = "made by Jehovah"

1) a prince of the tribe of Simeon in the time of king Hezekiah of Judah

2) a servant of king Josiah of Judah

3) a Merarite Levite, chief of his family, in the time of David

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 1 Chronicles 9:5

Range of meaning

A personal name built from the verb ʿāśâ ("make, do") and Yah (short for Yahweh): "Yahweh has made/acted". It is a common type of Israelite name that thanks God for a birth.

Against the English

English readers see only a name. Hebrew hearers heard a short statement of faith inside it.

Used elsewhere in the period

Others with the name: an official of King Josiah (2 Kings 22:12, 14), a Simeonite chief (1 Chronicles 4:36), and Levites (1 Chronicles 6:30; 15:6, 11). The parallel in Nehemiah 11:5 has Maaseiah ("work of Yahweh"), from the same root.

Where it appears

2 Kings · 2

  1. 2 Kings 22:12 עֲשָׂיָ֥ה Asaiah

    and commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king:

  2. 2 Kings 22:14 וַעֲשָׂיָ֗ה and Asaiah

    So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went and spoke to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.

1 Chronicles · 5

  1. 1 Chronicles 4:36 וַעֲשָׂיָ֧ה and Asaiah

    Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah,

  2. 1 Chronicles 6:30 עֲשָׂיָ֥ה Asaiah

    Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.

  3. 1 Chronicles 9:5 עֲשָׂיָ֥ה Asaiah

    From the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.

    Here: A personal name meaning "Yahweh has made" or "Yahweh has acted". Here he is the leading man of the Shelanite/Shilonite clan living in Jerusalem.

  4. 1 Chronicles 15:6 עֲשָׂיָ֣ה Asaiah

    from the Merarites, Asaiah the chief and 220 of his relatives;

  5. 1 Chronicles 15:11 עֲשָׂיָה֙ Asaiah

    David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

    Here: Name meaning 'YHWH has made/acted'. He is head of the Merarite clan (v. 6). There is no 'and' before his name, which pairs him with Uriel.

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 34:20 עֲשָׂיָ֥ה Asaiah

    and commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king:

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