Jahziel

Jahziel is the firstborn of the four sons of Naphtali, founder of one of Naphtali's clans. UPDV preserves his name under two spellings — Jahziel in 1Ch 7:13 and Jahzeel in Ge 46:24 and Nu 26:48 — for the same person.

Firstborn of Naphtali in the Descent to Egypt

The earliest occurrence stands in the roll of Jacob's family entering Egypt: "And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem" (Ge 46:24). Jahzeel heads the four-name list of Naphtali's sons. The Chronicler gives the same family roll under the parallel spelling and adds the maternal note: "The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah" (1Ch 7:13). Jahziel/Jahzeel is therefore a grandson of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid — set in the Bilhah-line tribes alongside Dan.

The Clan of the Jahzeelites

By the wilderness census in the plains of Moab, Jahziel's name has become the clan-name of his descendants: "The sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites;" (Nu 26:48). The same four names that headed the family in Genesis now head the four Naphtalite clans counted for the inheritance. Beyond these three notices — patriarch, ancestor of a clan, and Bilhah-line son — the text says nothing further about Jahziel as an individual. His name carries the clan that bore it.