Today in the Bible

Av 17, 5785; from sunset August 10, 2025, to sunset August 11, 2025

(The seventeenth day of the fifth month)

Today in the Bible, we’re continuing our look at the Hebrew behind the names of the men who donated their time and labor to restoring the walls and gates of Jerusalem. The Bible tells us it took 52 days to complete their mission. We are in the midst of those days. Let’s meet Hattush, the son of Hashabneiah.

חַטּוּשׁ

Chattush = Hattush

This is another mystery name, as well as another one of those hard-to-pronounce words beginning with “ch.”  Chattush (kha-toosh).  The name Hattush is found five times in the Bible, three of them in the book of Nehemiah.  Only one of those is for our Hattush, the son of Hashabneiah.  Let’s look at the definitions the Bible dictionaries provide for this name.

Verb Root	Transliteration	Meaning
חטא	chatta	to sin, miss the mark
???	???	to assemble???

The meaning of the name “Hattush” is uncertain.

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Hattush was the son of Hashabneiah.

חֲשַׁבְנְיָה

Chashavneyah = Hashabneiah

Ay!  Another “ch” word, Chashavneiah.  This name is found twice in the Bible, both of them in the book of Nehemiah.  Once in our verse and once in chapter 9.  It’s unclear if both of these verses refer to the same man.  The main root of this word is “chashav” (חשב) meaning “to think, plan, make a judgment, imagine, or count.”  It revolves around the act of using the mind, kind of like a machine or a tool, to work out something…plans, schemes, creativity, etc.  Not at all a negative connotation, though it can be used that way at times in the Bible.  Scholars point out that it does not refer to the act of understanding.  The ending of our word is our familiar “iah” – a shortened form of God’s Holy Name. 

Verb Root	Transliteration	Meaning
חשב	chashav	to think, plan, make a judgment, imagine, or count
Hebrew Letter	Letter Name	Purpose
נ	the letter “nun” (pronounce like “noon”)	it’s unclear what this letter is indicating, please see the possibilities listed below

Prefix/Suffix	Transliteration	Comments
י	y, i	sometimes, just a “yod” (י), the first letter of God’s Holy Name, may serve as an indicator of its presence
ה	h	“yah” (יה) this combination of the 1st and 2nd letters of “The Name” is often translated as “iah” & is a very common name ending
ו	v, w, u, o	“yahu” (יהו) – the first three letters – is not quite as common but still found – as in “Elijah” – “Eliyahu”
ה	h	adding all four letters of “The Name” is not done

These four letters represent God’s Holy Name. Many proper nouns use a combination of two or three of these letters as a prefix or a suffix to indicate an attachment to the Name of the LORD.

Now we just have to explain where the “n” sound in the middle of Hashabneiah comes from.  This appears to be a toss-up.  Here are some possibilities.

The Bible dictionaries are all over the place with this one. Here are some of the thoughts for the meaning of our name Hashabneiah:

So, what does “Hashabneiah” mean? Your guess is as good as ours. Probably something to do with the “Thinking of the LORD.”