Azareel Meaning in the Bible

Azareel (Hebrew עֲזַרְאֵל, also spelled Azarel) joins azar, 'to help,' with el, 'God': 'God has helped.' It shares its first element with Azariah, Ezra and Eleazar, all built on the same verb, and it should not be confused with Azrael, the angel of death in later Islamic and folk tradition, who is not in the Bible at all.

The men who carry it are ordinary and useful. One is among the mighty men who came to David at Ziklag, Benjamite kinsmen of Saul who were 'armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left' (1 Chronicles 12:2-6). Another leads the eleventh course of temple musicians under Asaph's direction (1 Chronicles 25:18).

A third is a captain of the tribe of Dan under David (1 Chronicles 27:22), a fourth is among those who put away foreign wives in Ezra 10:41, and a fifth is a priest in the procession at the dedication of the wall in Nehemiah 12:36. None has a story; all appear in lists.

That is worth saying plainly rather than inventing narrative. Azareel is a list name — a real Hebrew confession that God helped, attached to five men whose work was done in choirs, ranks and rebuilding crews. It is rare in modern English, though Azriel and Azrael-style spellings circulate with very different associations.