What Does 2 Chronicles 21:2 Mean?
And he had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariahu, and Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And he had brethren the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah: all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.THE KEY
Jehoshaphat and Shephatiah share the Hebrew root שפט, so a father’s name and a son’s name echo the language of judgment.
THE MEANING
You hear the brothers named one by one, then gathered into a shared fatherhood. Jehoshaphat and Shephatiah carry the root of judging, while Azariah carries the root of helping, so belonging holds distinct meanings together.
THE ROOT
יְהוֹשָׁפָט
Yehoshaphat
GROWS FROM
שפט
sh-p-t
To judge, govern, or render a decision.
Jehoshaphat joins the divine element Yeho with שפט, “to judge.” Shephatiah, one of his sons in this list, carries the same root, making judgment an audible echo between father and son.
ALSO GROWS
shaphat: To judge, decide, or govern.
שָׁפַט
This verbal branch makes the judgment embedded in Jehoshaphat’s name an action, not just a label.
mishpat: Judgment, justice, or a decision.
מִשְׁפָּט
This branch shows how the root can name the order or decision that comes from judging.
shofet: A judge or one who adjudicates.
שֹׁפֵט
This branch appears in Genesis 18:25, where God is called the Judge of all the earth, connecting the name’s root to the broader language of judgment.
זְכַרְיָהוּ
Zekharyahu
GROWS FROM
זכר
z-k-r
To remember or call to mind.
Zechariah joins the divine element Yah with זכר, the root for remembering. The name holds remembrance inside a person’s identity, while the verse preserves that name among the brothers.
ALSO GROWS
zakar: To remember or recall.
זָכַר
This branch makes the name’s remembrance an active act of calling to mind.
zikkaron: A remembrance or memorial.
זִכָּרוֹן
This branch shows remembrance made durable, fitting a name carried within a family list.
עֲזַרְיָהוּ
Azaryahu
GROWS FROM
עזר
ʿ-z-r
To help or support.
Azariah joins the divine element Yah with עזר, the root for helping. Its root connects the name to both the act of support and help itself, adding another meaning to the verse’s roll call of brothers.
ALSO GROWS
ʿazar: To help or support.
עָזַר
This verbal branch shows help as something given through action.
ʿezer: Help, aid, or a helper.
עֵזֶר
This branch names the support itself, linking the name to help as a presence within the family.
THE PATTERN
A person’s identity is carried in relationship, with each name held within a family line.
These are the births of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and sons were born to them after the flood.Look, children are the LORD's portion; and the fruit of the womb is a wage.The book of the origin of Jesus, the anointed one, son of David, son of Abraham.THE THREAD
Far be it from you to do according to this word, to put to death the aligned with the wicked, and the aligned be as the wicked. Far be it from you! Will not the judge of all the earth make judgment?The word translated “Judge” is שֹׁפֵט (shofet), from שפט, the same root carried in Jehoshaphat and Shephatiah. Genesis names God as Judge of all the earth; the shared root lets the family list resonate with the larger language of judgment.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us