{
  "id": "dict_002359",
  "term": "Hananiah",
  "slug": "hananiah",
  "letter": "H",
  "entry_type": "biblical_proper_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Hananiah is a biblical personal name borne by several men in Scripture, including a false prophet in Jeremiah 28 and one of Daniel’s companions. It is a proper name, not a theological term.",
  "simple_one_line": "A biblical name shared by several different men.",
  "tooltip_text": "A Hebrew personal name found several times in the Bible; context determines which Hananiah is intended.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Shadrach",
    "Jeremiah 28",
    "Daniel 1–3",
    "false prophets",
    "Babylonian exile"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Ananias",
    "Mishael",
    "Azariah",
    "false prophet",
    "exile"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Hananiah is a Hebrew personal name shared by several biblical figures, so the context of each passage must determine which man is in view.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A biblical proper name borne by more than one man; the best-known are Hananiah in Jeremiah 28 and Hananiah, one of Daniel’s companions, later known as Shadrach.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "A Hebrew personal name, not a doctrine or theological concept.",
    "Used for more than one man in Scripture.",
    "In Jeremiah 28, Hananiah is a false prophet who contradicted Jeremiah.",
    "In Daniel 1–3, Hananiah is one of the Judean exiles given the Babylonian name Shadrach.",
    "Context is essential to avoid confusing the different people who share the name."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Hananiah is a Hebrew personal name used by multiple individuals in the Old Testament. The name is most commonly associated with the false prophet in Jeremiah 28 and with one of Daniel’s companions in Babylon, later called Shadrach. Because the name identifies several people, it functions as a biblical proper name rather than a standalone theological category.",
  "description_academic_full": "Hananiah is a biblical Hebrew personal name shared by more than one man, so its significance depends on the narrative context. The best-known Hananiah in Jeremiah is the false prophet who opposed the word of the Lord delivered through Jeremiah (Jer. 28). Another Hananiah appears among the Judean exiles taken to Babylon and is later known by the Babylonian name Shadrach (Dan. 1:6–7; cf. Dan. 3). Scripture also uses the name for other individuals in historical and post-exilic settings. As a dictionary headword, Hananiah is best treated as a proper name or disambiguation entry rather than as a theological term.",
  "background_biblical_context": "The Old Testament contains several men named Hananiah. This reflects the common use of the divine element -iah in Hebrew names, often marking covenantal reference to the Lord. The two most familiar settings are the prophetic conflict in Jeremiah 28 and the Babylonian exile narratives in Daniel 1–3.",
  "background_historical_context": "In the exilic and post-exilic periods, many Judean names carried theological meaning and were sometimes replaced or supplemented by Babylonian names in court settings. Hananiah’s appearance in Daniel belongs to that world of imperial renaming and faithful witness under foreign rule.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Hebrew names often confessed faith in Israel’s God. The element -iah points to the divine name, and names of this kind were common among Israelites in the monarchic, exilic, and post-exilic periods. Multiple individuals sharing the same name was normal in the ancient Near East.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Jeremiah 28",
    "Daniel 1:6–7",
    "Daniel 3"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Relevant post-exilic name occurrences in the Old Testament where the name Hananiah appears in historical or genealogical lists."
  ],
  "original_language_note": "From Hebrew חֲנַנְיָה (Ḥănanyāh), commonly understood as meaning ‘Yahweh has been gracious’ or ‘The LORD has been gracious.’",
  "theological_significance": "Hananiah is not a doctrinal concept, but the people who bear the name illustrate important biblical themes: false prophecy versus true prophetic word in Jeremiah, and faithful witness under pressure in Daniel. The entry also shows why careful contextual reading is necessary when biblical names repeat.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "Proper names are referential rather than conceptual: their meaning depends on the person or object named. In biblical interpretation, a repeated name must be anchored to its literary and historical context rather than treated as a single abstract idea.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not confuse the false prophet Hananiah in Jeremiah 28 with Hananiah the Judean exile in Daniel. Do not build doctrine from the name itself; interpret each occurrence within its immediate passage.",
  "major_views_note": "This entry is best handled as a name/disambiguation page. Readers should distinguish each biblical Hananiah by context and, where needed, by narrative role or associated alternate name.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "No doctrine rests on the name Hananiah itself. Any theological use must come from the surrounding passage, not from the name’s etymology or repetition.",
  "practical_significance": "Bible readers should pay close attention to context, especially when names repeat. Clear identification protects against confusion and helps readers read each passage on its own terms.",
  "meta_description": "Hananiah is a biblical Hebrew personal name shared by several men, including the false prophet in Jeremiah 28 and Daniel’s companion Shadrach.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/hananiah/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/hananiah.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}