Uzziel

The story behind Uzziel

Uzziel is a Hebrew name composed of two elements: "oz," meaning strength or power, and "el," one of the Hebrew words for God. The name thus carries the literal meaning "My power is God" or "God is my strength." This construction is typical of theophoric Hebrew names—names bearing a divine element—common throughout the Tanakh and early Judaean culture. The name has been preserved largely in its original Hebrew form across millennia, though it has undergone minor transliterative variations in Greek, Latin, and English sources depending on scholarly tradition and manuscript conventions.

Uzziel appears in Hebrew Scripture as the name of a Korahite Levite, a member of the priestly class devoted to temple service and music, as mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:24 and other passages. While not a major biblical figure with an extensive narrative, Uzziel represents the priestly lineage and reflects the religious naming conventions of ancient Israel, where names functioned as declarations of faith and familial covenant. The name remained relatively uncommon in mainstream Christian and Jewish practice for centuries, but experienced a modest revival in the English-speaking world beginning in the late twentieth century, coinciding with broader interest in biblical and Hebrew names among Protestant and Jewish communities.