🔼The name Happizzez: Summary
- Meaning
- The Scattering
- Etymology
- From the verb פצץ (pasas), to break apart or scatter.
🔼The name Happizzez in the Bible
The name Happizzez (or Aphses as older versions have it) occurs only once in the Bible. He was one of the descendants of Aaron's sons Eleazar and Ithamar who were assigned priestly duties during the reign of king David (1 Chronicles 24:15).
Modern translations of the Bible call this man Happizzez but older translators considered the letter ה (he) with which our name starts a definite article and left it out in their transliterations. The Septuagint calls this man Αφεση and the Vulgate has Aphses, which was later picked up by the King James Version.
🔼Etymology of the name Happizzez
The name Happizzez appears to be constructed from the definite article and an expression of the verb פצץ (pasas), meaning to break apart or scatter:
פצץ
The verb פצץ (pasas) means to break apart or scatter and so does this verb's by-form פוץ (pus). Noun מפיץ (mepis) describes a scatterer or disperser. Either an identical other verb פוץ (pus) or the same one may also describe an overflowing (of springs or cities), which is an action obviously not far removed from scattering.
Verb פוש (push) appears to have the same meaning as פוץ (pus I) and means to scatter. Either an identical other verb פוש (push) or the same one may also describe the darting about of young calves, which is really rather similar to scattering.
Verb פשח (pashah) means to tear in pieces.
🔼Happizzez meaning
For a meaning of the name Happizzez, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Scattering, but more correct would be The Scattering. For a meaning of the name Aphses, Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names proposes Dispersion. BDB Theological Dictionary does not offer an interpretation of our name but does list it under the verb פצץ (pasas).