Original Word: עֲזִיזָא
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: `Aziyza'
Pronunciation: ah-zee-zah
Phonetic Spelling: (az-ee-zaw')
KJV: Aziza
NASB: Aziza
Word Origin: [from H5756 (עוּז - bring)]

1. strengthfulness
2. Aziza, an Israelite

Aziza

From uwz; strengthfulness; Aziza, an Israelite -- Aziza.

see HEBREW uwz

Word Origin
from azaz
Definition
an Isr.
NASB Translation
Aziza (1).

עֲזִיזָא proper name, masculine one with foreign wife Ezra 10:27, Οζει(α), Αζιζα.

Identity and Historical Setting

Aziza appears once in Scripture, in the restoration narrative of Ezra 10:27, as a member of the family of Zattu. The house of Zattu had returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:8; Nehemiah 7:13) and later signed the community covenant in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 10:14). Aziza therefore belonged to a lineage already distinguished for responding to God’s call to leave exile and rebuild the temple. His mention in Ezra 10 situates him roughly eighty years after the first return, during the intensified reform led by Ezra the priest–scribe in 458 B.C.

The Crisis of Intermarriage

The single appearance of Aziza’s name occurs within the list of men who had taken “foreign women” (Ezra 10:2–44). This intermarriage threatened Israel’s distinct identity and covenant fidelity, recalling earlier apostasies that had brought judgment (Deuteronomy 7:3–4; 1 Kings 11:1–8). Ezra’s grief and public prayer sparked corporate repentance:

“We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women… Yet even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this” (Ezra 10:2).

Aziza’s inclusion underscores both the gravity of the sin and the grace extended through confession and corrective obedience.

Repentance and Reform

The narrative records that the guilty agreed to “put away all the foreign wives” (Ezra 10:3). Aziza’s willingness to be named among the repentant testifies to the sincerity of the revival. By submitting to the painful remedy, he affirmed the authority of the Law of Moses and helped safeguard the community’s purity for future generations, ultimately preserving the lineage through which the Messiah would come.

Ministry Significance

1. Personal Accountability: Aziza reminds believers that covenant privileges do not exempt individuals from discipline. Even families once heroic (Zattu) can drift and must return.
2. Corporate Integrity: His account illustrates how private choices affect the whole body. The public listing of names provided transparency, fostering communal holiness (1 Corinthians 5:6).
3. Hope in Repentance: Though the failure was serious, the record ends with restoration, modeling the New Testament call to confess and forsake sin (1 John 1:9).

Related Biblical Connections
• Zattu clan: Ezra 2:8; Nehemiah 7:13; 10:14
• Parallel reform themes: Exodus 34:12–16; Nehemiah 13:23–27; Malachi 2:11–16
• New Testament echo: Believers are urged not to be “unequally yoked” (2 Corinthians 6:14), reflecting the same divine concern for undivided devotion.

Timeless Lessons

Aziza’s solitary appearance proves that even a brief biblical mention can serve enduring purposes:
• Scripture’s accuracy—every individual counts before God.
• The necessity of vigilance in relationships that can compromise spiritual fidelity.
• The power of humble submission to corrective leadership, leading to renewed covenant blessing.

Though little else is recorded, Aziza stands as a witness that sincere repentance restores fellowship with God and strengthens the people of God for the ongoing work of redemptive history.

וַעֲזִיזָֽא׃ ועזיזא׃ vaaziZa wa‘ăzîzā wa·‘ă·zî·zāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts