Boy Old Testament Known
Hanun
gracious; merciful
חָנוּן cha.nun
Hanun (Hebrew: חָנוּן, cha.nun) means “gracious; merciful”, by traditional interpretation. Three men in scripture bear the name; the best attested is a king. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears in the same passages as Abishai.
Which Hanun?
Three men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.
-
Hanun
son of Nahash
-
Hanun
-
Hanun
son of Zalaph
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 10 across 3 books
- Bearers
- 3 distinct people in scripture
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- United Monarchy
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | 2 Samuel 10:1 |
| Last appears | Nehemiah 3:30 |
| Cross-references | 121 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Nahash co-occurrence Appears with Nahash in 1 Chronicles 19.
- Hananiah co-occurrence Appears with Hananiah in Nehemiah 3.
- Shelemiah co-occurrence Appears with Shelemiah in Nehemiah 3.
- Zalaph co-occurrence Appears with Zalaph in Nehemiah 3.
- Berechiah co-occurrence Appears with Berechiah in Nehemiah 3.
- Meshullam co-occurrence Appears with Meshullam in Nehemiah 3.
- Zanoah co-occurrence Appears with Zanoah in Nehemiah 3.
- Shobach co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Shobach.
Origin & meaning
A man of the Ammonites living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.10.1;
son of: Nahash (H5176H)
§ Hanun = "gracious"
1) son of Nahash and king of Ammon who dishonoured David's ambassadors and lost the subsequent war with David
2) a man who, with the people of Zanoah, repaired the ravine gate in the wall of Jerusalem
3) the 6th son of Zalaph, who also assisted in the repair of the wall of Jerusalem, apparently on the east side
Hanun, the Ammonite king, mistreated David's envoys, leading to a war between the Ammonites and Israel.
The biblical story
Hanun was the king of the Ammonites during the reign of King David of Israel. He is mentioned in 2 Samuel 10 and 1 Chronicles 19. After the death of Hanun's father, Nahash, who had shown kindness to David, David sent envoys to express his sympathy to Hanun (2Sa.10.1-2; 1Ch.19.1-2). However, Hanun's advisors convinced him that David's envoys were spies, so Hanun humiliated them by shaving off half of their beards and cutting their garments short (2Sa.10.3-4; 1Ch.19.3-4). This act was a grave insult and a violation of diplomatic protocol. When David heard about this, he was outraged and prepared for war against the Ammonites (2Sa.10.5-7; 1Ch.19.6-7). Hanun, realizing his mistake, hired Syrian mercenaries to help him fight against Israel (2Sa.10.6; 1Ch.19.6-7). However, the Israelite army, led by Joab and Abishai, defeated the Ammonites and their Syrian allies (2Sa.10.8-14; 1Ch.19.8-15). The conflict continued, and David himself later joined the battle, capturing the Ammonite capital, Rabbah (2Sa.12.26-31; 1Ch.20.1-3). Hanun's mistreatment of David's envoys and the resulting war highlight the importance of diplomatic relations and the consequences of disrespecting allies in the ancient Near East.
Key verses
Hanun appears in 8 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
-
And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead.
2 Samuel 10:1 -
Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.
2 Samuel 10:2 -
And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?
2 Samuel 10:3 -
Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.
2 Samuel 10:4 -
And David said, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father shewed kindness to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.
1 Chronicles 19:2
Show all 8 references
2 Samuel (4)
- 2 Samuel 10:1
- 2 Samuel 10:2
- 2 Samuel 10:3
- 2 Samuel 10:4
1 Chronicles (4)
- 1 Chronicles 19:2
- 1 Chronicles 19:3
- 1 Chronicles 19:4
- 1 Chronicles 19:6