Hanani

Biblical Record

Hanani appears in 2 Chronicles 16 as a "seer," an older term for a prophet (1 Samuel 9:9). According to 2 Chronicles 16:1–6, Baasha, king of the northern kingdom of Israel, built up Ramah to put pressure on Judah. In response, King Asa sent silver and gold from the treasuries of the temple and the royal palace to Ben-hadad, king of Aram, to form an alliance. When Ben-hadad attacked Israel, Baasha halted the construction.

At that time Hanani came to Asa and rebuked him (2 Chronicles 16:7–9). The substance of his message was as follows: because the king had relied on the king of Aram rather than on God, the army of Aram had escaped from the king's hand. His earlier victory over the great host of the Ethiopians and the Lubims had likewise come about because he relied on God. Hanani then declared, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him," and announced that from then on the king would have wars. Asa was enraged and put Hanani in prison, and at the same time he oppressed some of the people (2 Chronicles 16:10).

Hanani does not appear in 1 Kings 15, which records the same events. His rebuke is found only in 2 Chronicles.

Hanani is also recorded as the father of the prophet Jehu. Jehu rebuked Baasha (1 Kings 16:1–7) and later also rebuked King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 19:2). The acts of Jehoshaphat are said to be written "in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani" (2 Chronicles 20:34). Scripture does not explicitly state that the two Hananis are the same person, but because their time period and roles correspond, they are generally regarded as the same individual.

Significance Within Scripture

Through the account of Hanani, Chronicles marks a turning point in Asa's life. Early in his reign Asa carried out reforms and won victory by relying on God. In his later years, however, he relied on human help and rejected the prophet's word. The text also records that when Asa later became diseased in his feet, he did not seek the LORD (2 Chronicles 16:12). Hanani's words resemble the expression in Zechariah 4:10, "the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth." The name Hanani does not appear in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debates

• Scripture does not record what became of Hanani after his imprisonment. Claims that he died in prison or was martyred have no basis in the text.
• The event is dated to "the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa" (2 Chronicles 16:1). According to 1 Kings 16:8, however, Baasha died in Asa's twenty-sixth year, so the two records do not agree. Scholars explain the discrepancy in different ways, for example by counting the years from the division of the kingdom or by attributing the figure to a scribal error.
• Critical scholars tend to read the account as an expression of the Chronicler's theology, in which reliance on God brings blessing and departure from Him brings punishment. Evangelical interpreters tend to read it as a historical record that supplements Kings.
• Scripture also mentions other individuals with the same name: a son of Heman who served as a musician (1 Chronicles 25:4), a priest who had married a foreign wife (Ezra 10:20), and a brother of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:2; 7:2). These are different people from the seer of Asa's time.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, 2 Chronicles 16:9 is frequently cited on the theme of "the person whose heart is wholly turned toward God," and it is also used as a memory verse. In sermons on Asa's later years, Hanani is presented as a prophet who delivered rebuke even before the king. His story is often used as an example in discussing perseverance in faith to the end and a proper attitude toward receiving correction.