Koz
“Thorn”
Summary
The name of one or more men in Scripture, most notably the ancestor of a priestly family whose descendants were excluded from the priesthood after the exile due to defective genealogies.
☩Head of a Priestly Division
Koz (also written Hakkoz with the Hebrew article) was the head of the seventh division of priests as organized by David. His descendants formed an important priestly family that continued through the exile and beyond. However, when the exiles returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel, some descendants of Koz could not produce their genealogical records to prove their priestly lineage. As a result, Nehemiah excluded them from the priesthood as "polluted" until a priest could arise with Urim and Thummim to determine their status definitively.
☩Descendants Who Rebuilt the Walls
Despite the earlier exclusion of some family members from priestly service, descendants of Koz participated in rebuilding Jerusalem's walls under Nehemiah. Meremoth son of Uriah, son of Koz, repaired sections of the wall, including the portion from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of his house. The family's involvement in this work of restoration suggests they eventually regained their standing in the community.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Koz," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Koz," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Koz," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.James Orr (ed.), "Koz," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).