More than one man is called Hanan, and the best-known moment belongs to his sons. In Jeremiah 35 the prophet brings the Rechabites into “the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God,” sets pots of wine before them and says, “Drink ye wine.” They answer, “We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us.” They live in tents, plant no vineyard, and have kept their father’s word all their days. Elsewhere a Hanan is among the Levites who help the people understand the law in Nehemiah 8.
12 verses
And Azel had six sons, whose names are these, Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.
The children of Hagab, the children of Shalmai, the children of Hanan,
Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.
Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.
Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;
And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door:
And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.
But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:
Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.
Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;
Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:
But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.
Matthew George Easton, 1897
Merciful. (1.) A Benjamite (1 Chr. 8:23). (2.) One of David’s heroes (1 Chr. 11:43). (3.) Jer. 35:4. (4.) A descendant of Saul (1 Chr. 8:38). (5.) One of the Nethinim (Ezra 2:46). (6.) One of the Levites who assisted Ezra (Neh. 8:7). (7.) One of the chiefs who subscribed the covenant (Neh. 10:22).
William Smith, 1884
(merciful).
(1.) One of the chief people of the tribe of Benjamin. (1 Chronicles 8:23)
(2.) The last of the six sons of Azel, a descendant of Saul. (1 Chronicles 8:38; 9:44) (B.C. 588.)
(3.) "Son of Maachah," i.e. possibly a Syrian of Aram-maachah, one of the heroes of David’s guard. (1 Chronicles 11:43) (B.C. 1046).
(4.) The sons of Hanan were among the Nethinim who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:46; Nehemiah 7:49) (B.C. 536).
(5.) One of the Levites who assisted Ezra in his public exposition of the law. (Nehemiah 8:7) (B.C. 446.) The same person is probably mentioned in ch. (Nehemiah 10:10)
(6.) One of the "heads" of "the people," who also sealed the covenant. (Nehemiah 10:22) (B.C. 410.)
(7.) Another of the chief laymen on the same occasion. (Nehemiah 10:26)
(8.) Son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, whom Nehemiah made one of the store. keepers of the provisions collected as tithes. (Nehemiah 13:13)
(9.) Son of Igdaliah. (Jeremiah 35:4) (B.C. 410.)