Barachias

Barachias, also rendered Barachiah, is a given name of Hebrew origin that appears in Jewish and Christian biblical texts. The form Barachias reflects a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name Berechiah, meaning “blessed of the Lord.” In later Latin and vernacular traditions the name has appeared in various spellings.

In the Hebrew Bible, Berechiah is the name of a figure who is the father of Zechariah the prophet. Zechariah 1:1 identifies him as the son of Iddo, making Berechiah a forebear in the prophetic lineage. This Berechiah/Berechiah–Zechariah connection is the most securely attested use of the name in biblical literature.

In the New Testament, the name Barachias is encountered in the context of genealogical material in Luke. Some manuscripts of Luke’s Gospel include Barachias in the chain of Jesus’ ancestors, while others present different names in that section. As a result, Barachias is viewed by scholars as part of textual variant readings rather than a universally fixed element of the Greek text.

Beyond biblical texts, Barachias/Berechiah has been used as a personal name in later Jewish and Christian writings, often preserved in its various linguistic forms such as Baruch or Barachiah. The name’s meaning and scriptural connections have contributed to its continued, though relatively rare, use in religious and historical contexts.

See also: Berechiah, Baruch, Zechariah.