Unisex · Hebrew · Old Testament · rising · 8th century BC (Isaiah) / Post-exile (Ezra)
Ariel
/AIR-ee-el/
אֲרִיאֵל
"Lion of God; altar hearth"
Isaiah 29:1
RoleSymbolic name for Jerusalem; also a personal name
Etymology
From 'ari' (lion) and 'El' (God). Used in Isaiah 29 as a symbolic name for Jerusalem — the city where God's altar burns like a lion's fire. In Ezra 8:16 it is a man's name.
Who they were
Ariel appears in Isaiah 29 as God's name for Jerusalem — 'Ariel, Ariel, the city where David settled!' — and the dual meaning (lion of God / altar hearth) captures the city's dual identity as both fierce and sacred. God warns that he will besiege Ariel, and the city will be like an altar hearth — a place of burning. But the siege will be temporary, and Israel's enemies will vanish like chaff. In Ezra 8:16, Ariel is a man sent by Ezra to recruit Levites for the return to Jerusalem. The name has become popular for both boys and girls, valued for its musical sound and its meaning: the lion of God, the heart of the fire, the place where heaven meets earth.
Character qualities
- Fierce and sacred simultaneously
Where they appear
Themes
Variants & related forms
Ariella (F) · Arielle (F) · Ari
Read their story
Ariel's story begins in Isaiah.
The full passage is at Isaiah 29:1. Any modern translation will do — the NLT and NIV are the most readable; the ESV and NKJV stay close to the wording the church has used for centuries.
Find a Bible to read it in →