The historical record of the name Hanun serves as a stark warning regarding the rejection of kindness and a powerful testament to the labor of the faithful. In the sacred narrative, we find three distinct individuals of this nameāone whose legacy is defined by a disastrous insult to a king, and two who found their place among the restorers of Jerusalem’s glory.
Hanun, the Son of Nahash
The most prominent Hanun in the annals of history was the son of Nahash, King of the Ammonites. Upon the death of his father, King David sought to show kindness unto Hanun, remembering the kindness Nahash had shown him. David sent messengers to comfort the young king, yet Hanun, swayed by the paranoid whispers of his princes, chose to see an olive branch as a dagger. He falsely accused the messengers of being spies sent to search the city and overthrow it.
In an act of profound disrespect and cultural humiliation, Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. As it is written, “Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away” (2 Samuel 10:4). This blatant rejection of grace led to a catastrophic war. Realizing he had made himself an abomination before David, Hanun did not repent; instead, he hired thirty-three thousand mercenaries to face the wrath of Israel. The result was the total defeat of the Ammonites. Hanunās story stands as a theological monument to the danger of misinterpreting the Kingās mercy as a threat, ultimately inviting the very judgment he feared.
Hanun, the Repairer of the Valley Gate
Contrasting sharply with the pride of the Ammonite is the Hanun mentioned during the restoration of the holy city. Working alongside the inhabitants of Zanoah, this Hanun was a man of physical stamina and restorative zeal. When the walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins and the gates were burned with fire, he took responsibility for one of the most significant stretches of the reconstruction.
The scriptures record his diligence in the reconstruction: “The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate” (Nehemiah 3:13). While the first Hanun sought to strip men of their dignity, this Hanun labored to clothe the city in strength, repairing a massive “thousand cubits” of the wall to ensure the safety of God’s people. He understood that the defense of the truth requires both the setting of locks and the building of walls.
Hanun, the Sixth Son of Zalaph
Finally, the record distinguishes a third Hanun, specifically identified as the sixth son of Zalaph. This detail is notable because it suggests that while he may have been a younger son with little inherited standing, his devotion to the work of the Lord earned him an eternal mention in the Word of God.
He is credited with repairing a “second portion” (or another section) of the wall: “After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece” (Nehemiah 3:30). He did not let his position in his family or the fact that others were already working keep him from the front lines of the spiritual and physical defense of the truth. He saw a gap in the wall and, with the heart of a servant, he filled it.