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H1596 · Hebrew · Old Testament
גְּנַז
genaz
Verb (Aramaic)
to lay up, store, treasure in archives

Definition

Genaz (H1596) is an Aramaic verb meaning to lay up in a treasury, to store, to deposit for safekeeping. It appears once in the OT (Ezra 6:1), describing the search of the royal archives for records concerning the temple decree of Cyrus.

Usage & Theological Significance

Genaz introduces the concept of divine records and heavenly archives — the idea that God stores and preserves what is important. The search of Darius' treasury archives (Ezra 6:1) recovered Cyrus' decree, confirming God's faithfulness across decades and reigns. Theologically, this points to God's complete knowledge and preservation of all that pertains to His purposes — nothing important is lost in His treasury (cf. Mal 3:16 — the scroll of remembrance).

Key Bible Verses

Ezra 6:1King Darius issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon.
Malachi 3:16A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD.
Psalm 56:8You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?
Daniel 7:10The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
Revelation 20:12And another book was opened, which is the book of life.

Word Study

The root genaz relates to the treasury concept. The noun form gives us the 'geniza' — a Jewish storage room for sacred texts that could not be destroyed because they contained God's name. The Cairo Geniza, discovered in 1896, preserved thousands of ancient manuscripts. This word connects practical record-keeping to the theological reality of God's preservation of all things.

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