Ezra 10:25
Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.
Original Language Analysis
וּמִֽיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל
Moreover of Israel
H3478
וּמִֽיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל
Moreover of Israel
Strong's:
H3478
Word #:
1 of 10
he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
מִבְּנֵ֣י
of the sons
H1121
מִבְּנֵ֣י
of the sons
Strong's:
H1121
Word #:
2 of 10
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or
Historical Context
The family of Parosh was among the largest returning from exile (2,172 members, Ezra 2:3), making their compromised members' particularly significant. As influential leaders, their intermarriages set dangerous precedent. The public naming served both judicial and pedagogical functions in 458 BC post-exilic Judah, where maintaining ethnic-religious boundaries was existential necessity against cultural absorption into surrounding paganism.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the inclusion of names meaning "Yahweh is king" and "Yahweh has built" among offenders illustrate the gap between profession and practice?
- What does the public nature of this confession teach about accountability in faith communities?
- How can believers today maintain distinct covenant identity while avoiding legalistic isolation from surrounding culture?
Analysis & Commentary
Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah. This verse begins the detailed roster of Israelites who took foreign wives, starting with the sons of Parosh (פַּרְעֹשׁ, Par'osh, meaning "flea" or "dividing"). Seven men from this prominent family violated the covenant prohibition against intermarriage with pagan peoples. Each name reveals theological irony: Malchiah (מַלְכִּיָּה) means "Yahweh is king," yet he failed to submit to divine kingship by marrying outside covenant boundaries.
The list functions not merely as administrative record but as public confession and permanent memorial. These names were inscribed in Scripture as warning against covenant compromise. The inclusion of Benaiah (בְּנָיָה, "Yahweh has built") among transgressors underscores the tragedy—men whose very names testified to Yahweh's faithfulness now stood accused of undermining the holy community through syncretistic marriages that threatened Israel's distinct covenant identity.