Ezra 10:29
And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.
Original Language Analysis
וּמִבְּנֵ֖י
And of the sons
H1121
וּמִבְּנֵ֖י
And of the sons
Strong's:
H1121
Word #:
1 of 8
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
Bani was a large family with 642 members returning from Babylon (Ezra 2:10). Six offenders represented concerning proportion. The 458 BC context involved intense pressure from surrounding peoples to integrate through marriage. These weren't random romantic attachments but strategic alliances intended to secure economic and political position in hostile environment. Nehemiah's later reforms (Nehemiah 13:23-27) show the problem persisted, with children of mixed marriages unable to speak Hebrew—demonstrating the cultural assimilation these marriages produced.
Questions for Reflection
- What does Jashub's name ("he will return") teach about the irony of physical return from exile without spiritual return to covenant obedience?
- How does the name Meshullam ("restored") challenge believers about whether God's restoration in their lives produces corresponding faithfulness or merely comfortable complacency?
- In what areas might contemporary Christians undermine God's work of spiritual "building" through compromising relationships or alliances?
Analysis & Commentary
And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth. The Bani (בָּנִי, Bani, meaning "built" or "builder") family produced six violators. Meshullam (מְשֻׁלָּם, "repaid" or "restored") appears frequently in post-exilic records, his name suggesting divine restoration—yet he undermined that restoration through syncretistic marriage. Adaiah (עֲדָיָה, "Yahweh has adorned") bore name celebrating divine beautification of His people, yet adorned himself with pagan wife who would corrupt household worship.
Jashub (יָשׁוּב, "he will return") carries prophetic significance—the remnant who returned (shub) from exile were meant to return (shub) to covenant faithfulness, yet Jashub returned to the very syncretism that caused the exile. Ramoth (רָמוֹת, "heights" or "high places") may evoke the idolatrous high places Israel was commanded to destroy—an ominous name for one introducing foreign religious influence through marriage. The six names from Bani create indictment of those who were being "built" by Yahweh yet allied themselves with covenant-breaking.