Benaiah בְּנָיָ֫הוּ
An Israelite who married a foreign woman during the Exile.
Who is Benaiah in the Bible?
Benaiah was an Israelite descended from Pahath-moab who married a foreign woman during the Babylonian Exile, as recorded in Ezra 10:30. He is mentioned among those confronted during Ezra's religious reform, which sought to address intermarriage between returning exiles and surrounding nations. This practice was considered a violation of God's law and a spiritual threat to the community's purity. Benaiah's inclusion in this list illustrates the widespread nature of intermarriage during the exile period and serves as a historical example of how the returned community struggled to maintain religious and ethnic boundaries in accordance with Jewish law.
Biography
Benaiah is mentioned in Ezr.10.30 as one of the men from the descendants of Pahath-moab who had married foreign women during the Babylonian Exile. The context of the passage is Ezra's reform, which addressed the issue of intermarriage between the returned exiles and the surrounding nations. This practice was seen as a violation of God's law and a threat to the spiritual purity of the community. Ezra called for the people to confess their sin and separate themselves from their foreign wives and children. Benaiah is listed among those who had taken foreign wives, indicating his involvement in this practice.
In Scripture
1 biblical book ; 1 with study contentEzra 1 verse
- Ezra 10:30
"From the descendants of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh."
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Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | בְּנָיָ֫הוּ |