Malchijah מַלְכִּיָּהוּ
Descendant of Parosh, who divorced his foreign wife.
Who is Malchijah in the Bible?
Malchijah was a descendant of Parosh who lived during the time of Ezra's religious reforms in the post-exilic period. According to Ezra 10:25, he had married a foreign woman, which violated Jewish law regarding separation from surrounding pagan nations. As part of Ezra's initiative to restore spiritual purity to the Jewish community, Malchijah was required to divorce his foreign wife, along with many other men who had entered similar marriages. His story illustrates the strict measures taken during this period to maintain Jewish religious identity and separation from foreign influence, even at the cost of family dissolution.
Biography
Malchijah was a man from the family of Parosh who had married a foreign woman during the time of Ezra. As part of Ezra's reforms to purify the Jewish community, Malchijah and others who had married foreign wives were required to divorce them (Ezr.10.25). The presence of two similar men in the same verse named Malchijah in this list either indicates that it was a common name during this period, or a scribal error.
In Scripture
1 biblical book ; 1 with study contentEzra 1 verse
- Ezra 10:25
"And among the other Israelites, from the descendants of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah."
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Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | מַלְכִּיָּהוּ |