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 Jerusalem. According to Ezra 10:25, he had married a foreign woman, which violated Jewish law during this period of strict covenant renewal. As part of Ezra's efforts to purify the Jewish community and restore obedience to God's law, Malchijah was required to divorce his foreign wife. Notably, another man named Malchijah also appears in the same passage, leading some scholars to suggest it was a common name at the time or possibly a scribal variant. Malchijah's story illustrates the difficult personal costs of Ezra's religious reforms and the community's commitment to maintaining Jewish identity and covenant faithfulness.
Biography
Malchijah (or Malkijah in the NIV) was a man from the family of Parosh who had married a foreign woman during the time of Ezra. He has a brother who is also called Malchijah, so some BIbles translate his name as Hashabiah as in the LXX. 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 |