Boy Old Testament Rare
Maadai
pleasant; testifying
מַעֲדַי ma.a.day
Maadai (Hebrew: מַעֲדַי, ma.a.day) means “pleasant; testifying”, by traditional interpretation. It appears once, at Ezra 10:34. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears with Amram in Ezra 10.
The bearer in scripture
One person in scripture bears this name.
-
Maadai
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 1 across 1 book
- Bearers
- 1 one person only
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Return
- Hapax
- Yes occurs exactly once
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Ezra 10:34 |
| Cross-references | 1 linked passages |
Origin & meaning
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.34
§ Maadai = "ornament of Jehovah"
an exile of the sons of Bani who put away a foreign wife in the time of Ezra
Maadai was one of the men who had married foreign women during the time of Ezra.
The biblical story
Maadai is mentioned in the book of Ezra as one of the men who had married foreign women during the post-exilic period (Ezr.10.34). After the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon, Ezra, a priest and scribe, led a religious reform to purify the community and restore adherence to the Law of Moses. Part of this reform involved addressing the issue of intermarriage with foreign women, which was seen as a violation of God's commandments (Deut 7.3-4). Maadai was among those who had taken foreign wives and was required to separate from them as part of the community's repentance and renewal of the covenant with God (Ezr.10.10-44). No further details are provided about Maadai's life or family in the biblical text. His inclusion in the list of those who had married foreign women highlights the challenges faced by the Jewish community in maintaining their religious and cultural identity during the post-exilic period.
Key verses
Maadai appears in 1 verse. Here are some of the most notable:
-
Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
Ezra 10:34
Show all 1 reference
Ezra (1)
- Ezra 10:34