Boy Old Testament Rare
Adna
pleasure; delight
עַדְנָא ad.na
Adna (Hebrew: עַדְנָא, ad.na) means “pleasure; delight”, by traditional interpretation. Two men in scripture bear the name; the best attested is a foreigner. In 2025 it was given to 11 children in the United States. Use is falling away. Appears with Benaiah in Ezra 10.
Which Adna?
Two men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.
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Adna
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Adna
son of Jeshua
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 2 across 2 books
- Bearers
- 2 distinct people in scripture
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Return
Using it today
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
| Measure | Value | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Given in 2025 | 11 | Falling |
| All-time total | 597 | Since records begin in 1880 |
| Peak | 36 in 2019 | Its highest year on record |
| Strongest state | MN | Highest share relative to births |
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Ezra 10:30 |
| Last appears | Nehemiah 12:15 |
| Cross-references | 5 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Bezalel co-occurrence Appears with Bezalel in Ezra 10.
- Maaseiah co-occurrence Appears with Maaseiah in Ezra 10.
- Binnui co-occurrence Appears with Binnui in Ezra 10.
- Chelal co-occurrence Appears with Chelal in Ezra 10.
- Helkai co-occurrence Appears with Helkai in Nehemiah 12.
- Manasseh co-occurrence Appears with Manasseh in Ezra 10.
- Mattaniah co-occurrence Appears with Mattaniah in Ezra 10.
- Benaiah co-occurrence Appears with Benaiah in Ezra 10.
Origin & meaning
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.30
§ Adna = "rest" or "pleasure"
1) one of the family of Pahath-moab who returned with Ezra and married a foreign wife
2) a priest, descendant of Harim in the days of Joiakim, the son of Jeshua
Adna was one of the Israelites who had married foreign women during the Babylonian exile and pledged to put away his foreign wife as part of Ezra's reforms.
The biblical story
Adna is mentioned in Ezr.10.30 as one of the Israelites who had married foreign women during the Babylonian exile. After the return from exile, Ezra the scribe led a reform movement to address the issue of intermarriage, which was seen as a violation of God's law and a threat to the identity and purity of the Jewish community.
During a public assembly, the people confessed their sins and made a covenant to put away their foreign wives and children born to them (Ezr.10.1-5). Adna was among those who were found to have married foreign women and pledged to separate from them as part of the reform process (Ezr.10.30).
The context of Ezra 10 highlights the importance of maintaining religious and ethnic purity among the Jewish people, especially after the return from exile. Intermarriage with foreign women was seen as a form of unfaithfulness to God and a potential source of idolatry and apostasy.
No further details are provided about Adna's background, family, or the specific circumstances of his marriage to a foreign woman. His inclusion in the list of those who had intermarried underscores the widespread nature of the issue and the collective response of the community to address it under Ezra's leadership.
Key verses
Adna appears in 1 verse. Here are some of the most notable:
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And of the sons of Pahath–moab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.
Ezra 10:30
Show all 1 reference
Ezra (1)
- Ezra 10:30