יְרֵמַי
Jeremai, an Israelite
Definition
Jeremai is a proper name meaning 'elevated' or 'exalted by Yahweh.' It refers to a specific Israelite man who lived during the post-exilic period. The sole biblical mention of Jeremai is in Ezra 10:33, where he is listed among the men who had married foreign wives and pledged to divorce them as part of the community's covenant renewal. As a proper name, it carries no other distinct meanings or senses in different passages.
Biblical Usage
The name Jeremai is used only once in the Old Testament, in Ezra 10:33. It appears in a specific historical and legal context: a list of individuals who were part of the returned exiles in Jerusalem and who were addressed for violating the covenant by intermarrying with peoples from surrounding nations. The usage is purely identificatory, naming him among the sons of Hashum.
Etymology
The name Jeremai (יְרֵמַי) is derived from the Hebrew root רוּם (rûm, H7311), meaning 'to be high, exalted, or to rise up.' It is a theophoric name, likely a shortened form related to names like Jeremiah (יִרְמְיָהוּ), meaning 'Yahweh exalts' or 'Yahweh has appointed.' The '-ai' ending is a common suffix for personal names, indicating possession or relation.
Semantic Range
While the name itself is not theologically loaded, its single occurrence in Ezra 10 highlights the serious communal and covenantal consequences of disobedience. The narrative underscores the importance of maintaining religious and ethnic purity for the post-exilic community's identity and their commitment to the Mosaic law. Understanding that his name means 'exalted' provides a subtle contrast to the humbling act of repentance and covenant renewal required of him.
In ancient Israelite culture, names were often descriptive or expressed a hope or characteristic. A name meaning 'exalted' could reflect parental aspirations. The context of Ezra 10 reveals the intense social and religious pressures of the restoration period, where marriage outside the community was seen as a direct threat to the survival of Israel's unique covenant identity and worship.
Jeremiah (Yirmᵉyāhû, H3414) — A more common prophetic name with the same root, meaning 'Yahweh exalts/appoints.' Joram (Yôrām, H3141) — Another name from the root רוּם, meaning 'Yahweh is exalted.'
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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