Who was Eliashib in the Bible?

Eliashib was an Israelite who lived during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. He is specifically noted for having married a foreign woman, which was a direct violation of God's law for the returning exiles (Ezra 10:24, Nehemiah 13:28).

Why is Eliashib significant in the Book of Ezra?

Eliashib's significance lies in his example of disobedience during a critical period of spiritual reform. His marriage to a foreign woman represented the community's failure to remain separate from pagan influences, which Ezra sought to correct to restore Israel's covenant relationship with God.

What was the consequence of Eliashib's actions?

The consequence was that he, along with others who married foreign women, was required to divorce his wife as part of Ezra's covenant renewal. This drastic action was taken to purify the community and obey the law (Ezra 10:10-11, 44).

Eliashib

Old TestamentExile & ReturnMaleReturned divorcee

Eliashib was an Israelite who married a foreign woman during the time of Ezra's reforms.

Eliashib

Biography

Eliashib was one of the Israelite laymen listed in Ezra 10:27 among those who had taken foreign wives during the period of the return from Babylonian exile. Following Ezra's discovery of widespread intermarriage among the returned community, a public assembly was convened in Jerusalem in the ninth month of 458 BC. The gathered people confessed their transgression and entered a covenant to separate from their foreign wives (Ezra 10:3). Eliashib, belonging to the lay group known as the sons of Zattu, was among those who complied with the reform. The process of investigation and resolution took three months (Ezra 10:16–17). His participation in this covenant renewal, though it came after a failure, represents a turning point in the effort to reconstitute the post-exilic community on a foundation of Mosaic covenant fidelity.

Significance

Eliashib the layman who had married a foreign woman (Ezra 10:27) illustrates the pervasive nature of the intermarriage crisis in the post-exilic community, it was not limited to priests or leaders but extended throughout the people. His willingness to be named publicly and to participate in the painful reform process speaks to the seriousness with which Ezra's covenant renewal was taken across all social strata. His story underscores that covenant fidelity is a communal, not merely individual, responsibility, and that the entire people of God must be willing to make difficult sacrifices to maintain their distinctive identity as a holy nation set apart for God's purposes.

Authority Records

Wikidata

FatherElioenai

Verse Appearances (1)

Ezra

Ezra 10:27

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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