Who was Jehiel in the Bible?

Jehiel was a man from the family of Elam, listed among the Israelites who returned from exile in Babylon. He is specifically noted for having taken a foreign wife, an act which violated God's law for the post-exilic community (Ezra 10:2, 26).

Why is Jehiel mentioned in the book of Ezra?

Jehiel is mentioned because he was one of the men who confessed to marrying a foreign wife, a practice that threatened the spiritual purity and covenant identity of the restored Israel. In response, he and the others pledged to send their foreign wives away to correct this sin (Ezra 10:2-4, 44).

What was the significance of Jehiel's actions?

Jehiel's intermarriage represented the community's struggle to remain faithful to God's commands after returning from exile. His story, while brief, highlights the serious call to holiness and separation from pagan influences to maintain the covenant relationship with God.

Jehiel

Old TestamentExile & ReturnMaleLeaderWife

Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, was guilty of marrying a foreign wife during the Exile.

Jehiel

Biography

Jehiel was a leader among the descendants of Elam who, in the context of Ezra's reformation, was identified as having married a foreign wife in violation of the Mosaic covenant's boundaries for the covenant community (Ezra 10:2, 26). He is closely associated with Shechaniah son of Jehiel, who made the public confession before Ezra acknowledging the community's unfaithfulness in this regard. Whether this Jehiel is the father of Shechaniah or a separate member of the Elam clan requires careful textual analysis, but the family of Elam appears as a significant grouping among those who had intermarried. His identification as a 'leader' suggests he held social standing within the returning community, making his transgression particularly noteworthy and his participation in reform particularly consequential.

Significance

Jehiel among the descendants of Elam sits at the heart of Ezra's community reform narrative. The fact that leaders of standing had intermarried with foreign women illustrates that covenant compromise rarely remains confined to the margins of a community, it permeates upward through positions of influence. Shechaniah's confession, intimately connected to this Jehiel's household, became the catalyst for the broader communal reform described in Ezra 10. This pattern, where acknowledged sin in prominent families triggers wider repentance, reflects a biblical principle that leaders bear a disproportionate responsibility for the spiritual health of communities, and their repentance can catalyze corporate renewal (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Authority Records

Wikidata

FatherJehoshaphatSiblingJehoram

Verse Appearances (1)

Ezra

Ezra 10:2

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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