Who was Jeremoth in the Bible?

Jeremoth was a descendant of Zattu, an Israelite who returned from exile. He is specifically mentioned as one of the men who had married foreign women, which was forbidden, and later agreed to divorce them during the reforms led by Ezra (Ezra 10:27).

Why is Jeremoth mentioned in the Book of Ezra?

Jeremoth is listed in Ezra 10 as part of a group who confessed to breaking God's law by marrying foreign women from the surrounding pagan nations. His agreement to send his foreign wife away demonstrated a commitment to restoring Israel's covenant faithfulness and purity.

What is the significance of Jeremoth's story?

Jeremoth's story highlights the difficult but necessary communal repentance required after the Babylonian exile. It shows the importance of obedience to God's commands, even when it involves personal sacrifice, to maintain the spiritual identity of the covenant community.

Jeremoth

Old TestamentExile & ReturnMaleWife

Jeremoth, a descendant of Zattu, was among those who married foreign women during the time of Ezra and agreed to send them away.

Jeremoth

Biography

Jeremoth, a descendant of Zattu, is named in Ezra 10:27 among those Israelite men who had contracted marriages with foreign women during the post-exilic restoration period. He was part of the clan associated with Zattu, a family name that also appears in lists of returning exiles in Ezra 2:8 and Nehemiah 7:13, indicating a family of some numerical significance within the community. When Ezra confronted the community's widespread practice of intermarriage with neighboring peoples, Jeremoth was among those who stood before the assembly, acknowledged their offense against the covenant, and agreed to release their foreign wives. His response reflects the painful personal cost of communal covenant renewal during this pivotal period in Israel's history.

Significance

Jeremoth of Zattu's story, like those of other men named in Ezra 10, participates in a larger narrative about the challenges of maintaining covenant identity under persistent cultural pressure. The post-exilic community faced enormous assimilatory forces, and Ezra's reform, however difficult for those personally affected, sought to preserve the distinctive character of God's people as they rebuilt their communal life. By naming individuals like Jeremoth, Scripture honors the human cost of covenant obedience. His participation in the reform also underscores that belonging to the covenant community involves accountability not merely to private religious sentiment but to the shared standards of a people called to embody God's holiness in the world.

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]

View all sources & licensing →

See our editorial standards →

Content compiled from public domain scholarship, academic sources, and verified references. Editorial standards · View all sources