Who was Jeremoth in the Bible?

Jeremoth was a descendant of Bani, an Israelite who lived during the time of Ezra. He is specifically noted as one of the men who had married foreign women, which was forbidden, and later agreed to send them away to obey God's law (Ezra 10:29).

Why is Jeremoth mentioned in the book of Ezra?

Jeremoth is listed in Ezra chapter 10 as part of a group who confessed to intermarrying with foreign peoples, a practice that led Israel away from God. His agreement to divorce his foreign wife was a public act of repentance and commitment to the covenant.

What was the significance of Jeremoth sending away his foreign wife?

This act demonstrated obedience to God's command for Israel to remain a holy people separate from the surrounding nations (Ezra 9:1-2). It was a difficult but necessary step in the community's collective repentance and spiritual restoration led by Ezra.

Jeremoth

Old TestamentExile & ReturnMaleWife

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

Jeremoth

Biography

Jeremoth, a descendant of Bani, appears in Ezra 10:29 among the Israelite men who had married foreign women during the unsettled period of the community's return from Babylonian exile. The clan of Bani was one of the larger family groups among the returning exiles, appearing in multiple lists in Ezra and Nehemiah. When Ezra convened the public assembly to address the crisis of intermarriage, Jeremoth was among those from Bani's family who confessed their transgression and pledged to send away their foreign wives and children in accordance with the law. His name is preserved in Scripture as one who responded to Ezra's reform with compliance, participating in the painful but necessary act of covenantal recommitment during the restoration era.

Significance

Jeremoth's compliance with Ezra's reform, along with the dozens of others named in Ezra 10, illustrates the seriousness with which the post-exilic community approached the question of covenant purity and communal identity. The naming of each individual in these lists is itself theologically meaningful, it reflects the conviction that personal decisions of obedience and repentance matter within the broader story of God's people. Jeremoth's story also highlights the ongoing nature of covenant renewal: returning from physical exile was only the beginning; the full restoration of the community required moral and spiritual reorientation. His response models the kind of costly obedience that sustains covenant communities through times of cultural compromise and reform.

Verse Appearances (1)

Ezra

Ezra 10:29

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