Who was Parosh in the Bible?

Parosh was the patriarch and head of a large Israelite family that returned from the Babylonian exile to Jerusalem. His descendants are listed among those who came back with Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple (Ezra 2:3; Nehemiah 7:8).

What is the significance of Parosh's family in the Book of Ezra?

Parosh's family is significant because some of his descendants were among the men who had married foreign women, a violation of God's law that Ezra confronted. These men agreed to divorce their foreign wives to restore covenant faithfulness (Ezra 10:25).

What key events involve Parosh in the Bible?

The key events are the family's return from exile to Judah and their participation in the community's confession and reform under Ezra. A large number of Parosh's descendants, 2,172 men, are recorded as returning (Ezra 2:3; Nehemiah 7:8).

Parosh

Old TestamentExile & ReturnMaleReturned from exile

Parosh was the head of a family that returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile, some of whom married foreign women.

Parosh

Biography

Parosh was the patriarch of a family that returned from Babylonian exile to Jerusalem, some of whose members were later found to have married foreign women in violation of the Mosaic covenant (Ezra 10:25). When Ezra the scribe arrived in Jerusalem and discovered the widespread practice of intermarriage with surrounding pagan peoples, he was deeply grieved and initiated a public assembly to address the crisis. Members of the family of Parosh, including Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, and Benaiah, were among those who had taken foreign wives. Under the reform measures led by Ezra, these men were required to separate from their foreign spouses and their children, a painful but theologically necessary step to maintain Israel's covenant distinctiveness. The family of Parosh thus appears in both the honor roll of returnees and the list of those requiring correction.

Significance

The experience of Parosh's family illustrates the ongoing tension between faithfulness and compromise that characterized the post-exilic community. Having survived exile and returned to rebuild, some members of this family fell into the very sin patterns that had contributed to Israel's downfall. Their story demonstrates that physical return to the Promised Land did not automatically produce spiritual renewal. Ezra's intervention with Parosh's family reflects the prophetic understanding that covenant identity requires holiness of life, not merely geographical location. The painful process of separation from foreign wives underscores that obedience sometimes demands costly choices, and that corporate holiness requires accountability among God's people.

Authority Records

Wikidata

Verse Appearances (3)

Ezra

Ezra 2:3 Ezra 10:25

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 7:8

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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