Who was Paseah in the Bible?

Paseah was a man mentioned in the Old Testament as the father of Joiada (also called Jehoiada). His son helped repair the Old Gate of Jerusalem during the time of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:6).

What is the significance of Paseah?

Paseah's significance lies in his family's participation in the crucial restoration of Jerusalem's walls. His son, Joiada, is recorded as a builder, showing Paseah's lineage contributed to this important national and spiritual project.

What did Paseah's son do?

Paseah's son, Joiada, repaired a section of Jerusalem's Old Gate. This act is recorded in Nehemiah 3:6, highlighting the collective effort of many families to rebuild the city's defenses after the exile.

Paseah

Old TestamentExile & ReturnMaleFather

Paseah the father of Joiada (or 'Jehoiada'), who helped repair the Old Gate of Jerusalem.

Paseah

Biography

Paseah was the father of Joiada (also rendered Jehoiada), who played an active role in the reconstruction of Jerusalem's walls under Nehemiah's direction (Nehemiah 3:6). Joiada, son of Paseah, along with Meshullam son of Besodeiah, undertook the repair of the Old Gate (also called the Jeshanah Gate), one of the key entry points in Jerusalem's fortifications. This gate, whose name suggests antiquity, may have connected the city to the older, original settlement area. The repair work required both physical labor and courage, as the builders faced opposition and threats from neighboring adversaries including Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite. Paseah, by raising a son who contributed to this crucial national project, ensured his family's participation in one of the most celebrated communal achievements of the post-exilic period.

Significance

Paseah's legacy through his son Joiada's wall-building work illustrates how parental faithfulness bears fruit in subsequent generations. The reconstruction of Jerusalem's walls under Nehemiah was more than an engineering project, it was an act of national and spiritual restoration that declared God's continued commitment to His people. The Old Gate that Joiada repaired symbolized continuity with Jerusalem's ancient heritage, linking the restored community to its pre-exilic past. Paseah's family thus participated in reconnecting Israel's present with its covenantal history. His mention in the construction records of Nehemiah 3 affirms the principle that behind every faithful worker stands a family that nurtured their commitment to God's purposes.

Verse Appearances (1)

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 3:6

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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