4153. Moadyah

Lexical Summary

Moadyah: Moadiah

Original Word: מוֹעַדְיָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Mow`adyah
Pronunciation: mo-ahd-YAH
Phonetic Spelling: (mo-ad-yaw')
KJV: Moadiah
Word Origin: [from H4151 (מוֹעָד - ranks) and H3050 (יָהּ - LORD)]

1. assembly of Jah
2. Moadjah, an Israelite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Moadiah

From mow'ad and Yahh; assembly of Jah; Moadjah, an Israelite -- Moadiah. Compare Ma'adyah.

see HEBREW mow'ad

see HEBREW Yahh

see HEBREW Ma'adyah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
the same as Maadyah, q.v.

Topical Lexicon

Canonical Appearance

Nehemiah 12:17 is the sole occurrence: “of Moadiah, Piltai; of Bilgah, Shammua”. The verse belongs to the register of priestly heads in the days of Joiakim, son of Jeshua, after the return from Babylonian exile.

Historical Context

1. Persian Period Jerusalem. The list in Nehemiah 12 documents the consolidation of temple worship roughly a century after the first exiles returned (Ezra 1–6).
2. Days of Joiakim. Joiakim’s tenure as high priest fell between the ministries of Jeshua and Eliashib (Nehemiah 12:10). The city’s walls had not yet been rebuilt; nevertheless, the priesthood was already functioning and genealogies were being preserved (compare Ezra 2:36-39).
3. Record-Keeping. Accurate pedigree was indispensable for priests (Ezra 2:61-63). Inclusion of Moadiah certifies that this family had demonstrated legitimate Aaronic descent and, therefore, covenantal rights to serve.

Priestly Household and Division

• Family Head. Moadiah is not an individual active in narrative, but the eponymous ancestor of a priestly clan. Piltai is the contemporary head of that clan during Joiakim’s day.
• Course Alignment. Although Moadiah is not listed among the twenty-four courses established by David (1 Chronicles 24), post-exilic circumstances required new or reorganised sub-families. Moadiah’s house may have been grafted into an existing course or served as a subdivision thereof, ensuring adequate manpower for the enlarged second-temple community.
• Liturgical Duty. Priestly responsibilities in this era included daily sacrifice (Ezra 3:3-6), teaching the Law (Nehemiah 8:7-8), guarding ritual purity (Nehemiah 13:30) and blessing the people (Numbers 6:22-27). The family of Moadiah shared these obligations, thus helping re-establish corporate worship.

Ministry Significance

1. Continuity of Worship. The mention of Moadiah demonstrates that organized priestly ministry survived exile and resumed in Jerusalem exactly as the Law prescribed (Exodus 29; Leviticus 8-9).
2. Covenant Faithfulness. God preserved specific family lines so that sacrificial mediation could continue until the coming of the ultimate High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16).
3. Integrity of Scripture. The precision with which Nehemiah records minor clans like Moadiah underscores the trustworthiness of the biblical historical record (Luke 24:27).

Spiritual Lessons

• God values faithfulness in obscurity. Though unnamed beyond a genealogical note, Moadiah’s descendants quietly maintained temple service that blessed the nation.
• Every believer’s place is important in corporate worship. As the post-exilic community required many hands, so the New-Covenant church functions through diverse but coordinated gifts (1 Corinthians 12:18).
• Lineage underlines legacy. Parents today still influence future generations’ devotion by their own faithfulness, just as Moadiah’s lineage produced priests who served a century later.

Related Biblical Themes

Ezra 2:70; Nehemiah 7:73 — settlement of priests in their towns

Nehemiah 10:28-29 — priests joining the covenant renewal

Nehemiah 13:29-30 — purification of the priesthood

Malachi 2:4-7 — the covenant with Levi and priestly responsibility

Hebrews 7:23-27 — the transitory nature of mortal priests fulfilled in Christ

Forms and Transliterations

לְמוֹעַדְיָ֖ה למועדיה lə·mō·w·‘aḏ·yāh lemoadYah ləmōw‘aḏyāh

Englishman's Concordance

Nehemiah 12:17
HEB: זִכְרִ֑י לְמִ֨נְיָמִ֔ין לְמוֹעַדְיָ֖ה פִּלְטָֽי׃
KJV: of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;
INT: Zichri of Miniamin of Moadiah Piltai

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 4153
1 Occurrence

lə·mō·w·‘aḏ·yāh — 1 Occ.