4572. Maaday

Lexical Summary

Maaday: Maadai

Original Word: מַעֲדַי
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Ma`aday
Pronunciation: mah-ah-DYE
Phonetic Spelling: (mah-ad-ah'-ee)
KJV: Maadai
NASB: Maadai
Word Origin: [from H5710 (עָדָה - To pass on)]

1. ornamental
2. Maadai, an Israelite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Maadai

From adah; ornamental; Maadai, an Israelite -- Maadai.

see HEBREW adah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from maad
Definition
an Isr.
NASB Translation
Maadai (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מַעְדַּי (van d. H מַעֲדַי) proper name, masculine one of those who had taken strange wives Ezra 10:34. ᵐ5. Μοδεδ(ε)ια, A ᵐ5^L Μοο(υ)δεια (perhaps = following, q. v. )

Topical Lexicon

Name and Meaning

Maadai is a post-exilic personal name borne by one Israelite. Although etymologists suggest connections with ideas such as “ornament” or “adornment,” Scripture itself offers no direct explanation of the name’s nuance. What is clear is that it belongs to a generation whose identity had been refined through exile and restoration, and whose very names now testified to renewed covenant consciousness.

Biblical Occurrence

The name appears once, in Ezra 10:34, within a list of men who had married foreign wives during the early Second Temple period:

“of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel.” (Berean Standard Bible)

Historical Setting

1. Post-Exilic Community. The Book of Ezra chronicles the return from Babylon and the arduous task of re-establishing life around the rebuilt temple (Ezra 1–6) and restoring fidelity to the Law (Ezra 7–10).
2. Problem of Intermarriage. Ezra 9 records Ezra’s shock that many of the returned exiles, including priests and Levites, had taken pagan wives—echoing past transgressions that had triggered judgment (Deuteronomy 7:3-4; 1 Kings 11:1-11). Chapter 10 lists those who repented, Maadai among them.
3. Public Accountability. Names are preserved to demonstrate transparent repentance and communal cleansing. Such record-keeping foreshadows New Testament admonitions regarding church discipline and purity (1 Corinthians 5:6-13).

Theological Significance

1. Covenant Holiness. Maadai’s inclusion reinforces the principle that God’s people are to remain distinct in worship and lifestyle. The repentance ceremony in Ezra 10 illustrates practical obedience to “Be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16).
2. Personal Responsibility within Corporate Life. Though the offense was widespread, individuals like Maadai were identified. Scripture balances communal identity with personal accountability, a pattern continued when Paul calls believers to examine themselves (2 Corinthians 13:5).
3. Restoration and Hope. The list in Ezra 10 is not merely punitive; it is evidence that genuine repentance opens the way for renewal. The same grace that restored post-exilic Israel continues to restore believers through confession and alignment with God’s Word (1 John 1:9).

Ministry Applications

• Leadership Transparency: Ezra recorded specific names to model openness before God and the community—an enduring accountability principle for church leaders.
• Guarding Marital Covenant: Maadai’s account underlines the importance of marriages grounded in shared faith (2 Corinthians 6:14), guiding pastoral counsel and premarital discipleship.
• Public Repentance and Corporate Renewal: Congregations may draw on Ezra 10 as a template for corporate confession services, recognizing that revival often begins with naming sin and turning from it.

Legacy

Maadai’s lone appearance reminds readers that even seemingly obscure individuals are woven into God’s redemptive narrative. His name in Scripture stands as a perpetual witness that holiness matters, repentance is possible, and a community’s future can be reshaped when its members respond humbly to the Word of God.

Forms and Transliterations

מַעֲדַ֥י מעדי ma‘ăḏay ma·‘ă·ḏay maaDai

Englishman's Concordance

Ezra 10:34
HEB: מִבְּנֵ֣י בָנִ֔י מַעֲדַ֥י עַמְרָ֖ם וְאוּאֵֽל׃
NAS: of Bani: Maadai, Amram,
KJV: of Bani; Maadai, Amram,
INT: of the sons of Bani Maadai Amram Uel

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 4572
1 Occurrence

ma·‘ă·ḏay — 1 Occ.