Maaziah
“Strength or consolation of Jehovah”
Summary
Maaziah, meaning 'strength' or 'consolation of Jehovah,' was the name of two priests: the head of the twenty-fourth and final course of priests established by David, and a priest who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah.
☩Head of the Twenty-Fourth Course
When David organized the priests into twenty-four courses for service in the sanctuary, Maaziah was appointed head of the twenty-fourth and final course. These courses, established around 1014 BC, determined the rotation by which priestly families served at the Temple, with each course serving for a week at a time.
☩Priest Under Nehemiah
A priest named Maaziah was among those who sealed the sacred covenant with Nehemiah around 410 BC. The coincidence of names between David's original 24 courses and the priests who signed Nehemiah's covenant, as well as those who returned with Zerubbabel, suggests that these names were either hereditary in certain families or had become names applied to the families themselves.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Maaziah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Maaziah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Maaziah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).