Malchiah

Malchiah (UPDV: Malchijah) is a recurring Hebrew personal name borne by at least nine distinct men in the Old Testament, most of them priests or members of the post-exilic Jerusalem community. The same Hebrew name is also rendered Melchiah at one point in earlier English usage. The verses below present each bearer in turn; their only common thread is the name itself and, for most, a connection to the temple, the priesthood, or the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

A Levitical Singer of the Line of Gershon

The earliest Malchijah named is a Levite of the Gershonite branch, listed in the genealogy that runs up through Asaph the singer. He appears only as a link in the chain: "the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah" (1Ch 6:40).

The Aaronite Father of Pashhur

A second Malchijah belongs to the priestly line of Aaron and is named in the genealogies of those who returned to dwell in Jerusalem after the exile. The Chronicler traces Adaiah back through "Pashhur, the son of Malchijah" (1Ch 9:12), and Nehemiah's parallel list repeats the same descent: "Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah" (Ne 11:12).

This same Pashhur son of Malchijah appears twice in the book of Jeremiah, on each occasion among officials sent against or hostile to the prophet. When Zedekiah faced the threat of Nebuchadnezzar, "the word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying," opens the oracle of Jer 21:1. Later, when Jeremiah's preaching of surrender so angered the leaders that they sought his death, "Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people" (Jer 38:1).

Head of the Fifth Priestly Course

When David organized the priesthood into twenty-four courses by lot, Malchijah received the fifth: "the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin" (1Ch 24:9). His name therefore stands as the title of one of the rotating divisions that served at the sanctuary.

Three Returned Exiles Who Married Foreign Wives

Three further men named Malchijah surface in Ezra's roster of those who had taken foreign wives and were called to put them away. Two of them stand together in the family of Parosh: "Of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, and Izziah, and Malchijah, and Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah" (Ezr 10:25). A third belongs to the family of Harim: "And [of] the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon" (Ezr 10:31).

Builders of the Wall under Nehemiah

Two men of this name take part in Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem. The first is identified by both family and office: "And the dung gate repaired Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem; he built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars" (Ne 3:14).

The second is a craftsman: "After him repaired Malchijah one of the goldsmiths to the house of those given [to temple service], and of the merchants, across from the gate of Hammiphkad, and to the ascent of the corner" (Ne 3:31). His section of wall touches both the quarter that housed the temple servants and the merchants' district.

A Witness at the Reading of the Law

When Ezra read the book of the law to the assembled people at the Water Gate, Malchijah stood among the men flanking him on the platform. He is listed on Ezra's left hand: "And Ezra the scribe stood on a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, [and] Meshullam" (Ne 8:4).

A Priest Who Sealed the Covenant

Among the priests who set their seal to the covenant of renewal under Nehemiah, Malchijah's name appears in the short opening triad: "Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah" (Ne 10:3).

A Priest at the Dedication of the Wall

When the rebuilt wall was at last dedicated, Malchijah stood among the priests with trumpets in the second of Nehemiah's two great processions: "and Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer" (Ne 12:42).