Pelaiah

Two men bear the name Pelaiah. One belongs to the post-exilic royal genealogy of Judah; the other is a Levite who served in the Ezra-Nehemiah reform.

Son of Elioenai

The first Pelaiah is listed in the Davidic line continued past the exile: "And the sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Delaiah, and Anani, seven" (1Ch 3:24). He occupies the third slot among Elioenai's seven sons and appears nowhere else in the genealogy.

Levite Teacher of the Law

The second Pelaiah works alongside Ezra at the public reading of the law. The text names him in the long roll of Levites who handled the explanation: "Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people [stood] in their place" (Ne 8:7). His role is interpretive — making the read law intelligible to the standing assembly.

He appears again on the list of those who set their seal to the covenant Nehemiah brought before the people: "and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan," (Ne 10:10). The pairing of Ne 8:7 and Ne 10:10 — same name, same Levitical company, same period — places him among the working clergy of the reform.