Lexical Summary
Yeremay: Yeremay
Original Word:יְרֵמַי
Part of Speech:Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration:Yremay
Pronunciation:yeh-reh-MAI
Phonetic Spelling:(yer-ay-mah'-ee)
KJV: Jeremai
NASB:Jeremai
Word Origin:[fromH7311 (רוּם - exalted)]
1. elevated
2. Jeremai, an Israelite
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Jeremai, an Israelite
Fromruwm; elevated; Jeremai, an Israelite:
see HEBREWruwm
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof uncertain derivation
Definitionan Isr.
NASB TranslationJeremai (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Ezra 10:33; ().
Topical Lexicon
Biblical OccurrenceEzra 10:33 records “and from the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei”. Jeremai is therefore remembered solely within the solemn catalog of men who had taken foreign wives in the post-exilic community.
Historical Context
The list inEzra 10 arises in the aftermath of Judah’s return from Babylonian exile. Ezra’s mission was to restore the Law’s authority (Ezra 7:10). When intermarriage with surrounding peoples came to light (Ezra 9:1–2), communal integrity and covenant fidelity were jeopardized. Jeremai’s inclusion situates him among the descendants of Hashum—one of the family groups that had earlier returned under Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:19). His appearance in this roster underscores the breadth of the problem: both prominent and obscure individuals alike were implicated.
Theological Themes
1. Covenant Purity: The intermarriages threatened Israel’s distinct identity as “a holy seed” (Ezra 9:2). Jeremai’s name within this list becomes a perpetual reminder of how easily covenant commitments can erode through compromise.
2. Corporate Accountability: Although the transgression was personal, the remedy was communal. The people “trembled at the word of the God of Israel” (Ezra 10:3), illustrating how individual sin affects the whole body.
3. Repentance and Restoration: The narrative does not end in judgment alone. Those named, Jeremai included, took steps to rectify their disobedience, offering sacrifices and divorcing their foreign wives (Ezra 10:19, 44). Repentance opened a path to renewed fellowship with God.
Ministry Significance
• Warning against Assimilation: Jeremai’s solitary mention warns contemporary believers that even minimal exposure to unholy alliances can jeopardize spiritual well-being (2 Corinthians 6:14–18).
• Necessity of Scriptural Reformation: Ezra’s leadership centered on the public reading of the Law. Declension was reversed only when Scripture regained functional authority—a model for churches facing cultural pressures today (Nehemiah 8:1–8).
• Hope in Grace-Grounded Repentance: Although the list is sobering, it is simultaneously hopeful; confession led to restoration. Thus, Jeremai’s record, though brief, testifies to divine willingness to forgive when sin is owned and forsaken (1 John 1:9).
Lessons for the Church
Jeremai’s otherwise obscure life is preserved to instruct succeeding generations that holiness matters, compromise spreads, and repentance restores. His name, nested in Ezra’s reform narrative, calls every believer to self-examination, communal responsibility, and unwavering devotion to the Lord’s revealed will.
Forms and Transliterations
יְרֵמַ֥י ירמי yə·rê·may yereMai yərêmay
Links
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Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
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