Original Word: מָדַי
Part of Speech: proper name, of a people
Transliteration: Maday
Pronunciation: mah-dah'ee
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-dah'-ee)
KJV: Madai, Medes, Media
NASB: Media, Medes, Madai, Median
Word Origin: [of foreign derivation]

1. Madai, a country of central Asia

Madai, Medes, Media

Of foreign derivation; Madai, a country of central Asia -- Madai, Medes, Media.

Word Origin
of foreign origin
Definition
a son of Japheth, also his desc. and their land
NASB Translation
Madai (2), Medes (5), Media (8), Median (1).

מָדַי proper name, of a people et

terr. Medes, Media (Old Persian Mâda Sp^APK, Assyrian Madai COT^{Gloss, and on Genesis 10.. 2} Dl^{Par. 247}); —

1 people, as 'son' of Japhet Genesis 10:2 (P) = 1 Chronicles 1:5; as hostile power Isaiah 13:17; Isaiah 21:2; זֶרַע מָדַי Daniel 9:1; land and people, מַלְכֵי מָדַי Jeremiah 25:25 (+ מַלְכֵי עֵילָם), Jeremiah 51:11,28; וּפָרַס ׳מַלְכֵי מ Daniel 8:20; compare מָּרַס וּמָדַי Esther 1:3,14,18,19; Esther 10:2; ᵐ5 Μαδαι.

2 of land alone = Media 2 Kings 17:6; 2 Kings 18:11 (both עָרֵי מָדָ֑י).

Genealogical Origin

Madai first appears in Genesis 10:2 and 1 Chronicles 1:5 among the sons of Japheth. His placement in the Table of Nations links the Medes to the post-Flood dispersion and underscores their affinity with other northern peoples. The genealogical notice prepares the reader to recognize the later rise of Media not as an incidental footnote of world history but as part of the divinely ordered unfolding of nations.

Geographic and Ethnographic Profile

Media occupied the rugged highlands east of Assyria and north of Persia, roughly corresponding to modern north-western Iran. Fortified by the Zagros Mountains and enriched by fertile valleys, the land produced a hardy population renowned for horsemanship and archery. Classical sources speak of Ecbatana (modern Hamadan) as its royal city; Scripture simply assumes the people’s distinct identity, often listing them with Elam or Persia (Isaiah 21:2; Jeremiah 25:25). By the eighth century B.C. the Medes had organized into tribal confederations that would later ally with Babylon against Assyria and, in turn, overthrow Babylon in concert with Persia.

Interactions with Israel and Judah

1. Deportation Sites. In 2 Kings 17:6 and 18:11 the kings of Assyria settled exiled Israelites “in the cities of the Medes,” showing that Media lay securely under Assyrian control late in the northern kingdom’s history. The forced resettlement fulfilled covenant warnings (Deuteronomy 28:64) and scattered Israelites into regions where later Jewish communities would arise.
2. Diaspora Connections. These transplanted Israelites likely explain why Jews were present through the Empire period, enabling the later spread of the Gospel as recorded in Acts 2:9, where “residents of Media” hear the apostles in their own tongue.

Role within the Persian Empire

Esther repeatedly joins Media with Persia, attesting a unique dual monarchy:

• Court and Military Leadership. “In the third year of his reign, he held a feast for … the army of Persia and Media” (Esther 1:3). The order fluctuates (sometimes Media first, sometimes Persia) but always maintains parity.
• Immutable Legislation. Royal decrees were to be “written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed” (Esther 1:19). The phrase signals the stability—indeed, the irrevocability—of imperial edicts, setting the stage for the providential deliverance recorded in the book.
• Historical Records. Esther 10:2 alludes to “the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia,” a joint archive reflecting the administrative fusion begun by Cyrus and extended by later monarchs.

Daniel’s narratives reinforce this union. The vision of the two-horned ram (Daniel 8:20) identifies Media and Persia as a single world power, while Daniel 9:1 mentions “Darius son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes,” who ruled Babylon immediately after its fall. Although secular historians debate the identification of this Darius, Scripture places a Mede on Babylon’s throne to mark the precise transition foretold by the prophets.

Prophetic Portraits

1. Instrument of Judgment on Babylon.
• “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them” (Isaiah 13:17).
• “The LORD has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes … for it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance for His temple” (Jeremiah 51:11).

Both Isaiah (eighth century) and Jeremiah (seventh–sixth century) foresee a coalition led by Media that will overthrow Babylon. The prophecies were fulfilled in 539 B.C. when Medo-Persian forces captured the city, vindicating God’s sovereignty and His concern for His house.
2. Recurring Motif of Divine Summons. Isaiah 21:2 vividly commands, “Advance, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media!” Even powerful empires move at the divine imperative.
3. Eschatological Echo. Because the Medes exemplify a Gentile power raised up to accomplish divine judgment, later prophets employ similar imagery when describing final judgments, reminding readers that the God who once summoned the Medes still rules the nations.

Theological and Ministry Reflections

• God Governs World History. From the genealogical table to the fall of Babylon, Media’s storyline illustrates that world events unfold according to God’s infallible word.
• Gentile Agents in Redemption History. Though pagan, the Medes become instruments for preserving the covenant people—first by ending Babylonian oppression, later by partnering with Persia in the decree allowing the Jews to return (Ezra 1:1-4).
• Reliability of Prophecy. The precise fulfillment of Isaiah and Jeremiah encourages faith in remaining prophecies. As every word concerning the Medes came to pass, so every promise in Christ will be accomplished (2 Corinthians 1:20).
• Mission Implications. The dispersion of Israelites into “the cities of the Medes” contributed to the later presence of Jews—and therefore synagogues—throughout the empire, preparing channels for the Gospel. Modern ministry can take courage that even involuntary scattering serves the advance of God’s redemptive purpose.

וּמָדַ֖י וּמָדַ֗י ומדי מָדַ֔י מָדַ֥י מָדָ֑י מָדָֽי׃ מדי מדי׃ mā·ḏay mā·ḏāy maDai māḏay māḏāy ū·mā·ḏay umaDai ūmāḏayInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts