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: [from H7311 (רוּם - exalted)]

1. elevated
2. Jeremai, an Israelite

Jeremai, an Israelite

From ruwm; elevated; Jeremai, an Israelite:

see HEBREW ruwm

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
an Isr.
NASB Translation
Jeremai (1).

יְרֵמַי proper name, masculine one of those who had strange wives Ezra 10:33; ᵐ5 Ιεσαμει(μ).

Biblical Occurrence

Ezra 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 in Ezra 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.

יְרֵמַ֥י ירמי yə·rê·may yereMai yərêmayInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts