Original Word: מְרָיוֹת
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Mrayowth
Pronunciation: meh-rah-YOTH
Phonetic Spelling: (mer-aw-yohth')
KJV: Meraioth
NASB: Meraioth
Word Origin: [plural of H4811 (מְרָיָה - Meraiah)]

1. rebellious
2. Merajoth, the name of two Israelites

Meraioth

Plural of Mrayah; rebellious; Merajoth, the name of two Israelites -- Meraioth.

see HEBREW Mrayah

Word Origin
pl. of Merayah
Definition
desc. of Aaron, also a priestly family
NASB Translation
Meraioth (7).

מְרָיוֺה proper name, masculine (on form compare Lag^{BN 51}); —

1 descendant of Aaron:

a. grandfather of Ahitub and great-grandfather of Zadok 1 Chronicles 5:32; 1 Chronicles 5:33; 1 Chronicles 6:37; Ezra 7:3; ᵐ5 Μαρειηλ, Μαρερωθ, Μαραιωθ, etc.

b. as son of Ahitub and father of Zadok 1 Chronicles 9:11; Nehemiah 11:11; ᵐ5 Μαρμωθ Μαρ(α)ιωθ.

2 name of a priestly house Nehemiah 12:15 (probably error for מְרֵמוֺת, q. v., Nehemiah 12:3), ᵐ5^L Μαριμωθ.

Occurrences and Identity

Meraioth appears seven times in the Old Testament (1 Chronicles 6:6; 6:7; 6:52; 9:11; Ezra 7:3; Nehemiah 11:11; 12:15). The references point to at least two historical persons and one post-exilic priestly house that carried his name:

1. A tenth-generation descendant of Aaron through Eleazar, situated between Zerahiah and Amariah (1 Chronicles 6:6-7).
2. The same ancestor repeated in the parallel genealogy preserved in 1 Chronicles 6:52 and Ezra 7:3, thereby forming part of Ezra’s own lineage.
3. A later Meraioth whose descendants formed one of the twenty-four post-exilic priestly divisions (Nehemiah 12:15).

Because the Chronicler lists Meraioth in two separate timeframes—as an ancestor of Zadok and as the eponym of a post-exilic division—readers meet both an individual and a legacy.

Genealogical Placement in the Aaronic Line

The longest uninterrupted priestly pedigree in Scripture moves from Aaron to the post-exilic era. Nestled in the middle stands Meraioth, linking the wilderness generation with the monarchy. Counting from Aaron this priest lived during the latter judges or early united-monarchy era, a strategic hinge between Israel’s tribal worship and the centralized temple ministry inaugurated by Solomon.

1 Chronicles 6:7 traces the flow succinctly: “Meraioth was the father of Amariah, and Amariah was the father of Ahitub”. The next generations include Zadok, the high priest who anointed Solomon and stabilized temple worship. Thus Meraioth supplied the line from which a faithful high-priestly family emerged, fulfilling the divine promise of an enduring priesthood through Eleazar (Numbers 25:13).

Connection to Zadok and Davidic Worship Reforms

Zadok’s ministry is inseparable from David’s covenantal kingdom. By extension, Meraioth becomes part of the theological foundation for Davidic worship. When Chronicles replays the pedigree (1 Chronicles 9:11 and Nehemiah 11:11) it underscores legitimacy: only descendants of Meraioth—and therefore of Zadok—could claim the high priestly office. That legitimacy guarded Israel against the corruption that plagued Eli’s non-Zadokite line (1 Samuel 2:27-36; Ezekiel 44:15-16).

Presence in the Post-Exilic Community

Ezra, the “scribe skilled in the Law of Moses” (Ezra 7:6), traces his own ancestry through Meraioth. This genealogical note validates Ezra’s reforms in Jerusalem, showing that his authority derived from the same unbroken line committed to covenant obedience. Later, the name resurfaces as one of the heads of priestly courses resettled in Judah: “of Meraioth, Helkai” (Nehemiah 12:15). The survival of a Meraioth division after the Babylonian captivity testifies to God’s preservation of priestly continuity, even when the nation itself had been uprooted.

Continuity and Covenant Faithfulness

Each appearance of Meraioth occurs in a record designed to prove covenant continuity:

• Chronicles catalogs the priestly household to show that the restored temple rested on ancient promises.
• Ezra offers his lineage to demonstrate that the Law remained in the hands of duly qualified priests.
• Nehemiah lists divisions to ensure that daily sacrifices and festivals could proceed according to Moses’ instructions.

In every case the name Meraioth anchors the narrative in a historical chain stretching from Sinai to Second Temple Jerusalem.

Ministry Themes and Theological Significance

1. Fidelity to Calling: Meraioth’s placement reminds readers that vocational faithfulness is not merely individual but generational.
2. Purity of Worship: Zadokite succession, stemming from Meraioth, upholds the principle that worship leadership must conform to divine appointment, not political convenience.
3. Preservation Amid Exile: The survival of the Meraioth family underscores God’s unwavering commitment to His covenant people even through judgment and dispersion.

Christological Foreshadowing

Hebrews grounds Jesus’ priesthood in a superior, eternal order, yet that argument gains weight because the Aaronic line, exemplified by men like Meraioth, actually endured. The faithfulness of the human priestly succession prepares the reader to appreciate the greater faithfulness of the Son “who holds His priesthood permanently, because He lives forever” (Hebrews 7:24).

Lessons for Today

• Heritage matters. Spiritual leadership is safest when it stands within accountable, doctrinally sound lineage—whether familial, ecclesial, or confessional.
• Names fade but faithfulness endures. Meraioth is a minor figure, yet his obedience helped shape centuries of worship.
• God preserves servants for every season. From wilderness to exile, the priestly line never vanished, assuring believers that the Lord still maintains a remnant to carry His truth.

Meraioth, though scarcely mentioned, embodies the quiet continuity by which God advances redemptive history—link by link, generation by generation—until every promise finds its “Yes” and “Amen” in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

לִמְרָי֖וֹת למריות מְרָי֥וֹת מְרָיֽוֹת׃ מְרָיוֹת֙ מריות מריות׃ lim·rā·yō·wṯ limraYot limrāyōwṯ mə·rā·yō·wṯ meraYot mərāyōwṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts