Maaseiah

Maaseiah was a priest who was found to have married a foreign woman during the time of Ezra (Ezr.10.22). During the religious reform led by Ezra, which addressed the issue of intermarriage with foreign women, Maaseiah is listed among the descendants of Pashhur who had taken foreign wives (Ezr.10.22). The priests were expected to maintain a higher standard of religious purity and serve as examples to the community. The presence of priests among those who had married foreign women underscores the pervasive nature of the problem and the need for spiritual leadership in the restoration of the community. As part of the reform, those who had married foreign women were required to separate from their wives and children (Ezr.10.44).