Maai is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Maai was a musician who took part in the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, an event recorded in the book of Nehemiah. He appears in a single verse of Scripture, Nehemiah 12:36, where he is named among a company of men who processed with musical instruments during the celebration. The setting is the rebuilt city of Jerusalem in the days after the exiles returned from Babylon, when the wall had been completed and the people gathered to dedicate it to God with thanksgiving, singing, and instruments of music.
In the verse, Maai is listed alongside his brethren—Shemaiah, Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Nethaneel, Judah, and Hanani. These men are described as carrying “the musical instruments of David the man of God,” and Ezra the scribe went before them. Maai’s specific role was that of a musician, one of those who provided the music for this joyful occasion. Scripture says nothing else about him: no family line is given beyond the mention of “his brethren,” no word or deed of his is recorded, and he appears nowhere else in the Bible.
What stands out is that Maai was part of a larger company of worshipers, not a solitary figure. He is named among many, each contributing to the same sound of praise. The text preserves his name as one who played his part in a moment of national and spiritual rejoicing, using instruments that recalled David, the man after God’s own heart.
The Name
The name Maai is a Hebrew name, and its meaning is not clearly recoverable. Scholars have proposed various possibilities, but no meaning is well established, and the text itself gives no explanation of the name. Rather than assign it a meaning that the evidence does not support, it is best to say plainly that the significance of the name Maai is uncertain.
A Closing Thought
Maai’s whole recorded life is a single line in a long list of names—and yet that line places him in the middle of a great act of praise. Most of us will not be remembered for many words or deeds, but we can be counted among those who showed up to worship and played whatever part was given to us. Maai carried the instruments of David and joined the song of a thankful city. Faithfulness in a small, unnamed role is still faithfulness, and God keeps the names of those who serve Him, even when the world remembers only a verse.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Nehemiah 12:36 — And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.