Ishijah is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Ishijah was one of the men of Israel who lived during the time of Ezra, after the return from the Babylonian exile. He is identified in Ezra 10:31 as a descendant of Harim, listed among “the sons of Harim” along with Eliezer, Malchiah, Shemaiah, and Shimeon. This genealogy places him within a family group that had returned to Judah and was now being confronted over a matter of covenant faithfulness.
The setting of his appearance is one of national repentance. After the exiles had resettled in the land, the leaders reported to Ezra that the people of Israel, including priests and Levites, had not separated themselves from the surrounding peoples but had taken foreign wives from the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. Ezra responded with grief, fasting, and public confession, and the people gathered in Jerusalem, trembling because of the matter and the heavy rain. A covenant was proposed: those who had married foreign women would put them away, and the assembly agreed to deal with the matter according to the law.
Ishijah was one of the men named in that reckoning. He had married a foreign woman, and he was called to repent. Scripture records his name in the list of those who gave their pledge to put away their foreign wives and to offer a ram of the flock for their guilt. Beyond this single reference, nothing else is said of him. He appears only in this one verse, counted among the men of Harim who were required to act in obedience to the covenant.
The Name
The name Ishijah is a Hebrew name, and its meaning is not clearly recoverable with certainty. It appears to be a compound name, and various suggestions have been made about its derivation, but no single meaning is well established. What can be said is that it belongs to the class of Hebrew names that include a reference to the divine name, likely ending in the shortened form “-iah” (Yah), which is common in names such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hezekiah. Beyond that general observation, the precise sense of the first element is uncertain, and it is better to acknowledge that than to invent a meaning.
A Closing Thought
Ishijah’s story is brief and unflattering: he is remembered only as a man who had to be told to repent. Yet there is something quietly hopeful in that. He did not argue, and he was not struck down; he was listed among those who agreed to make things right. Most of us will not be remembered by name in a sacred record, but every one of us will face moments when we must choose between defending a wrong and turning from it. Ishijah chose to turn. That is a small, honest legacy worth imitating.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Ezra 10:31 — And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,