Maaziah

Maaziah (meaning strength of the LORD or consolation of Jehovah) is the name of two men in the post-exilic period. (1.) The head of the twenty-fourth and last of the priestly courses established by David for service at the sanctuary (1 Chronicles 24:18), assigned to rotate monthly through temple service. (2.) A priest who put his seal to the covenant of national renewal under Nehemiah after the reading of the law by Ezra (Nehemiah 10:8), committing himself and the community to observe the law of Moses, to separate from foreign peoples, and to support the temple service.

Both figures reflect the priestly leadership of the Second Temple community maintaining continuity with the Davidic organization of worship. The name Maaziah — affirming divine strength and comfort — suited the post-exilic context of a community reconstituting itself after the trauma of exile.